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As a violist in the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra for over four decades (with over two decades as Principal Violist and an earlier decade as Assistant Principal), I experienced first-hand the technical and musical challenges of being part of a much larger musical instrument - the symphony orchestra. Learning so much repertoire throughout this rich and inspiring career has required the mastery of a wide variety of techniques, all ready to be called on when needed - making me a better violist!

Over many years of teaching Orchestral Repertoire to violists at the Eastman School of Music, I found myself addressing the same issues with every group of students, year after year. Rhythmic accuracy! Intonation! Articulation! Sound! Style! These should be considered “basics” for any violist - and yet they seem to be thrust into a more extreme examination when put into the concept of “excerpts.” In addition to discussing the expectations, I created etudes that isolate particular elements (through rhythm practice, bowing patterns, melodic simplification or framework, guide fingers for shifting, etc.). These etudes evolved into detailed lessons for practicing excerpts with focus and intent. Some ideas are fairly standard while others are admittedly a bit wacky - but all are intended to inspire the journey toward the dexterity, reliability, and stylistic versatility of a successful orchestral player.

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Get a FREE pdf copy of Beethoven 5 (slow movement) here (copy and paste into your browser)

https://www.vlatutti.com/vlatuttimarketplace/beethoven-5-practice-sheet

The daily practice of scales builds technique, solidifies intonation, and affords the opportunity to assess many aspects of viola playing. Many invaluable approaches to scale study are in publication, among them Flesch, Galamian and, of particular note to violists, Ellen Rose. Basic scales are diatonic, or step-wise, and therefore use only two of the possible twenty-four finger patterns. To encourage the development of a left hand which is equally prepared for any pattern in any key (the facility required in most repertoire and in sight-reading), the one-position scale concept has been adapted to include all of the combinations of finger patterns. The basic premise is rather simple, and fairly quickly learned. When combined with other factors such as key signatures, rhythmic patterns,and bowings, the possibility are infinite - and bring endless variety to the daily practice session.

AVAILABLE in pdf or print versions from VlaTutti.com
(copy and paste into your browser)

https://www.vlatutti.com/vlatuttimarketplace/one-position-finger-patterns