Fun Ideas for using Tonalization with Advanced Students from Kate Conway

Some videos of these versions of Tonalization can be found on my YouTube channel. Please subscribe if you haven’t already!

 Left hand ideas:

Play it all in 2nd position                                                                             

Play it all in 3rd position

 Play it all in 4th position

 Play it all on 1st finger

Play it all on 2nd finger

Play it all on 3rd finger

Play it all on 4th finger

 Play it with vibrato on the down bow, senza vibrato on the up bow, and vice versa

 Play it an octave higher than written

 For all of the following, don’t stay in the same position for two consecutive notes:

 Play 1, 2, 3, 4 with audible guide notes for the shifts

 Play 1, 2, 3, 4 with inaudible guide notes for the shifts

 Play 2, 3, 4, 1 with audible guide notes for the shifts

 Play 2, 3, 4, 1 with inaudible guide notes for the shifts

 Play 3, 4, 1, 2 with audible guide notes for the shifts

 Play 3, 4, 1, 2 with inaudible guide notes for the shifts

 Play 4, 1, 2, 3 with audible guide notes for the shifts (HARD!)

 Play 4, 1, 2, 3 with inaudible guide notes for the shifts (HARDER!)

 Play all on one finger on two strings only

 Play all on one finger changing strings every note

 Play in double stops – start with broken steps then try only double stops

 Play in octaves throughout – start with broken steps then try only double stops

Play in thirds throughout (start and end with an octave, and start with broken steps)

 Play in sixths throughout (start and end with an octave, and start with broken steps)

 Play with false harmonics throughout

 Play each note with the bow then pizzicato, mixing up your bow directions

 Play it with rapid pizzicato throughout

Bowing ideas:

 Play with quavers or semiquavers throughout

 Play four down bows then four up bows throughout

 Use different speeds of bow for down and up bows (two bows per note)

 Vary your bow tilt

 Vary your tone colours

 Play it with first finger off the bow

 Play it with fourth finger off the bow

 Play it with only 2nd and 3rd fingers on the bow

 Play it with only 1st and 4th fingers on the bow

 Play it with the bow upside down

 Play it at the heel with finger action only, using semiquavers

 Play it at the tip with finger action only, using semiquavers

 Play semiquavers using spiccato

 Up-bow spiccato with anything from two up bows to 12 up bows

 Sautille

 Ricochet

 Bowing patterns to use with the double stop version:

 Rapid string crossing between each note

 One upper note followed by three lower notes

 One lower note followed by three upper notes

 One upper note, two lower notes, then one upper note

 One lower note, two upper notes, then one lower note

 One upper note followed by two lower notes (triplet pattern)

 One lower note followed by two upper notes (triplet pattern)

 One upper note, one lower note, one upper note (triplet pattern)

 One lower note, one upper note, one lower note (triplet pattern)