The melody of the minor scales is not as familiar as the major. The minor scales must therefore be played slowly and often, until you are entirely familiar with them. Pay particular attention to the step from the 6th to the 7th degree (note) which is a tone and a half.

When you stop practicing the scale of E minor, play the notes G and E, the latter on the A string with the 4th finger. THe small dot simply gives you another note of the chord of E minor.

WHen you have learned the scale thoroughly as written at the begriming, then you may practice it also in the manner in which the scale of B minor is written, a little faster and observing the slur.

Remember the rule that when a note that could be played on an open string is followed by a lower one, you play the former on the lower string with the 4th finger, for instance, the E in the 3rd measure.

On the 2nd staff, you have two scales with the signature of Bb. They are generally called relative scales.

The minor scales are also played with the 6th degree raised by an accidental; then they are called melodic minor and they are generally played downwards according to the signature, without accidentals.

WHen you begin the waltz, you must give to a quarter note the time of a least two beats of your pulse. The first two measures form a bowing exercise. The 3 notes must be played with one full length of the bow and the movement of the right hand and forearm must be exceedingly slow. The half note gets about one third of the bow beginning at the frog, the quarter note a couple of inches in the middle and the next dotted half note, the balance of the length of the bow.

The grace notes in the 5th measure need not be noticed at present, but after you have learned the music perfectly without them, they may be introduced upon the 1st beat of the measure as they borrow their time from the following note. This may be said of all other grace notes coming after.

Two small notes are called a double Apoggiatura and they are played at least twice as short as they are written or as 32nds.

For the rest in the 8th measure, you m must raise the bow off the strings and use the time to go back to the frog in order to begin again with a down bow.

This is always done when an important note follows a rest. Repeat from the beginning and omit the 7th and 8th notes (1st ending) and play the 9th and 10th measures (2nd ending) instead.

In the 2nd measure of the 2nd ending, the two notes which are dotted and slurred at the same time are played with one stroke of the bow with a short stop between the 2 notes without leaving the strings.

As you have many 8th notes to play you must count 1 & 2 & 3 &, six counts for a measure, one word or count for every 8th note.

D. C. stands for Da Capo which means from the beginning. Play the 1st staff to the word "fine", then go to the last measure of the 3rd staff.

From the second D. C. you go to the beginning and play to the word "fine" which is the end.

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© 2003 R. Fingerson
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