Some Help on a Tschaikovsky Violin Concerto Cadenza
Violin Lounge TV Q&A about a cadenza of the Tschaikovsky Violin Concerto in D:
“Hello there Zlata! I am currently self-learning the Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto in D, Op. 35. I’m having problems with the fingerings for the chords (double notes?) between D and E and lines 6-9 of the cadenza. Could you kindly offer any tips as to how to tackle these or fingerings if possible? I’m using the version attached: it’s the Ševčík revision, and I like that it offers many fingerings. Thank you very much! – Vincent Han”
From one of my readers I received the question how to learn the Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto in D, Op. 35 by self-learning. It indeed has some difficult fingerings for the chords, so in this video I will share 4 strategies that will help you tackle this difficult piece and other pieces in the future!
TIP 1: Know what intervals you are playing
When learning a difficult piece with thirds like this, take a good look at what kind of thirds they are. Are they small or big, or maybe both? In the specific piece of the cadenza the question was about, the thirds are both small.
TIP 2. Try different fingerings
Regarding the fingerings of the cadenza, it’s 1-3 and 1-3, so you need to shift this first and third finger. However, you can also choose not to do that and use a fingering on the first double stop 1-3, seconds 2-4, which is not alternative. So just experiment what is easiest for you, since this preference can really differ per person.
TIP 3. See you can write down something that is enharmonic the same
Then, B-sharp, D-sharp is indeed quite strange. You can also think of this, however, as C and E-flat to C-sharp and E. In harmonic, this is the same. For this, also try to analyse this and find this out for yourself to better understand the harmonies (also check the video to see how I drew the notes).
TIP 4. Practice scales of chromatic thirds (for example from Carl Flesch’s book)
If you have troubles with the intonation (unless you already have found your ideal fingering yourself), you can also practise a scale of chromatic thirds. This you can find in the Carl Flesh scale book if you have it, and otherwise you can of course buy this or use any other scale book where your can practise the scale chromatic thirds.
These are my four tips for learning the fingerings of the Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto part, so hopefully this will help you learning the piece by yourself. Of course you can also use these tips for other pieces!
If you also have any specific question about a certain piece, or about something else regarding violin or viola playing, please let me know this in the comments so I can make a nice video about this too!
Love,
Zlata
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I dislike reading long articles, simply because i have got a bit of dislexia,
but i really loved this one