How to Practice Violin Better [Brahms Violin Sonata No.3] - PART II

[@vegancrabcakes]

This violin looks really beautiful.

[@DanielKurganov]

Hi everyone. TIMESTAMPS are below. Apologies for typos in the video. I hope you find the video useful! I am going to be experimenting more with how I present concepts and demonstrations. I hope the "no talking" approach has some unique benefits this time! 00:18 Guarneri violin for a new project 00:54 Video Summary 01:23 Announcement of my new E-Book! == BRAHMS VIOLIN SONATA NO.3 == 03:20 Bars 27-59 09:53 Bars 61-71 15:28 Bars 84-92 21:17 Bars 153-170

[@jessicamidon]

Love seeing you gain notoriety. Hard work! Thanks for everything!

[@rafthegoat]

I've always admired your playing. Videos like this give a nice perspective to non-musicians about the daily routines of a great musician such as yourself. It shows all the hard work behind the polished performance.

[@DanielKurganov]

I appreciate that! I have to say I love the process of trying to polish something, suffering through that and seeing some bit of progress :)

[@user-ww2nd4co2p]

@@DanielKurganov haha same unless its mozart, mozart is so annoying to polish

[@saea58]

Thank you for this video. It helps me see that a lot of my practicing strategies were actually very good and that I should not doubt myself. Also I plan to get your book on practicing soon. I am not a professional musician but come from that background and have started back after 50 years. I enjoy practicing. At my age no performances or rehearsals to worry about. ☺️🎻

[@dr.shilpagowda4700]

May all of our slides and notes in our playing become great again with these practice techniques.

[@parsa2007]

this channel is going to be greatttttt. please please make a playlist and teach all of the violin techniqes like harmonics to ricochet and all

[@aMaudPowellFan]

That was inspirational. I practiced better after listening to your practice. You can explain and share your practice all you want -- there is still magic left.

[@aMaudPowellFan]

Here is another perspective on magic that seems relevant, from "Sound in Motion": A professional magician on stage knows the tricks of the trade that make the audience suspend its disbelief; he knows there is no magic. When we musicians let go of our belief in the magic of it all, we are then-and only then-freed to become the magician who, through stagecraft, creates marvelous illusions. The magic occurs in the mind of the listener, not in what the performer does on stage.

[@Skinny_Karlos]

I do love Guarneries. They have their own sound totally different to Stradivaris and absolutely beautiful. How I wish I was good enough to warrant owning one or playing on one. Great playing as usual, Daniel. Thank you for the video.

[@davidequaglia]

Thank you so much for this video !! It will definetly help me to practice better.

[@germanruiz7144]

Muchas gracias por compartir,gran generosidad de valioso contenido!!!Eres un gran maestro ,artista y violinista de gran transparencia Thank you very much

[@johnalexander301]

Thank you for sharing your knowledge Daniel. Your instructional videos are amazing. Just downloaded your e-book. What a treasure trove of insight. Most of what you do is beyond my skill level as a 50 y.o. beginner, but I appreciate it nonetheless. Keep up the great work.

[@DanielKurganov]

Thank you John! There are definitely some points there that I would work on with a beginner and a pro alike. There are many of the same fundamental issues popping up...

[@jennyrobinson4184]

Amazing bell sound.

[@DanielKurganov]

Thank you!

[@MiserableLittleDoomGoblin]

Fantastic information Daniel! After watching a few seconds of the video I went and downloaded a copy of your book. Thank you for putting this together and making it available!

[@DanielKurganov]

I’m so glad you like it!

[@vetzrah4437]

I've heard that you haven't yet learned some popular concertos, when you do, you should make more of these videos! So helpful...

[@DanielKurganov]

That's the plan!

[@annmanning1655]

Sounds beautiful. You've given me so much more to think about to improve my playing😊

[@DanielKurganov]

I'm so glad!

[@vicentekiller]

Nice! Gives so many good ideas to apply on daily practice! Thank you

[@DanielKurganov]

I’m glad!

[@ur.kr.2814]

Inspiring, efficient practice. Love to see more of this. Somehow I prefer it to verbal explanations. More direct and less room for misinterpretation or overthinking.

[@ur.kr.2814]

Its also more information dense and I can look at the text only when I dont see whats going on

[@DanielKurganov]

@@ur.kr.2814 Thank you for the feedback! Yes, I was trying this way out with that in mind. I might do a combination of text and commentary.

[@oliverelectric6555]

Thanks for your class

[@Tiber24100]

Merci

[@katiajoubinaux1999]

Un grand merci pour toute vos vidéos ,toujours très intéressantes 🙏💚

[@jonathanreichner4483]

Can you comment about memorization? Is it a distinct and purposeful goal of practice or is it a byproduct of repetition?

