J.S. Bach – A Fundamental Composer for All Levels of Violinists
As we all know, Bach is a wonderful composer. He wrote accessible pieces for beginning musicians which is a bit rare for some composers. Seeing as Bach had 21 children he would write music for his children. How beautiful is that? To this day, we are playing music written from a father to his children in absolute love and devotion.
Since I studied piano before violin, I was first introduced to Bach on the piano. Minuet in G and Musette were the first Bach pieces I played. I fell in love with these simple pieces immediately and discovered Bach at the age of five. I loved Bach and wanted to read about his life so I got all the books from my school library on Bach and even snuck into the older kids library to get more serious books on Bach.
The three most popular minuets in the violin repertoire by Bach can be found in Suzuki Violin Book 1: Minuets 1, 2 and 3. All three Minuets are in the Key of G which has one sharp, “F#” and with a time signature of 3/4.
Before we discuss these specific pieces any further, let’s discuss what exactly is a Minuet.
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WHAT IS A MINUET?
MINUET 1
MINUET 2
MINUET 3
WHY STUDY BACH MINUETS?
The three Minuets by Bach and Petzold are an excellent way to dip your toes into the study and feel of the great composers at a beginner level. It is so much more rewarding to study a piece by one of the great composers than let’s say, a folk song.
Not only are the Minuets rewarding to study due to the famous composer but also because they are beautiful, enjoyable to play and for your audience to listen.
Since all three minuets are in the Key of G Major, it is a great opportunity to apply new techniques presented in the Minuets to your scale practice. For example, applying down up up bowings and triplet rhythm followed by two quarter notes etc.
Want to take the guess work of what violin techniques from the Minuets to apply to your scale practice?
SCALE STUDIES FOR BACH MINUETS
Applying new found techniques from your pieces to scales is the best way to master the techniques and making playing the piece even easier. If you are currently studying, planning to study or teaching the Bach Minuets, this mini E-book is an excellent addition to your violin exercise library.
“Scale Studies for Bach Minuets” written by Heather Broadbent, takes techniques found within the Bach Minuets and applied to a two octave G Major scale. Why a G Major Scale? Because all three minuets are in the Key of G Major.
Bowings and rhythms found within the pieces are crafted into the G Major scale to expedite the learning process of mastering these techniques. By practicing these scale studies in conjunction with the Bach Minuets will produce a faster, longer lasting end result of mastered violin techniques.
$4 USD
SCALE STUDIES FOR SUZUKI VIOLIN VOLUME 1
The above Bach Minuet Scale Studies have been extracted from Supplemental Scales for Suzuki Violin Volume 1. If you are studying, planning to study or teaching from Suzuki Violin 1 and would like the scale studies for the entire book including the Minuets, you will love “Scale Studies for Suzuki Violin volume 1.” This scale collection is ideal for every violinist studying and every teacher who teaches Suzuki Violin Book 1. Every scale in this book has been written out with specific techniques covered in the pieces of Suzuki Violin volume 1.
Highly recommended as a supplemental scale study to learn in conjunction with Suzuki Violin volume 1.
$7 USD
Please share in the comments which above tips you will be implementing into your daily practices sessions.
Happy Magical Practices,
Heather Kaye
Violinist
Heather is a classically trained concert violinist performing with the Yambol Chamber Orchestra, Bulgaria. She received her BM violin performance degree from CU-Boulder, studied with top teachers including Rachel Barton Pine. Heather has held leadership positions with multiple orchestras in the Greater Chicago-Milwaukee area. She has instructed millions of violinists globally via Youtube videos, online academies, group coaching and one on one sessions. Heather’s students have won multiple awards, concerto competitions, held concertmaster positions in orchestras and even performed in Carnegie Hall. Heather is an advocate of a holistic violin lifestyle – putting one’s mind, body and spirit as a violin journey priority.
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