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"The Quest for String Playing Mastery" - completed this past March - has taken off by leaps and bounds. We are grateful thousands of students and their teachers are now Quest Testers, a helpful network of focus groups, adding brain power, feedback and insight. Originally designed as a middle school orchestra curriculum, the Quest has proven to have mass appeal for all ages and levels: K-12, University, Adults and Concert Artists. Guess what? Hip-Hop students in Atlanta are grooving with the method too! We are seeking assistance to further expand the project through E-Learning, Cartoon Animation, App creation and traditional publishing. Please contact me if you wish to learn more. The Quest for String Playing Mastery, which is structured like a scholarly and fun adventure game, is a compendium of timeless knowledge updated for today's educator, surpassing all assessment standards and common core mandates. Anchored with numerous cross-over to core subject group activities, compositions, exercises, and learning concepts, the method instills confidence and integrated learning through guided discovery. The Quest includes rhythm workouts, practice techniques and seasoned professional wisdom. The method encourages communication, fosters confidence and cooperation, and nurtures social skill development. Teacher resources provide all the tools to create, and build a positive, thriving program. Enthusiastic musical cartoon characters teach every imaginable element of music. Students, teachers and professional musicians are honing their skills at incredibly accelerated rates, while working hard and yes, smiling at the same time! Enjoyable scholarly content for all musicians -- newbie to pro! The Quest Teacher's Guide is 750 pages. To learn more about Crane Classical Music Society activities and student successes, please visit: www.craneclassical.com Q, the Quest Maestro is our narrator. Q and his cast of scholarly faculty look forward to meeting you! To meet the characters please visit: http://q49462.wix.com/quest-project#!quest-characters/cn04
Citation preview
Game Structured
Layer Learning System
Element Focused
Ensemble
Arrangements
Technique Exercises
Original Compositions
Game Structured
Layer Learning System
Element Focused
Ensemble
Arrangements
Technique Exercises
Original Compositions
Game Structured
Layer Learning System
Element Focused
Ensemble
Arrangements
Technique Exercises
Original Compositions
Hi! I’m Q, the Quest Maestro.
COMPLETE METHOD
Game Structured
Layer Learning System
Element Focused
Ensemble Arrangements
Technique Exercises
Mastery Checkpoints
Original Compositions
Greetings! I’m Q, the Quest Maestro.
It is my pleasure to serve
as your guide and narrator.
Over a dozen of my musical friends
will be joining us as
Quest Faculty Characters.
by Adam Crane
All Levels -- from Newbie to Advanced Players
Enjoy Creating Your Own Best String Playing Game!
TEACHER’S GUIDE for VIOLIN VIOLA CELLO BASS
Game Structured
Layer Learning System
Element Focused
Ensemble
Arrangements
Technique Exercises
Original Compositions
Hi! I’m Q, the Quest Maestro.
COMPLETE METHOD
Game Structured
Layer Learning System
Element Focused
Ensemble Arrangements
Technique Exercises
Mastery Checkpoints
Original Compositions
Greetings! I’m Q, the Quest Maestro.
It is my pleasure to serve
as your guide and narrator.
Many of my musical friends
will be joining us as
Quest Faculty Characters.
All Levels -- from Newbie to Advanced Players
Enjoy Creating Your Own Best String Playing Game!
TEACHER’S GUIDE for VIOLIN VIOLA CELLO BASS
by Adam Crane
Game Structured
Layer Learning System
Element Focused
Ensemble
Arrangements
Technique Exercises
Original Compositions
Hi! I’m Q, the Quest Maestro.
COMPLETE METHOD
Game Structured
Layer Learning System
Element Focused
Ensemble Arrangements
Technique Exercises
Mastery Checkpoints
Original Compositions
Greetings! I’m Q, the Quest Maestro.
It is my pleasure to serve
as your guide and narrator.
Over a dozen of my musical friends
will be joining us as
Quest Faculty Characters.
by Adam Crane
All Levels -- from Newbie to Advanced Players
Enjoy Creating Your Own Best String Playing Game!
