Allegretto: The Dragon

One of my favorite songs in Suzuki Violin Volume One is Allegretto, written by Dr. Suzuki. Allegretto was not always my favorite; oh no, we had a difficult relationship together for quite awhile. Over time and as I became more and more familiar with the song and the various difficult skill bits for students, I came to understand and appreciate the song's complexity and how to teach the song to students.

Whenever students tell me that they do not like a song they are about to learn or have just started learning, I usually tell the students that their reactions to the song tell me that they will probably come to love the song, and that the song will become one of their favorites after a time. Students usually come back to me with similar reports after spending some time learning the song. Students may announce their dislike of Allegretto to me but later find that they enjoy playing the song quite a bit. Allegretto was one such song for me as well. The song may be a dragon to learn, but we can come to appreciate and enjoy the beauty of the dragon as well, and when we spend time in close proximity to it, we will become accustomed to the heat as well.

Why is the song so difficult for students? There are several culprits:

• two new "fat" strings to play on
• a new note on the "fattest" string
• a pinkie on a lower string
• a new pinkie fingering combination
• fingers that skip in thirds rather than walk in steps
• an awkward bow accent.

How is that for starters? Here are a few of my goals at this point in order to ease the student's learning pathway.

Play on Lower Strings

I start the Allegretto learning process while we are still a few songs away from beginning Allegretto. By this point I have encouraged the student to play previous repertoire on lower strings. For example, instead of playing Twinkle theme on the E and A strings, now the student will play Twinkle theme on the A and D strings, or the D and G strings. We continue in this manner, adding songs on different strings until the student can play any song on a different string.

We learned the A major one octave scale earlier in volume one, so now we add the D scale. The finger patterns are the same. For fun, we often add the lower octave of the G scale as well. This prepares the student for the longer two octave G scale that will introduce the finger patterns of Etude.

Both of these activities are great items for group classes as well as individual lessons and home practice.

Awaken the Pinkie

I have introduced the left pinkie several times by now. When I teach a pre-twinkle student, I introduce a left hand plucking exercise that involves the pinkie (to read more about the left hand plucking exercise, click here). So my youngest beginner has experienced the use of the pinkie since the early days. We may need to revisit this exercise at this point. I also have the student play six pinkie places in Perpetual Motion. In the revised volume one, there are additional pinkie fingering suggestions in the early songs of the book, although I prefer to wait to teach these additional fingerings until later because I want my students to learn about string crossings and building tone through the use of the resonant open strings for a time.

Train the Ears

Since Lightly Row, I have worked to strengthen the student's ability to recognize several basic ear training skills, not only in lessons, but also in group classes. I often make up new songs on the spot in group classes so that we can practice our ear training skills:

• Walking Fingers: These are scale-like passages where the notes ascend or descend by step. Students have a great deal of difficulty with the concept of ascending and descending pitch when it involves a string crossing. Some students "get it" but many do not without extra guidance from me.

• Skipping Fingers (aka "doorbells" or "cuckoos"): These are passages that contain interval skips of a third, such as the opening notes of Lightly Row or O Come Little Children.

• Patterns: These can be passages of rhythmic or melodic patterns. For example, the opening notes of the first two measures of Lightly Row are melodic and rhythmic patterns. Measures 7, 8, and 9 of Song of the Wind are melodic patterns.

Allegretto will involve all of the above, which is why students are sometimes so confused when they first learn it. For example, the first three notes are walking fingers, but then there is an ascending skip and a step backwards, and it involves a pinkie too! Then the rhythmic and melodic pattern is repeated but a step higher, and then we reverse the walking fingers down. Why, it is no small wonder to me that many teachers and parents come up with nonsensical words to make the process easier to remember. Sometimes I just want to tear my hair out! I cannot imagine what a parent must go through at home as they watch the child struggle to puzzle out what they hear on the recording with what the child can match on the instrument.

The best advice I can give parents is to make sure to play the recording a lot at home. I mean a lot! When a parent saturates the child's environment with Allegretto, the child will learn the song much quicker.

Stimulate the Rhythmic Pulse

Allegretto has a great rhythmic pulse: tah-tah-DUM, tah-tah-DUM, etc., which propels forward melodically, similar to our natural physical rhythm. At first, the student has to focus attention most on the melodic elements of the song, and so the rhythm may suffer while the student masters the finger patterns and notes. For more information about useful ways to teach rhythmic chunks, click here. For another practice tip idea that focuses on the work of Ševčík and how it can be applied to Allegretto, click here.

While a student learns Allegretto, I may focus on karate punching practice in group class. My students seem to enjoy my mixture of martial arts with music (we have a martial arts studio next door, and I have studied Kim Soo Karate). We stand in "horse stance" or ready stance and practice throwing karate punches, first with the right hand and then the left in time to the accents of Allegretto (on the quarter notes). Not only do we get a physical workout, we get a rhythmic lesson as well!

Stay tuned for an in-depth look at how I analyze and approach Allegretto specifically.

