Recommended exercises in preparation for Bach Partita in d minor

May 1, 2016 7:01 PM

Violinists of mefi, can you suggest any etudes, scale studies, or other exercises that you have found helpful in preparation for playing the d minor partita? Thanks

I'm checking in with previous teachers, but thought you all might have some insight.

posted by vaguelyweird to Media & Arts (6 answers total)

Best answer: The...Chaconne? I don't know of many etudes that really go there...maybe Mazas or Fiorillo has something that really hits double/triple-stops, in which case, those... I think they have some fast arpeggio/string switching studies, which might also be useful. For the other parts, they basically make great etudes in and of themselves.

The main thing I'd recommend is to listen to many different interpretations. There's so much that's added to the piece in the choice of phrasing by ___ great soloist, which you won't really get from etudes or the score itself. Know what sound you're going for and where you are in the piece, not just what note you're going to play.

Good luck.
posted by miniraptor at 7:47 PM on May 1, 2016

Best answer: I recall doing Sevcik double stops exercises and so many Flesch scales + arpeggios.
posted by girlhacker at 9:39 PM on May 1, 2016

Best answer: You'll want the last bunch of Kreutzer etudes. The double stop ones. And I strongly suggest listening to Morimur by Christoph Poppen and the Hilliard Ensemble to better understand the structure of the chaconne. Of course, listening to many folks play it, at least early on, is key. My favorite: Hillary Hanh.
posted by Cygnet at 3:42 AM on May 2, 2016

Oh, and also you will need to learn it painstakingly slowly to avoid learning the double stops out of tune. In the words of my first teacher (imagine an Iranian accent) THE FASTEST WAY TO LEARN IS THE SLOWEST WAY.
posted by Cygnet at 3:44 AM on May 2, 2016

Another vote for Sevcik. And the other partitas and sonatas ...
posted by Dashy at 5:36 AM on May 2, 2016

Response by poster: Thanks for the fantastic answers so far! Absolutely agree on the listening & playing slow. I think that is critical for learning any piece.

How about the other parts? Any particular scale fingering/rhythm/shifting studies? Obviously they pale in comparison to the Chaconne technically, but I think they present their own challenges with precision and expression.
posted by vaguelyweird at 10:24 AM on May 2, 2016