TEACHER’S GUIDE for VIOLIN VIOLA CELLO BASS
Game Structured
Layer Learning System
Element Focused
Ensemble
Arrangements
Technique Exercises
Original Compositions
Hi! I’m Q, the Quest Maestro.
Greetings! I’m Q, the Quest Maestro.
It is my pleasure to serve
as your guide and narrator.
Many of my musical friends
will be joining us as
Quest Faculty Characters.
All Levels -- from Newbie to Advanced Players
Enjoy Creating Your Own Best String Playing Game!
TEACHER’S GUIDE for VIOLIN VIOLA CELLO BASS
by Adam Crane
Game Structured
Layered Learning System
Element Focused
Ensemble Arrangements
Technique Exercises
Mastery Checkpoints
Original Compositions
COMPLETE METHOD
Dedication
Inspired by a lifetime of enjoyment and experience gained from performing,
teaching and practicing, my quest for creating the Quest is now a reality.
In tribute to the exceptional mentors, teachers, colleagues, students and their
families, with sincere gratitude and appreciation, I thank all of you.
Most especially, I wish to dedicate the Quest with admiration and honor of the
tireless, consistent and stellar guidance shared by:
Mom -- Your creativity is timeless! In appreciation of your impeccable and
experienced editing eyes, youthful charm, consistent optimistic encouragement
and your loving patience with my endless comma challenges. Thanks, Mom!
Dr. K -- Inspired by your brilliant mind, consistent quest for clarity, spirited
grammatical guidance, and fond memories of you being my most enjoyable and
challenging professor from conservatory days years ago -- Thank you, Chuck!
Now, decades later, again allow me to express my gratitude and admiration.
Julian -- For your energy and enthusiasm, always improving on your quest for
being the best teacher for your middle school kids, and your unyielding desire
to keep music as a meaningful experience for students and their families, along
with your insights and friendship.
Brian -- For your dedication to the artistry of string instrument eminence, that
which ascends the human spirit. Gratitude to all in the “Adult- Kid class” too!
Key -- Thank you for “Q” and putting up with “Quest-creating insanity” at all
hours, your priceless silent glances at many not ready for prime time character
prototypes, genuine wisdom, brilliant suggestions, jovial perspective, for loving
me as your husband, and sharing tear-inducing laughter together while editing!
Your humble violist, maestro and author, Adam
All content, concepts, characters, artwork, materials, music compositions, arrangements
and intellectual properties are solely owned by:
Adam Crane – artistic director
Crane Classical Music Society www.craneclassical.com
© Copyright 2013 Reg. #18-36Q-18Q “The Quest for String Playing Mastery”
BECOME AN ACCOMPLISHED STRING PLAYER.
INCREASE YOUR MASTERY LEVEL
BY ENJOYING FOCUSED PRACTICE.
GAIN AND APPLY KNOWLEDGE,
CONSTANTLY STRIVING
TO ACHIEVE YOUR BEST PERFORMANCES.
ALWAYS TO MAKE CONTINUOUS FORWARD
PROGRESS IN YOUR STRING PLAYING GAME,
REACHING HIGHER AND HIGHER SUCCESS LEVELS.
PLAY WELL AND SHARE YOUR LOVE OF MUSIC.
CREATE MEMORABLE PERFORMANCES.
PRACTICE TO UNLOCK YOUR PERSONAL BEST!
Quest Wall Poster
INTRODUCTION
Dear Reader,
What is more important to you?
Doing better than your competition or challenging yourself to do your best?
How is True Success Achieved?
As a professional musician and teacher, I have encountered this question in
personal experiences consistently over decades. With all confidence, I share that
the value of the outlook discussed below, will be the most important part of your
learning experience – on your Quest for Success.
You may be a teacher who has taught for a lifetime, or a student who is first
starting out. You may be a brilliant scholar, or an experienced classical musician.
