PLAYING IN TUNE - Violin Intonation for Single Stops

Professor of Violin, Julia Bushkova explains an efficient and proven method for achieving excellent intonation on violin.
www.bushkova.com

[@violinarchive]

Professor Buschkova, thank you so very much for sharing your mastery and time with us! All of us who watch your delightful videos are incredibly grateful to learn from you!

[@RobertPadgett]

What an insightful video on the vital importance of developing relative pitch as a means of establishing reliable intonation. Bravo!

[@trumpetplayer6397]

I've only played the violin for two weeks, but I've gotten totally absorbed into it. l love watching your videos, and I'm learning an incredible amount of info in such a short time. Thank you!

[@danil3572]

Thank You prof. Buschkova, so much want to hear proper intonation, most others do not perform intonation well imho.

[@chicchic4122]

Очень вас приятно слушать, таких мастеров здесь мало. Я понимаю, почему к вам все хотят попасть. У меня тоже мечта, чтобы мой сын взял у вас мастер класс когда-нибудь. Ему 14 лет, он вас смотрит на канале.

[@finalform4971]

i like how she explain it in way in which those without music background can understand everything

[@francisyang4718]

lol I like her lectures but I didn't get it this time. I didn't understand the checking against open E string part. The double stops sounds no difference to me whether the notes are in tune or not...

[@santiagof5511]

WOW this was SO USEFUL to me! Thank you! Please keep this videos coming

[@antonioromera8880]

Thank you very much for the video. Learn the right basic principles of violin playing is much more easier with your sharp explanations and advices. In addition, I find them extremely useful in class. It’s really worthy to have the opportunity to learn from you. I hope you make many more videos. Thanks a lot.

[@Louise-zs9rl]

You are the best Julia.

[@ts2603]

Thank you so much for this fantastic video, you have a way of teaching and demonstrating the lesson in a clear and concise manner. I will try this method, as I have some difficulty with the B note. Thank you for taking the time to make these videos :)

[@dnul1915]

Thank you Professor for an Amazing tutorial 😀😀😀

[@dnul1915]

Thank you Professor.

[@rayyoshida7963]

You explain so good thank you for the video!

[@johngeddes7894]

Fantastic lesson. Thank you.

[@Jynx215]

Thank you so much for this. What I found particularly useful was the info you gave on 3rds against open strings being false positives. I play both fiddle and classical styles, and could never figure out why my 3rds weren't in tune! Well now I know I have to play them differently depending if they're single or double-stopped. This helped my tone greatly! Thanks again!

[@terria1254]

Thank-you, excellent tutorial! 😃🎻

[@StephanieHughesDesign]

Love your videos.

[@goshane23]

excellent. thank you very very much!

[@thusharaaluthge6129]

Thank you very much....great work....and valuable lesson. Thank you..

[@ViolinClassUSA]

You are welcome!

[@PavelRedBoyLynxTretyak]

Thank you for so great , informative videos !

[@dsthorp]

Great presentation!

[@Hiroguji]

Thank you very much for your lecture. It's very useful, but for me, very difficult and crucial things. However, I'll try them.

[@snort455]

very helpful. thank you

[@saeidyazdani]

Thanks for all the lectures...they have been very useful to me (as a long time teacher-less player) and solved some of my mistakes. On a side note, you really look like my mother :) maybe you were twins lol

[@artemi-music]

Спасибо за видео!😊

[@YS-ep7zw]

Very useful. Thank you!

[@viktorialang1922]

very good teaching. thank you

[@ViolinClassUSA]

Glad it was helpful!

[@lightshineministries3549]

Professor Bushkova, I really enjoy your straightforward approach to explaining violin technique. These days, it is difficult to find this quality of teaching, both in person and especially via the internet. Do you offer workshops?

[@ViolinClassUSA]

I do workshops when I am contracted to do them, yes.

[@JimmyDeLocke]

Excellent!

[@juliannanagy4497]

Very helpful!

[@ulflarsson7189]

It is releaving to hear about the differences between real good violin intonation and the well tempered playing caused by to much leaning against the tuning devices. Thank you professor Bushkova for this superb comment.

[@robertdelosreyes1675]

This was really very helpful! Thank you so much!

[@Louise-qk2po]

Thank you for your great advice.

[@ViolinClassUSA]

You are so welcome!

[@michaeltaylor7407]

A wonderful video!!

[@ViolinClassUSA]

Thank you very much!

[@DRAGOON009ify]

I use the D string to create a minor 7th dissonace resolving to the B natural (already stable because of open e string). The sound of minor 7th is distinct. Not sure if this helps others . But you are right, a violinist must be have a strong relative pitch.

[@michaelholland1189]

Thanks 🙏

[@michaelreaper666]

Thank You ..great advice ..i wish i had time to practice more the Violin !!

[@mannangkattamenon8155]

Very clear lesson and your violin sounds very good. Where can I buy this violin please thank you

[@ViolinClassUSA]

My violin came from "David Brewer Violins" in New Mexico

[@augustinechinnappanmuthria7042]

Super super super lovely

[@huhguy5]

Thank you. I hope one day you can show us how you play the A flat major 3 octave scale. Intonation is challenging on that scale , I find. Thank you so much.

[@ViolinClassUSA]

Actually, A flat major is not much different from A Major when you do not use any open strings. Practice first 4 notes in A Major; move them 1/2 step down and play the same distances between the notes. Repeat until sure. Then go to the next four notes and so forth

[@ShreemanRJ]

Thank you so much for your clear tips could you please demonstrate one class for position change.

