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Deja Vu: What Do We Do When We Start to Bog Down?

In Beginning Music Study, Part Two, we responded to requests from several visitors to Muzine to address the old nemesis we all face with any new and ambitious enterprise: that time when the initial burst of enthusiasm wanes--as it inevitably must--and we start to run out of steam. Usually, this process is accompanied by the presumed discovery that the project we've tackled has turned out to be harder than it looked at first.

Now I would like to add one thing more on that subject. I'd like to suggest that, on closer examination, it's often not a matter of finding a greater intrinsic difficulty in the task itself, but rather a greater requirement of time, effort and patience on our part than we originally anticipated. There is a difference: the former is a problem with the project, but the latter is a problem with us.

I suppose what I'm really saying is, "Don't let yourself off the hook too easily." Any experienced teacher will tell you that a sizeable fraction of beginning students drop out from inability or unwillingness to cope with this negative reaction to the tedium and hard work of mastering a musical instrument; often their colleagues who are enduring the disciplines of football or gymnastics put us all to shame. It's not that we expect every music student to reach a professional level of skill; more than ever before, it seems, it's a matter of cajoling them into discovering--often for the first time--the immense satisfaction of reaping a type of gratification that is the result of significant active effort in a society where so much amusement and diversion is available passively.

Educators have been complaining about this for a long time: too much passive entertainment, too much television, too much Internet, "kids don't know the meaning of work anymore", etc. As a university teacher, I can certainly testify to incidents of frustration in the classroom or studio, where it sometimes seems that no mental activity whatsoever is responding to the lecture or demonstration; I often feel like I'm being stared at as if I were a TV set.

But then periodically they surprise you, and your energy is renewed again and the light comes back on at the end of the tunnel. Yes, there are still plenty of students who are willing to put out in order to learn; and, interestingly enough, some of my best piano students are the non-music majors who are taking lessons as an elective without having to worry about acquiring a professional music degree. They want to be good amateurs!

One of the gratifying trends of today is the growing number of people--especially the mid-life adults and senior citizens--who are enthusiastically taking on new projects and learning new skills. Many of them are trying their hand at making music, perhaps for the first time or maybe after a long hiatus from earlier study. It is these good people that Muzine is trying to reach: the amateurs who have decided to do instead of watch. They--perhaps you--are the ones we feature in our Profile pages, and to whom we hope to speak in the present series.

Articles such as this can do no more than make broad suggestions about beginning music study, hopefully providing some general information and a starting point for making some intelligent choices. They are certainly not intended as "how-to" or "do-it-yourself" formulas. In any case, we can't say often enough that your suggestions will continue to be cordially welcomed.

This third installment of Beginning Music Study continues with some hints for getting started on a string instrument:

The Strings by Caroline Ruiz, M.M.
History and Development:	The four bowed string instruments in common use today--violin, viola, cello, and double bass--are members of a kindred family perfected in Italy in the 17th and 18th centuries by such famous names as Amati, Stradivari, and Guarneri, along with many others. The modern strings rapidly supplanted the older viol family, and the present violin, viola and cello differ from them in many ways that result in greater flexibility and brilliance; some of these differences are: wide, instead of sloping, shoulders bulging, rather than flat, back higher, more arched, bridge four strings instead of six, tuned a fifth apart (the viols are tuned in fourths) smooth fingerboard; the viols have frets like a guitar thicker strings, made of (or wrapped with) metal, and drawn to higher tension long bow, the stick of which curves inward towards the hair and is held with the hand above; the older viol bow curves outward like an archer's bow, and is held underhanded The double bass, while a full-fledged member of the modern string family, retains some of the characteristics of the viols: it has sloping shoulders, is tuned in fourths, and can be bowed with either an over- or under-handed technique, depending on whether one adopts the French or German style of bowing.
Beginning String Study: What Size?	Here are a few pointers for parents and students: To begin with, you need to be aware that string instruments are made in various sizes; the violin, for instance, comes in dimensions from full size (4/4) all the way down to 1/16, in order to accommodate very young children and their growth. The teacher must carefully choose the proper size, for attempting to play a violin, viola or cello that is too big or heavy for the span of the hand, length of the arm, etc. can lead to physical problems. Children often want to play instruments larger than is suitable for them because of the bigger sound they can make, or perhaps the family thinks it would be nice (and economical) to use Grandpa's old violin from the attic, but these notions should be resisted. If anything, I prefer to err on the small side, because it is extremely important to get the correct playing position and deal with any tension problems right from the start, rather than go to a larger instrument just because it has a bigger sound, and risk injury.
Accessories:	With the upper strings (violin and viola) the use of a shoulder pad is essential. Many students will insist they don't need one, or just don't like it, but in my experience most of the ones who don't use it end up with poor positions. The instrument's varnish is slick and will cause it to slip, and without a pad to fill the space, students tend to hunch the left shoulder, trying to hold the instrument up; this usually results in habitual tension that can often lead to major muscular problems down the road, and it also throws the left hand out of position, making it harder to play in tune. Cellos and basses have an end pin, an adjustable metal spike that sticks out of the bottom and anchors the instrument to the rug or a convenient crack in the floor. If slipping is a problem, though, an end pin strap can be hooked to a leg of your chair; it has a metal ring or cup at the other end in which the end pin can rest securely. Indispensable to the playing of all string instruments is rosin, the hard, amber-colored natural substance that is rubbed on the bow hair. It's function is to increase the friction of the hair as it strokes the string. It is a good idea to keep a soft cloth in the case, too, for cleaning off excess rosin powder that has sprayed onto the body of the instrument during playing. As for the instrument case itself, a sturdy wood or metal one is a worthwhile investment, even though it's more expensive than one made of canvas or vinyl; a violin is far more vulnerable to disaster than a trombone!
Acquiring an Instrument:	Good music stores will rent instruments of all kinds, including the smaller sizes that can be successively replaced with larger ones as the child matures, and a long-term rental can often be applied to the purchase price should you eventually decide to buy. The best choice in a store, of course, would be a string shop which specializes in this group of instruments. Such establishments will sell, rent, and take trade-ins, and they invariably have a repair service as well; some even offer instrument insurance policies to their regular customers. Then, too, their owners tend to know the leading performers and teachers in the area, and might be able to offer some good general advice to parents or aspiring players.
Finding a Teacher:	As with the study of any instrument, a nearby college or university is a good place to start. Music professors usually take private students, and even if they themselves are booked up, or don't take beginners, they often have advanced students who teach. A municipal orchestra is another place where you are likely to find the leading string players in the area, and if there is no university or symphony where you are, try the string teachers and orchestra directors in your middle and high schools. Finally, as mentioned above, music stores are quite likely to have the names of local string teachers, some of whom may even rent studios there.
Materials and Methods:	A few of the standard string methods are listed here: J. Frederick Müller and Harold W. Rusch: String Method, Vols. 1-3 Samuel Applebaum: String Builder, Vols. 1-3 [These are two older methods, widely used and still of much value for basic string study] Gerald Anderson and Robert Frost: All for Strings, Vols. 1-3 J. Dillon, J. Kjelland and J. O'Reilly: Strictly Strings, Vols. 1-2 [These two are newer methods, with updated pedagogy and attractive graphics] M. Allen, L. Gillespie and P. T. Hayes: Essential Elements for Strings [One of the very newest methods, designed for school music programs but very useful to the private teacher as well] Shin-ichi Suzuki: The Suzuki Violin Method, Vols. 1-10 [Suzuki developed his teaching method in Nagano, Japan, following the Second World War, and first published it in 1948. It has since enjoyed phenomenal success worldwide, especially with very young children, who learn by rote on small instruments. The Suzuki Method is now expanded to include viola, cello and double bass, as well as piano, flute, recorder, guitar and harp. See links, below] Elma and Erich Dolflein: Dolflein Method for Strings
Other Sources:	The following web sites may be useful: American String Teachers Association: This is the major professional organization for performers and teachers of string instruments in the United States. Their web site is not very developed, however, providing only the most basic information about the association itself, and has not been updated since the Fall of 1996. [NOTE: As of April 10 I have been unable to get a response from this site; it may be down for updating or maintenance.] The String Pedagogy Notebook: A valuable and comprehensive resource for all string players and teachers; especially good for beginners, with separate, well-illustrated sections on techniques, literature, ear training, care of instruments, and many other topics. Visit by all means! Internet Viola Society, and The Viola Web Site: Two sources for amateur viola players Internet Cello Society: Claims over 2500 members in 59 countries; pages include "Amateurs A-Z", "Technique Tips", etc. Suzuki Association of the Americas: Information about Suzuki programs, services and registered teachers in the United States