Wolfaert Violin Studies 60: Op. 45

Author: (German) Wolfaat
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2006-01-01
Features: In recent years, the level of violin performance and teaching in China has seen significant development, and amateur violin education has become quite widespread. With the promotion of music examination systems across the country, violin education is bound to become even more developed and popular. To adapt to this trend, it has become urgent to provide students with excellent teaching materials. Violin exercise books by authors such as Duhamel, Wolfaat, Kayser, Donat (Op. 37), and Mazas have been widely used in China for over half a century. With the of music education, these teaching materials will undoubtedly play an even greater role. However, due to the advancement of violin performance science, the shortcomings in these exercise books' training methods have become increasingly evident. This is primarily because aspects such as bowing techniques, slurring, fingerings, position selection, shifting fingerings, extended and retained fingers, the use of fifths, dynamics, accents, and staccato markings have become outdated and no longer meet today's performance needs. Although students can learn various techniques through these exercise books, the aforementioned shortcomings have also unconsciously fostered many unscientific habits, which will bring difficulties to their future studies. In this textbook, I have revised it as much as possible according to scientific playing methods and the principles of melodic and phrasing notation, making it both training-valuable and application-valuable. This helps students develop scientific thinking methods while learning various techniques and scientific playing methods. The latter part of this textbook covers second, third, fourth positions, as well as various shifting exercises, and should be studied in conjunction with Kayser. Many of the contents, especially shifting and double-stopping sections, are missing from Kayser's textbook and can serve as complementary material. The exercise book includes examples of various bowing techniques and rhythmic training. These are not only exercises for bowing techniques and finger flexibility but also training for the practitioner's brain response and adaptability, so it is essential to practice them diligently. Due to the limited rhythmic training in traditional exercise books, students often encounter difficulties in applying rhythms in musical pieces. It is hoped that rhythmic training will be emphasized from the beginning in primary-level teaching materials.