Unit 5:
Advanced Techniques
Now you have all the basics of your instruments. Now the real music begins! Playing music is not just about playing the ink on the page. It's about being expressive and artistic to bring joy to your listeners (and you!) The next several weeks, we are going to start exploring some of those expressive advanced techniques that you will explore much more as you continue in the middle school orchestra program next year!
Dynamics - Pg 42
Mr. Williams discusses what different dynamic markings are and how to produce that on your instrument.
Double Stops & Tempo - Pg. 43
Mr. Williams talks about performing double stops (2 strings at once) and tempo markings from page 43.
More on Double Stops
Another great video on improving your double stop playing.
Advanced Bowing Techniques - Pg. 44
Mr. Williams discusses several advanced bowing techniques and how to play them. We will explore Legato, Staccato, Accents, and Spiccato.
2 Octave Scales & Chorales: Book 1 - Pg. 45
Mr. Williams talks about violins, violas, and `celli starting to learn their 2 octave scales. We also discuss the beautiful chorales you will be playing this week. Chorales are pieces of music for multiple voices (in this case 4 parts) where each part is independent of the other voices, using a technique called counterpoint.
Solo w/ Piano Accompaniment: Book 1 - Pg. 46
One of your final challenges for String Basics Book 1 is a solo w/ piano accompaniment. Mr. Williams discusses the road map to follow while playing your solo. He then discusses the details to pay attention to in your performance. Practicing with your IPS app is a must, unless you have a family member to play the piano part for you!
Conquest - Pg. 47
Your final challenge for String Basics Book 1 is this awesome orchestra performance of Jeremy Woolstenhulme's "Conquest." In this one incredible piece, we get to experience so many different techniques that we've learned over the course of book 1. Practicing with the IPS app is a must!!! Make sure you pay attention to the following.
Key Signature
Dynamics
Slurs
Accents
Arco vs. Pizzicato
D.S. al Coda