You may be the parent of a budding teenager who will grow to become an adult,
parent, or possibly a teacher. Everyone can gain perspective on how to appraise his
or her own personal success at any level, including this author.
Most textbooks are subjected to painstaking editing processes. Stating things in a
textbook-correct fashion, seeking to present concepts in precise and clear ways, is
always the goal. On these pages, I share this important quest for precision and
clarity, but in addition, you may notice a more personal style in which the material
is presented. I wish to give the reader food for thought on a creative level. You will
notice the use of expressions, analogies, friendly concept-characters, word play,
and on occasion, I will share a fond memory or even a joke or two.
It is important to know that string instruments existed before there were written
instructions on how to play them. Over centuries, the dedicated love of musicians
for their instruments has encouraged discovery. Master composers, players, and
teachers gathered hands-on knowledge and then experimented with and improved
their know-how. This traditional wisdom continues to evolve and has been handed
down from generation to generation. Let us continue the tradition.
Maintain realistic expectations and recognize that playing a musical instrument is
unlike any other activity in the sense, that it is much more than simply knowing
what to do. Once you have acquired this knowledge, your goal is to apply it to
controlled, polished, physical action. Studying and improving how knowledge is
applied to and then guides physical action, requires patient and focused repetition –
practice! It takes training to acquire knowledge of performance techniques and
then be able to successfully apply this learned wisdom to your own performances.
Playing an instrument is a very personal activity. My experience has proven to me that
the most successful students put forward their best efforts while enjoying the process.
There is great value in remembering to have fun while working hard. Fun brings
enthusiasm, which increases motivation. Motivated students stick to it and want to
improve. Pleasure-giving and dedicated practice brings improvement, which is personally
satisfying, thus furthering your interest in persevering and advancing.
Back to my earlier question: How is True Success Achieved?
Here are some answers to that question. Consider filling an old restrictive way of learning
with an improved perspective. The result may bring to you a much broader and more
fulfilling life lesson. Choose to replace the importance of competition with others in order
to find the best performance solutions for yourself, rather than seeking simply to do it
better or faster than a colleague. Embrace the idea of a healthier and more productive
personal standard. Individuals have more success when they learn and improve by
challenging themselves, to realize their own personal best. Always practice to fine-tune
your personal best, and work to make it even better! Encourage your fellow musicians to
strive to find their own personal best as well. Mutual success will be the result.
This way, you will all perform together in top-notch harmony – on many levels!
Orchestral playing is teamwork!
The music field is a competitive one. The skill levels of musicians who perform with the
world’s finest orchestras are equivalent to those of Olympic level athletes. As you
advance, you will need to perform well at auditions in order to gain the opportunity to
perform with more-advanced orchestras. Healthy competition occurs when participants
present their own most polished and confident performances, which then challenge other
competitors to reach for their own higher levels of abilities.
For Thine Own Self, Improve!
The Quest for String Playing Mastery is not about my life and my personal
accomplishments. However, I do wish to share perspectives that I have gained as a direct
result of enjoying a world-class education. Even more importantly, I wish to offer
perspectives from lessons personally learned from a career in classical music as a
performer, teacher, and music advocate. In the Quest, I wish to share helpful know-how.
Simply put, I wish to tell you in my own words what works and to give you pointers from
a pro’s perspective, striving to choose the most effective words in order to describe
concepts and opinions about many things. Playing a string instrument is a physical,
hands-on activity. Descriptions of tactile sensations are tricky. They require you to focus
your imagination and apply common sense in order to achieve success.
It is fair to state that building an extensive learning project as this one, demands time and
detailed thought. Some may ask why I gave myself so much homework. The reason is
that I love what I do. It is a true blessing to be a part of the quest for higher knowledge in
the profession that I chose to pursue. This project is never ending, and I continue to enjoy
working on the further expansion of the Quest, leading it to the concert-artist level.