Steps, Skips, and Jumps

Before we begin a discussion about Long, Long Ago ("Long Ago") and the subsequent songs, I thought it would be a good idea to consider how to teach some basic and simple ear training skills and how a teacher can relate these skills to book 1 songs.

Up and Down

By the time my students reach the level of Long Ago, they are able to play an ascending and descending A scale with no difficulty. My students understand the concept of "walking up" and "walking down" the scale. Sometimes my students and their parents get confused about how pitches are changed to go "up" or "down." I may have to talk about blowing air over the opening of a bottle as an example of how to make the pitch change. Most everyone has tried this exercise at some point, and they understand about putting in more water in the bottle to make the pitch go up and removing water from the bottle to make the pitch go down.  From this point it is another step or two to explain that it is the adjustment to the column of air in the bottle (more air, longer column, lower pitch versus less air, shorter column, and higher pitch) that determines the actual pitch. Some students and parents also understand the difference in the pitch as it relates to the size of a woodwind instrument; for example, the bassoon plays lower notes than the tiny piccolo, which plays the highest notes in the orchestra. Then I relate the column of air in the bottle to the length of the string on the violin.

When a student masters the one-octave A scale, we can transpose it to the D string and play a D scale using the same fingers but playing one string lower. This prepares the student to play on the D string, which is what will be introduced in Long Ago. While I am at it, I also encourage the student to play the G scale starting on the G string, which prepares the student for Allegretto that will occur a few songs after Long Ago.

Flashcards and Scale Card Toss

If a student still stumbles a little over the "walking up the scale" concept, I might also use the flashcard trick:

• I write the notes of the A scale on eight miniature index cards and lay them in order on the floor.

• The student and I walk on either side of the scale cards, saying the names of the notes and playing each one as we step alongside it.

• Once we reach the end of the ascending scale, we walk backwards "down" the scale and say the note names as we play them.

• Another fun game would be to have the student play the notes on the card as the teacher steps alongside the various cards but in no particular apparent order. The teacher could "direct" this game by making sure that the notes form a familiar song, like Mary Had a Little Lamb or Hot Cross Buns or even Jingle Bells. (Do not underestimate the powerful motivation that learning jingle Bells can be for most students.)

• The student and teacher could change places, and the student could make up a song by standing at various notes in a different order while the teacher plays the notes on the scale cards as indicated by the student.

• Once the student is familiar with the scale and the order of the notes, I check the student's understanding by taking the scale cards up off the floor in their correct order, placing them in a nice neat pile, and then THROWING THEM UP IN THE AIR! The look on a student's (and parent's) face when I do this is entertaining! Reminiscent of the old car game "52 card pickup," the "Scale Card Toss" is just as fun! It is the student's job to put the scale cards back in their proper order. Then I let the student take the cards home to use at home.

Steps, Skips, and Jumps

The purpose of the scale is to help me teach students what a scale step is. Over the years I have developed my own language to describe the basic, simplistic intervals between notes in a scale. I start using this vocabulary as early as I can and continue to use it with my more advanced students.

A "step" is the interval between two scale degrees or notes. At this stage I do not make a distinction between half and whole steps. If it is a different note (and the next alphabet letter), I refer to that interval as a step.

A "skip" is when we skip a finger when walking up the scale. For example, in May Song we have a skip between the first and second notes (A-C#). We also play a similar skip in Lightly Row between the first and second notes (E-C#). We might practice walking up and down the scale about five notes or so (A-B-C#-D-E-D-C#-B-A). then we play the same thing but skip every other note (A-C#-E-C#-A). These are examples of skips between the open string note and the second finger on the A string . There are skips between the first and third fingers as well, such as in measure two of Lightly Row and May Song, and Song of the Wind has a skip in the "jumping fingers" preview from the F# on the E string to the third finger D on the A string.

A "jump" is when the same finger jumps from one string to the other, as in a perfect fifth interval. There is a jump in the jumping finger preview of Song of the Wind. Remember, in the early part of the Suzuki repertoire we are playing actual jumping fingers. We do not introduce the fingering that covers both strings at once (found in book 3) until later. Using the jumping finger in the earlier Suzuki repertoire helps the student maintain excellent left hand posture and position. I also explain that it is a "jump" between the A string and the E string on the violin.

Later when beginning students start to read music, I relate this basic intervalic vocabulary to what the student sees on the page. The "step" is when the music goes from a space note to the very next line or from a line note to the very next space note. A "skip" is from a note on a space to a note on the very next space, or a line note to a note on the very next line. A "jump" will be a space note to another space note but jumping over a space note in between, or a line note to another line note that jumps over a line note in between.

Ear Training

While students learn these concepts of steps, skips, and jumps in individual lessons, I also talk about these intervals in group classes. In a group setting, we may experiment with ear training exercises that use all of these intervals. We practice singing the intervals, singing songs with the intervals, and sometimes we will divide the class in half and have each side sing different pitches as a "duet." The "I Know a Fox With Dirty Sox" book is full of little singing jingles that students find entertaining and that also provide some basic opportunities to practice easier ear training skills and intervals.