[@DanielKurganov]

It's a long topic, but there are a couple of relevant comments I can make. When I memorize something, I am not trying to memorize the notes as I would a math formula or something like that. I can only speak for myself, but what I am doing is memorizing the way things feel, the way patterns feel. When I work closely on a phrase and spend an hour perfecting it as a musical statement, I have memorized the notes, sure, but the more important thing is that I have embodied the phrase. It means something to me now, as I have committed some musical value to it and impressed my own musical and technical ideas onto it. The whole phrase an everything inside of it is recalled now with 1 feeling / 1 thought. That is one of the keys to true memorization -- making those connections, integrating and then unifying. Speaking of connections, the second key to memorization is to create and notice physical points of connection to the instrument. As I play, I notice how my arm feels during a passage or phrase. What are the most active movements in that passage? Can I turn those into milestones that I aim? Or, what is my hand touching during the passage and how do the shifts change that? These are some considerations. I guess the main idea is to make connections and invest/imprint yourself as much as you can. This could also include studying some music theory so as to understand the structure of the music better. Hopefully that helped!

[@gorillagorilla111]

thank you , wonderful video as always. your lessons are gems. i just now bought your ebook. i am a jazz violinist who practices classical technique. on my wishlist for a future video: a thorough one on intonation (yes i've seen your shifting/intonation one) i would love to see all your approaches. i utilize the kurt sassmannshaus method of pausing a beat between each note and careful placing , for small groups of notes in a phrase. open string checking of course. and tuners (very cautiously), and drones especially drone notes that aren't always the tonic of the key. hope to see your fantastic approach and breakdown of this endless string player quest in the future ! :) thanks for all your offerings !

[@DanielKurganov]

Great idea! I’d love to make such a video.

[@anaxlle5964]

Wow I love this.

[@MohammedHajjar]

I bought the book and it has some really good practices. I suggest you do videos to explain what’s in it. It would make it more valuable.

[@DanielKurganov]

Definitely! That's sort of the goal of this series. You'll find videos dedicated to some of those methods already. Gradually, all will be covered! Thank you for the feedback and for purchasing.

[@Violinna]

This is incredible work!

[@DanielKurganov]

Thanks Inna!

[@JeremyHillViolinist]

All I would say (and even Oistrakh is ‘guilty’ of this): occasional notes with zero vibrato-could be intentional, but I suspect not. Immaculate intonation (better than mine) and beautiful sound-LOTS of value here!

[@DanielKurganov]

I think it's an intentional mode of expression (look at Szeryng and, as you mentioned, Oistrakh). Vibrating every note is a different way of feeling. I think you have plenty of examples of good playing and bad playing with both constant vibrato and some notes missing vibrato. Both approached have their challenges. Understanding the expressive content of each note is important if you will pick which notes to vibrate and in which way. I like to float between those two ways of feeling vibrato. Sometimes it feels right to vibrate everything, other times not:) Thanks for your comment!

[@JeremyHillViolinist]

@@DanielKurganov Completely agree! My most influential teacher was a serious vibrato ‘buff,’ and it wore off on me. Seems to be a natural function of my personal expression, so I like to let the oscillation rip 💪🏼🎶

[@SimonStreuffViolinEducation]

Beautiful sound! Especially liking the E-String

[@DanielKurganov]

Thanks my friend! Oh wait, you were talking to the violin.

[@SimonStreuffViolinEducation]

@@DanielKurganov and the bow of course 😉

[@joseaugustoalmeida7318]

Olá Daniel!! Prazer em conhecê-lo de forma remota! Acabo de comprar o seu material e o parabenizo pelo seu consistente e eficiente trabalho e pesquisa. Sou violinista e professor no Brasil. Sempre vejo o seu canal e suas informações. Espero que consigas realizar um vídeo sobre o que escrevestes! Parabéns!! Sucesso Sempre!!

[@eltompar]

Wow, great content! Must have been a lot of work to annotate. Thanks. I think this must be some ASMR video genre sub-type...I found myself dozing off from relaxation. I assure you my practice sessions have the opposite effect on my fellow cohabitants.

[@DanielKurganov]

That all sounds correct to me!

[@firstnotefoundation]

I am going to buy this PDF. I would like to know if you would develop any similar document that would assist in improving tone quality and also one on bowing techniques. As always, your big fan! God Bless You Daniel

[@DanielKurganov]

Thank you, Emilio. I am working on a tone production guide that starts from the very fundamentals and works towards more complex concepts.