Through dedication and hard work, musicians may attain a professional level, but they
should remain amateurs in their hearts. Although I have attained the status of a seasoned,
professional musician, I see myself as a “professional amateur.” The origin of the word
amateur means, “To love” and I use it in this context with that meaning: for the love of it.
I wish to instill this love of learning in you, show you what works, and how to make this
knowledge yours to explore and enjoy. Be positive and engaged in your learning.
You will love it!
Even though I thought that I really knew a topic, the more detailed research I put into it,
the more I realized what I did not know and what I could question with a refreshed
perspective. I have gained a deeper appreciation of the evolution of thought processes
that span multiple centuries and of the effect that worldviews of past days had on ideas,
concepts, terms, and their definitions. It is always challenging to transfer thoughts and
spoken words into clear and precise writing. Individuals use language in different ways.
Therefore, it follows that expressing concepts in your own words, helps you to
understand them more vividly, making the concepts solidly your own.
Throughout the Quest, concept-characters will be talking to you on my behalf. All of the
characters were created to trigger your curiosity about how proficient a musician you
wish to become. They will challenge you to practice hard in order to get there! You will
get out of the Quest what you put into it! At first, you will make some “creative” sounds
that will not be ready for the stage, but everyone will learn how to improve.
Keep in mind that there are erasers on pencils for a reason. Make beautiful mistakes,
erase them in your mind and hands, then practice properly in order to make progress.
The goal is to enjoy performing music with confidence!
Always remember the expression is to
“PLAY an instrument.”
Thank you for reading; now - Let’s go make music.
Focus, work hard, and play well! – Adam
Welcome to the Quest!
The Table of Contents lists Quest Main Sections
with more chapter details shared later on.
You are about to enter the exciting world of creating string music!
String instrument mastery is the goal.
On your journey there is much to learn, discover and practice.
Remember to have fun, work hard, and always try your best.
CONTENTS
Learning Focus and Outlook 3 - 6
Materials: Layered Learning System 12 - 18
Practice Tutorial: Sound Answers 19 - 22
Foundation Layer: Weight in Motion 23 - 30
Mechanics Layer: Class Exercises 31 - 38
Officially Meet “Q” the Quest Maestro 39
Violin and Viola Accessories 40 - 45
“V” Skilled Position Trainer 46 - 50
Violin and Viola Playing-Position Set-up 51 - 62
Cousin “Spike” with Cello Position Information 63 - 71
“Scroll” Knowledge Character 72 - 77
“Peg” Teaches Instrument Information 78 - 80
The Modern Day Violin Family 81 - 88
Mechanics Layer: Cello Playing-Position 89 - 94
Mechanics Layer: Bass Playing-Position 95 - 105
“Bridge” Teaches Instrument Information 106 - 122
Playing-Position Exam Preparation 123 - 133
Notation Layer: Music Notation 134 - 137
Tempo: “Constance the Metronome” 138 - 160
Rhythm: “Cal the Rhythm Calculator” 161 - 163
Scroll Tale: The Origin of the Staff 164 - 167
Notation Layer: Rhythm Laboratory 168 - 175
Common-Time and Time Signatures 176 - 193
Beat Accent and Conducting Patterns 194 - 199
Rhythm Work-Outs in Common-Time 200 - 203
Beat Sub-Division 204 - 211
Triplets 212 - 214
Compound-Time 215 - 217
Rests and Note-Rest Equivalents 218 - 233
Level One Rhythm Exam 234 - 246
Level Two Rhythm Exam 247 - 255
Level Three Rhythm Exam 256 - 266
