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So we have the Washington Post March.
This is our graduation piece from the
beginner curriculum, and
that's because it combines a lot of
challenges.
But it's a great tune, too, and it really
sticks in your head.
So we'll be playing in all four of the
first four positions.
And to maintain consistent intonation
there,
you'll need to stay in the frame of the
hands.
Keep your hand in a nice frame and know
what position you're in.
There will be lots of bow circles so that
you can get your bow.
Back to the right position especially when
there's spiccato involved.
We've got trills.
We've got a key change in the middle.
We've got the first and second endings to
look at so visually and
playing-wise, there's a lot going on here
but I think you'll have fun with it.
I know you will.
If you look at the pickup to A the pickup
notes there,
basically any time you have time to set
the bow, you'll want to do it so
that you can start notes from the string.
That's one of the most important things we
remind each other in
professional orchestras all the time.
And it's a great idea for
solo playing too because then, then you
know where you're starting from.
If you're doing a crash landing from above
it's gonna be different
if you're starting from a quarter inch or
a half inch or an inch.
If you're starting from the string, you're
always at zero.
So,
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And so you start from the string,
you know where you are.
There are gonna be other bow circles here
where you don't have time,
so then you just drop it.
For example four after A.
So, we've got a few bow circles with
setting the bow.
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But, here there's not time to set it again
so you just dropped it.
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For those accents there is time so you set
the bow and
so you'll see that in the performance the
difference between
setting it and using kind of a kola
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And it may seem pedantic to think about
each one of these, but
this is the perfect time to do that, a
perfect opportunity.
When you have a song like this, very
strict rhythm.
This is the way you build consistency by
knowing
where you're coming from, with the bow.
Now, you do want to leave the first finger
down after A five bars.
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You're in second position, the fingers
just kinda drop right next to the one.
As long as you leave the one down you'll
be fine.
Now if you look four bars before that
first ending,
there I don't do a bow circle.
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And, the reason for that is that I don't
wanna keep having repetitive accents.
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I would just find that a little bit much
so I mix up the bowing there to put some
of those on up bows so that's the reason
for that.
Coming into letter B, these pickups are
long and it's just a,
a little change of, of sound.
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So the bow's on for all of that.
And then a circle.
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And those are the, the dropping variety,
circle and drop.
But eight after B, keep the bow on the
string.
That's important.
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Cuz you have those long notes again there.
So the character changes at C and so does
the dynamic.
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So you can get out a little further
away from the bridge, a little bitlighter
bow.
But five after C, you wanna make sure that
you leave yourself,
it's kind of like playing pool, you wanna.
Do a nice leave, you've gotta leave
yourself in the middle of the bow for
the spiccato.
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Right here you want to end
that bow,
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so that you can execute
the spiccato there.
Then your in, in half position.
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And the substitution.
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Now, if you look up at the pick up to E,
for these little things where you
alternate with the accompaniment.
You're doing crescendo's on the down bow,
which is not the usual way.
But ti works as long as you speed up the
bow during the crescendo.
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Then you've got a subito piano.
Subito is Italian for, right away,
immediately.
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So you leave the bow on the string.
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And as you crescendo you use more bow.
Look two before g.
This is an interesting shift.
Your hand is going to move one whole step.
You're going to move up one position.
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As long as you leave your
two down on the E flat.
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Then you move up one position,
one whole step.
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Then you're set in fourth position for
a while.
Two before the first ending, I choose to
go over on the E string there.
Because we're getting near the end.
And it's getting louder.
So I want that extra brilliance of the E
string.
And speaking of brilliance, I like to end
the whole thing.
With a 3 note chord.
Very little roll on that you know, by roll
I mean
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If I prefer to play basically the three
notes at once, I aim for
the middle string.
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That way you can end it nice and
snappy like the military march it is.