Now that my students have a clearer understanding about the basic musical intervals of steps (seconds), skips (thirds), and jumps (fifths), I help my students to recognize these intervals when my students seek to discover how to play new songs. Now we are ready to learn Lightly Row.

Happy Teaching!

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O Come Little Children

This song is the fifth song in Suzuki Violin Volume 1 and part of the beginning songs and skills of volume 1. The song is a German Christmas carol and falls on the heels of “Go Tell Aunt Rhody,” the “dessert” song (see my previous post about Aunt Rhody and dessert songs here). The song introduces new concepts and reinforces previously learned skills.

Left Hand Skills

• The song is in A major and follows the previously learned Twinkle finger pattern of close 2-3 fingers.

• The song reinforces the independent use of the 2^nd and 3^rd fingers learned in Lightly Row and Song of the Wind.

• The song “reviews” the spatial relationship between the 1^st and 3^rd fingers learned in Song of the Wind but in a different combination and order of fingers.

• The song introduces a “pocket finger” and another opportunity to build independence between both sides of the student’s body. (see my previous post about pocket fingers here).

Right Hand Skills

• The song contains a lot of string crossings in irregular and complex patterns.

• The song introduces the up bow pickup note.

• The song introduces the repeated up bow in a manner that allows for a thinking pause. The phrase ends with an up bow, and the new phrase begins with an up bow pickup note after a rest).

How I Teach the Song

• I introduce the beginning of the song as part of my continuing ear training work. I have the student turn around and we play the “mystery song” game.

• I play the E string once and ask the student to play it back. Then I play the E string twice and ask for the student to echo me. Then I play E-E-C#.

• I do not worry whether the student starts up  bow or down bow for now because in a minute it will not matter.

• I ask the student to play E-E-C# two times. (See why it does not matter? The student will now have practiced playing it down bow and up bow, just as it is in the song).

• By this point the student is beginning to think they might know the song and have heard it before. So I let them explore it a little. They often figure out the next two or three notes by themselves. I mostly step in to help around the last three notes of the phrase.

• Now that the student is able to play the first phrase of the song. I tell them that the first part happens twice.

• I make sure to mark the student’s book so that the up bows are clearly indicated in the music. Sometimes the markings are unclear for the parents.

• Now I introduce the song as an up bow song. I do not worry about where the student starts the up bow. I will refine this skill later. For now, I just stick to the “larger” skills required to play the song. We will refine things as we go. Many times students figure out a lot of what they need to do just by getting familiar with the song.

• I usually do not need to do much to help a student remember how to play the first two phrases. I find that students will gradually add on a few notes to the song until finally they have figured it all out for themselves. I very seldom have to help students pick out the notes to the song at this point. All of our ear training work in Go Tell Aunt Rhody and in group classes has taken root. I just mark one or two “key” notes with a fingering and tell my student that the parent has my permission to give this fingering “hint” if my student needs it, but ONLY if my student needs it.

• I mark the F# at the end of the 3^rd phrase because students usually miss it and because I want parents to be ultra-vigilant here that my students keep their left hands up in the correct playing position and do not sag beneath the finger board.
• I also mark the C# in the 4^th phrase, because students try to play a D instead. I want to keep students from “practicing” this mistake by repeating it too many times.

Later Problems (or just later)

• Students may tip the left hand over to the E string side when playing the pocket finger F# at the end of the 3^rd phrase rather than holding the left hand upright while the bow dips down to the E string.

• Students forget the up bow pickup note at the beginning of the song or at the beginnings of each phrase.

• We practice this at group classes and involve parents. When we reach the end of the song, we recite, “up again!” to help us remember the up bows.

• We also play a silly game at lessons. When we reach the rest at the end of each phrase, we stop and say, “I think I’ll take another up bow!” in the silliest, goofiest voice we can muster. We have a lot of fun trying to best each other with our crazy voices.

• Students may forget the fingering in the 3rd and 4th phrases because they have double practice of the 1st (and 2nd) part every time they play the song. There are some weeks when I ask my students to play the 3rd and 4th parts 25 times each and fill out an extra incentive chart for an extra point on the studio wall chart.

• bowings and why down bow versus up bow.

• I use the song to reinforce the bow distribution skill. Play whole bows on quarter notes and half bows on eighth notes. My students like to label the frog end of the bow as their “home town.” Then we label the tip end of the bow as the neighboring town. When we play the song, we practice “driving from town to town.” This game seems to make it easier for the students to practice bow distribution.

• Sometimes we play the song backwards and start with a down bow and do double down bows at the end of each phrase. This is more of an intellectual exercise than anything at this early stage of violin learning, but it is interesting.

• Students who have been using the pinkie finger can substitute it for the E string in the song and avoid the string crossings, which could be part of a lesson plan about fingering choices.

• The Suzuki duet part is lovely, and the song is popular in our studio in the fall because it is a Christmas song. We usually include it in any holiday performance we give.

Although O Come Little Children introduces many new skills and concepts, it still resembles a “dessert” song in a way (like Minuet 2). The students genuinely enjoy learning and performing this song. It is a lovely melody and interesting to play. The song may be tricky, but because the students love it so much, I have an easy and fun time teaching this song.