Foundation Layer: Sound Production 267 - 269
Artistry Layer: “Dyna” Teaches Dynamics 270 - 283
Foundation Layer: String Sound Creation 284 - 288
Scroll Tale: Introduction to Clefs 289 - 292
Notation Layer: Clefs and Note Reading 293 - 305
Note Reading Exams 306 - 318
Mechanics Layer: Pizzicato 319 - 325
Pizzicato Exercises, Repeats and Endings 326 - 341
Bow Introduction: “Painting with Sound” 342
The Parts of the Bow and Rosin 343 - 349
Bow Hold Preparation: Stick Exercises 350 - 355
Notation Layer: Bowing Terminology 356
Mechanics Layer: Bow-Hand Set-Up and Thumb 357 - 363
“Arc” Teaches Finger Details and Bow-Hand Taska 364 - 374
The Bow-Hand Cast 375 - 378
The Bow-Wrist: The Clay Smile Exercise 379 - 382
“Angle” Teaches the Bow-Arm Box and String Levels 383 - 388
The Bow’s Contact-Point and Bowing Lanes 389 - 393
Bow-Segments and Contact-Point Exercise 394 - 397
Moving the Bow and Bow-Arm Box Triangles 398 - 399
Level One Bowing Exercises 400 - 411
Level One Mastery Checkpoint Playing Test 412 - 418
Level Two Bowing Exercises and Workouts 419 - 428
Level Two Mastery Checkpoint Playing Test 429 - 433
Level Three Bowing Exercises and Workouts 434 - 451
Level Three Mastery Checkpoint Playing Test 452 - 460
“Steps” Introduces Music Theory and Intervals 461 - 468
Step Patterns and Major Scale Construction 469 - 472
Key Signatures, Circle of Fifths and Order of Sharps 473 - 479
Class Exercise: The Major Scale Walk 480 - 481
Major Key Signatures with Flats 482 - 487
Major Key Signatures Displayed in All Clefs 488 - 491
Note Creation and Instrument-Tape Preparation 492 - 495
Finger Mechanics: Numbering, Position and Intensity 496 - 498
Hand-Position Principles 499 - 501
D Major Scale Pitches on the D-String 502 - 505
D Major Scale Pitches on the A-String 506 - 508
“Guide” Introduces Shifting and Bass Notes on G 509 - 510
D Major Training Exercises 511 - 517
Left Thumb Logic and Knuckle Leverage 518 - 520
D Major Etudes and Arpeggio Patterns 521 - 528
D Major Mastery Checkpoint Playing Test 529 - 534
Finger Terminology and D Major Notes on All Strings 535 - 548
Orchestra Pieces, Harmony and Technique Building 549 - 567
Dynamic March Theme and Variations 568 - 590
G Major Pitches, Pinky Power-Ups and Skill Boosters 591 - 611
Music in 3-4 Time, Melodic Minuet and G Major Waltz 612 - 617
Bach “Minuet” and Strauss “Blue Danube Waltz” 618 - 625
The Minor Mode: Forms, Accidentals and Related Keys 626 - 631
A Minor Drills, Cut-Time and “La Cinquantaine” 632 - 645
Pieces in C Major and Brahms Symphony #1 Theme 646 - 651
Cal and Constance compose the “Syncopation Song” 652 - 658
Mozart’s “Divertimento in C Major” 659 - 664
Shifting Exercises for All Instruments 665 - 670
Tuning Your Own Instrument 671 - 672
A Major Pieces, Haydn and Telemann Arrangements 673 - 683
3- 2 time, Purcell, Vivaldi and Beethoven Pieces 684 - 694
Vibrato, Harmonics and Ornaments 695 - 713
Additional Notation Abbrieviations and Mutes 714 - 717
Ensemble Traditions, Protocol and Etiquette 718 - 720
Teacher Resources and Program Development 721 - 732
Practice Tools and Note Reading Answer Grids 733 - 737
Dynamic March Theme and Variations Full Score 738 - 747
Q’s Epilogue - Quest Character Poster Finale 748 - 750
Quest Components
Comprehensive Teacher’s Guide
Violin, Viola, Cello and Bass Student Workbooks
Rhythm Workouts, Theory Exercises and Music History
Practice Guidance, Checkpoints and Mastery Exams
Element-Focused Original Compositions
String Ensemble Arrangements of Concert Repertoire
Quest Rehearsal Room Wall Posters
Layered Learning System
String Playing requires players to use vast amounts of reasoning
skills in order to achieve performance mastery.
