When Endre Granat auditioned for the great violinist Jascha Heifetz (1901-1987), scales were the first thing on the agenda -- and "he had some pretty nasty ideas about how scales can be played," Granat told me in an interview at his home in Studio City, Calif. last fall.
"By the time I stopped playing scales, I went through virtually anything that you can think of," Granat said. Heifetz' scale requests were something of a legend. "His favorite was to pick a scale, like C. Off the bat, he'd say, let's play a three-octave scale. Everybody knows it, that's in every book. Then, let's start it on D, and go to D. Now suddenly, nothing works any more, none of the fingerings. Then: what if, instead of starting with the second finger, why don't you start with the first finger? (playing in C major, but starting on D and going to D.) Well then, why don't we start it on F, and go to F? In C major. Every scale like that. Any and every scale, in any way you can think of it."
The Heifetz Scale Book For Violin
He emphasized that one does not need to go through the book in any particular order. For example, "if you want to play three-octave scales, you can do them in order, or you can start at the end of the book at go backwards, or practice your scales like Heifetz so often liked us to do, start it at the top, descending first before ascending," Granat said. "It's a lovely exercise! That's true for every single scale."
Beyond three- and four-octave scales and arpeggios in major and minor keys, the book also contains whole-tone and chromatic scales, plus double-stop scales in thirds, fourths, fifths, sixths, octaves and tenths. And if you're still feeling brave, there are scales with trills, harmonics, double harmonics and left-hand pizzicato. "In other words, what you see in front of you is a wake-up call, it's not a scale book," Granat said. "This is what your violin-playing consists of, and I've presented it in its simplest formula."
Yes, he was a great believer in practicing scales. It is the foundation of violin technique. We, violinists always have the issue of intonation. I believe the only way to remedy intonation issues is to practice scales.
The idea for the Heifetz Scale Book was to present all the great master violinist Jascha Heifetz's scale routines that were developed over his long career, but never written down. This edition by Heifetz's protégé and world-class violinist Endre Granat is a self-contained master class for a lifetime of study in virtuoso technique! Includes a deluxe leatherette cover.
The idea for the Heifetz Scale Book was to present all the great master violinist Jascha Heifetz's scale routines that were developed over his long career, but never written down. This edition by Heifetz's protégé and world-class violinist Endre Granat is a self-contained master class for a lifetime of study in virtuoso technique!
Scales, arpeggios, method books, etudes and other teaching materials for students of the violin. Violin students and teachers will find this collection of books and materials helpful in the development of the violinist's performance curriculum. For details in a growing chart listing composer, title, info, techniques & details, level, positions, keys, etc...Violin Technique Book Chart
The idea for the Heifetz Scale Book was to present all the great master violinist Jascha Heifetz's scale routines that were developed over his long career, but never written down. This edition by Heifetz's protégé and world-class violinist Endre Granat is a self-contained master class for a lifetime of study in virtuoso technique! Includes a deluxe leatherette cover.
I think this is the best advice - in particular since I like to play with as few instruments as possible :D I actually have a scale book (can't remember off-hand by whom) which is composed of scales with open strings played continuously but I've never used it. Its time to dig it up... 2ff7e9595c
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