Nicola Benedetti Strings Festival 2017: Scales

In May 2017, Saffron Hall and the European String Teachers Association joined forces with Nicola Benedetti to present the Nicola Benedetti Strings Festival, a two-day event for teachers and students packed full of inspiring ideas, provocative discussion and knowledge sharing.
In this session, aimed at professional strings teachers, Nicola Benedetti and Andrea Gajic talk about the use of scales in teaching with demonstrations by student Emma Baird.

[@hamwhacker]

I don’t think I have ever heard scales played that well! The student Emma has such wonderful bowing fluidity and clear intonation, she is an example to us all! I had not heard of the scale book by Barbara Barber and have always struggled with the Carl Flesch. It sounds like a refreshing alternative. A recent tip I learnt is to RELEASE the downward pressure of the shifting finger just before the shift, then glide on the string (like on a pocket of air) and press the string down again on arrival. Otherwise you can end up ironing in the tension in the left hand. I have only discovered this recently but it will apply to double stops, and already feels a lot more relaxed with better results. And of course tension in the left hand can lead to tension in the right hand, so the benefits are overall.

[@stevesewful]

Wow! Well done Emma! Excellent playing

[@joshsimmo]

what an incredible young player!

[@Skinny_Karlos]

As a child with the pianoforte I hated scales, fast-forward a couple of years and a change of instrument to the violin and classical guitar I found myself totally enjoying scales, finding the practice relevant as they would pop up regularly in pieces. Scales are great on stringed instruments. I must say, however, that scales using 'double stops' is very difficult, especially on the violin. Btw - Vibrato on both instruments, especially the violin, as very difficult and a technique long in mastering. She's a great lil' player that 'Emma'. I'll bet that many comments are of the same ilk.

[@marialuzvellaviolin]

how many hours did she say she study at day?

[@JustFiddler]

bagus sekali.... matur suksma

[@oliviapereira364]

Poor Emma was put very much on the spot. I mean, she did sign up for the first scales, but the rest was clearly a surprise. I would freak out. She did really great! And presenting scales is a HUGE exposure, she must be very used to performing in general

[@77thNYSV]

But I thought that if you can play it slow, you can play it fast...

[@SinanAkkoyun]

Please fvcking stop it, I love twoset but not their disrespectful audience wtf

[@fredericotacio3473]

​@@SinanAkkoyun totally agree, repeating those memes over and over on all violin videos its just FUCKING ANNOYING.