In this text, music knowledge skills will be categorized and learned as Layers.
The Quest for String Playing Mastery teaches you to identify the layers involved in
the learning process. The goal is to make steady and consistent progress, by practicing
and combining layers with confidence,
The Quest teaching method is structured much like an enjoyable computer game.
This format was chosen in order to encourage players to have fun while challenging
their brains to focus and enjoy playing well.
Performing is just like running computer programs of what you practice, with the goal
of creating competent and confident performances. Every skill challenge in the Quest
may exist in one or more layers at the same time.
The Quest challenges you to use focused logic, in order to find masterful and
effective playing solutions.
Layered Learning is a System for Success!
Once individual layers are learned and practiced, they are ready to be unified,
ready to work as one in the artistic combinations that string playing demands.
You will achieve mastery by working with each layer and then practicing to
combine them successfully. Experienced string players utilize many combined
skills, and multi-task with ease while performing.
Musical Multi-Tasking By Combining Layers Productively = Success!
The teacher’s role in the Quest is to serve as a guide, encouraging students to
use focused common sense. As part of their personal quests, teachers should
always enthusiastically motivate their students to enjoy practicing and strive to
make continuous forward progress in their Total String Playing Game.
This is accomplished through hard work and by using logic and creativity!
Each individual knowledge layer is categorized by a Color-Coding System.
Mastery of the Layer System requires focused and consistently practiced skill
improvement exercises. As in a game, the more proficient you become in
practicing each level, the higher the level of success you will be able to reach.
In order to insure clarity and understanding, the Color-Coding
category families displayed below are utilized throughout the Quest.
UNIVERSAL
WISDOM
PLAYING
TECHNIQUES
MUSIC
NOTATION
ARTISTIC
EXPRESSION
EARTH
TONES
GRAYS AND
BLACK
PRIMARY
COLORS
PASTEL
COLORS
LAYERS ARE PRESENTED AS
COLOR – CODED
STRING PLAYING WORLDS.
Layers are like different worlds in an adventure-type game.
In each world, there are often different terrains where you explore
details within the level. This is where skills and tasks are practiced
and where you discover knowledge with which to progress to the
next level of the game’s quest.
You will need to practice individual layers in order to progress!
On Your Quest,
You Will Be Introduced To
Several Wise And Helpful
CONCEPT – CHARACTERS.
Q is the Quest’s main Concept-Character and our narrator.
Q and his many buddies each have their own distinct personality.
Q’s friends all have music skill-knowledge expertise,
and share professional pointers along the way.
Over a dozen Concept-Characters join together as the Quest Faculty
and help to guide you, while you develop your string playing game.
Successful utilization of the wisdom that these characters teach, help
you to reach higher levels of accomplishment on your path towards
string playing mastery.
Anagrams, Word-Plays and Analogies
are included in order to keep the adventure fun and effective,
making information easier to distinguish and remember.
Now to the Layers!
UNIVERSAL WISDOM LAYER
All layers involved in the study and use of Universal
Wisdom, are presented using Earth Tone Colors.
Nature, Physical Science, Outlook and Mental
Processes are members of the
FOUNDATION LAYER.
PLAYING TECHNIQUES LAYER
All layers involved in physical, hands-on-the-instrument
playing techniques are presented using Black and Grays.
All specific sound production components of left and
right-hand techniques are members of the
MECHANICS LAYER.
MUSIC NOTATION LAYER
All layers related to reading and understanding
written music are presented using Primary Colors.
Rhythms, pitches, and theory knowledge required to
comprehend music are members of the
NOTATION LAYER.
SCALES ARPEGGIOS
NOTE DURATIONS
CHORD STRUCTURES
ALL MUSIC NOTION
EXPRESSION LAYER
All layers related to musical expressions and moods
are presented using Pastel Colors. Dynamics, phrasing, articulations
and performance interpretation are members of the
ARTISTRY LAYER.