[@firstnotefoundation]

Daniel, is it possible to book a master class with you? What would that cost me? :)

[@user-qd7th5eb2q]

ممكن الترجمه للغه العربية اسفل الفيديو 🙏🏻

[@ur.kr.2814]

Gonna try some of these on my sub million violin. Let you know if it works anyway! :)

[@DanielKurganov]

I will have to do it on my sub-million too somewhat soon, haha...

[@ur.kr.2814]

@@DanielKurganov Well, good news then - it does work :P

[@luisbaracaldo1227]

There're certain passages that' re actually easier in higher positions beacuse of the angle of the hand and the arm resting against the body of the instrument.

[@DanielKurganov]

definitely!

[@lupefer]

People who disliked this video probably found out they weren't actually practicing during their practice time.

[@caiofabiomachadomaiadasilv4190]

What a GREAT VIDEO. Thanks. I just have one question... During this video, you don't work with a metronome . What do you think about work with metronome? In what moment of learning a new piece, it becomes necessary? One more time, BRAVO

[@DanielKurganov]

Yes, I would definitely recommend metronome work! You are right, I should have included that sort of work in the demonstration. It's hard to put everything into one video :) I tend to practice less with the metronome than I used to, but I still constantly find places where it makes a big difference.

[@jennyrobinson4184]

I’ve noticed many violinists watch their fingers on the fingerboard. Does this help with intonation? Other reasons please? My teacher stopped me from doing this when I was much younger.

[@musical.0uija]

Is there going to be a hard copy of your book available? I went to purchase it but realized it was PDF. I’m a sucker for physical copies. Thank you for sharing your experience with this beautiful instrument with us.

[@DanielKurganov]

Yes I agree with you. I am definitely looking into a publishing solution, as I have 2-3 more works nearing completion. Thanks!

[@lagrenounouille]

I second that. Definitely would buy a physical copy. Great video!

[@diegeigergarnele7975]

Flexing that Guarnieri on us :O

[@DanielKurganov]

I might be a bit over-excited :)

[@diegeigergarnele7975]

@@DanielKurganov nah I wouldn't say over excited. I prolly would wet my pants just by touching a Guarnieri

[@serafin1719]

Can also a cellist use your e-book? I would be scared to buy it and find out that everything is based on violin technique and is hard to apply on the cello ... great video btw!

[@DanielKurganov]

Definitely a majority of the Practice Hacks in the book are directly applicable to cello. Thanks!

[@kevinvanhove5834]

what is the piece played at the beginning? i've heard it before but can't quite put my finger on it!!!

[@DanielKurganov]

4th movement of the piece I’m practicing here. Brahms Violin Sonata No.3 There will be a video devoted to practicing this movement as well! Saving the best for last ;)

[@kevinvanhove5834]

@@DanielKurganov Awesome! Will you also release a full video of you playing this sonata?

[@DanielKurganov]

@@kevinvanhove5834 Yes sir! All of the sonatas actually :)

[@fernandowanderley8269]

So good... Listen, I've been trying to learn the original bowing of the fifth caprice by Paganini and it's not being easy. Would you advise me in any way?

[@DanielKurganov]

Practice each bar separately to really master the balance of the bow with the various string changes. The idea of that bowing relies on a ‘springing’ motion, which is naturally part of the bow’s design. So, in a way, the guiding principle of practicing that bowling is “how do I get out of the way of the bow so that it can do what it’s naturally designed to, and yet give it a little push in the right direction for all of the string crossings”. There is also a good video by Eric Silberger, an excellent violinist, demonstrating there springing nature of the stick. Good luck!

[@fernandowanderley8269]

@@DanielKurganov thanks a lot

[@sunilkens]

❤️❤️🌹👍

[@dovbrodkin4497]

Would you consider printing your book?

[@DanielKurganov]

Definitely. I am researching publishers and hope to have that in place in the near future.

[@dovbrodkin4497]

@@DanielKurganov Good luck! I'm looking forward to purchasing it!

[@thejasevorkerhuo3090]

Title: Me: holding my $50 violin and watching. ☹️

[@DanielKurganov]

The equipment is only a tool! You can make beautiful music and touch people’s souls with an inexpensive instrument. 100%

[@susiliuswidiyono5573]

@@DanielKurganov bravo !!!

[@lvbmv]

I'm very far of being a good violinist, I do not have a million dollar violin, BUT I'm the first comment here. That's kind of an accomplishment, right? hahahah

[@DanielKurganov]

Absolutely! In a week we will both not have a million dollar violin :)

[@lvbmv]

@@DanielKurganov HAHAHAHAHA Thanks for the answer! I will keep practicing to be a good violinist so we can have even more stuff in common! Hugs from brasil!

[@ZJStrudwick]

a million dollars .....and you spin it in your hands like some toy!!!