[@ViolinClassUSA]

Position changes are done via shifting. For shifting, watch my Video Violin Techniques - Shifting Part I

[@ShreemanRJ]

@@ViolinClassUSA thank you so much for your quick response.

[@PhilipYHLi]

Thank you so much for your amazing videos! Could you do a video on body movement particularly on the left side body of helping to support and move the violin? Would really appreciate it!

[@Stedyyyy]

Free lesson!

[@shashankchauhan5009]

Hi there! Can you please explain the relevance of playing B (on A string) with the open E string in double stop style to determine correct intonation of the note B?? I understand it is to do with understanding relative pitch but how does that help here? Because it would definitely sound somewhat sonorous even if we misplaced our finger onto note C and played with open E (in 3rds) as opposed to correct intonation of B with open E (in 4ths)! Thank you 🙏

[@ViolinClassUSA]

Hello - I am not sure I understand your question... Would you have the same concern about a note of E (on D string) and checking it with the open A? Could you please rephrase your question a bit? If I understand the question correctly, I may be able to answer:)

[@irinatsernikova3043]

@@ViolinClassUSA how to tune up per 4th? thanks

[@ViolinClassUSA]

Hmm, I do not quite understand the question... Tune the perfect fourths to open strings (provided they are really in tune), then play single notes of those fourths and memorize their exact pitch. Do not check thirds and sixths with open strings for a single-note intonation...

[@irinatsernikova3043]

@@ViolinClassUSA Thank you for reply! I was hoping there is a method (like "get sweet feelings or listen for the waves of tones, how they are fighting or blending ...) to tune even open strings without tuner, then other intervals of 4th...we were not been born we this task unfortunately.. At least most of us :-) but still eager to improve our violin skills

[@kamikan22]

@@irinatsernikova3043 Is the same as when tuning your open strings, you get the "sweet feeling" sometimes by hearing those perfect consonances, but at first there is so much noise on our head that it become hard to even realize it as a possibility xd

[@Ikchel.]

Thask you!

[@sr-lo9gg]

I wish you had an online course!

[@ViolinClassUSA]

I might have it in a near future.

[@sr-lo9gg]

@@ViolinClassUSA that would be great! I did get a teacher but somehow I learned more in 1 video of yours than in three weeks with her. Knowing something and knowing how to TEACH something are very different skills, and the latter is rare. So, thank you. I have to say, it can be very counterproductive to be taught poorly. I’m looking forward to your online course!

[@deejayvaidya]

Giving up the major and minor (double stopped) thirds for checking intonation is such a sad loss 😢 (You are right as always, of course, but still, it's sad. Intoning major thirds and major sixths by checking the double stops can make pentatonic music sound very sweet.)

[@pswapnavaruna7353]

nice madam

[@gguitar141]

I just learn 1 month and now I m 41 yr old. I really fractured to play in tune……it is good video👍🏻 it is hard hit the correct note accurately position Every time🥴😫…. Just only need is practice and practice?

[@belindahammond1679]

Very clear explanation. Thank you. I still like a dirty B though 😊 (in that passage).

[@danil3572]

Is it more likely for an guitarist (electric guitarist with some progressive neoclassic technique knowing moduses, inversions, 3 notes 4 notes per string scales) to learn violin better than those who have never played an musical instrument and have that terrible intonation and right hand? I remember I could make chromatics three 3,5 octaves and till even 13th-14th position pretty accurately for first timer, my right hand didn't;t work very well but left hand had all muscle memory from guitar playing- just switched to 5ths. Pls asking with some advice -moral support actually :) . Thanx

[@riktaclank4426]

Wow, great teaching skills ! Thank you so much. What is the name of the piece played in the beginning of this video?; i love it.

[@ViolinClassUSA]

Thank you very much! It is a violin concerto by Moszkowski

[@batlin]

That's really interesting about the 3rd and 6th interval double stops being a misleading. I guess it's related to the equal temperament scale having a slightly incorrect tuning of major thirds that doesn't exactly match the true harmonic series?

[@ViolinClassUSA]

Yes, that is correct.

[@deejayvaidya]

Maybe not equal temperament, but rather Pythagorean tuning. We have true perfect fifths on open strings, not equal temperament. The E string is three perfect fifth intervals up from the G string, and the E. We can check the intonation of the E on the D string, not by double stopping the the open G string (just major sixth), but by the octave resonance on the open E, which is the same intonation check as double stopping the open A string (perfect fourth above).

[@eViolinity]

Thanks for this very helpful video! What is your definition of "in tune"? Or better: how many cents of deviation is subjectively perceived by listeners as "in tune"?

[@ViolinClassUSA]

By ear :)) I never used tuners as those had not been yet in use when I learned to play :)

[@mattstorie276]

Please tell me the piece that plays in the opening of the video!!

[@ViolinClassUSA]

Moszkowski's violin concerto

[@momoma533]

Hello, thank you for this video. How do you would tune the f sharp on the e string? It seems like, it has to be lower, than the f sharp on the d string, isnt it? This comes when I keep my hand the same, except the elbow alignment, and do with the first finger the same motion for every string, so that you play sort of clean fifths one by one ( a-e-b-f sharp)

[@ViolinClassUSA]

All F sharps on the fingerboard should be tuned the same way, regardless of the string.

[@fradesjo]

Professor Bushkova, as a beginner, is it a good idea to practice intonation using the chromatic tuner? I've been using it for a while to make sure I hit the correct spot to produce correct intonation as it will show me whether I'm too flat or too sharp. Is this method recommended or could it possibly hinder my progress in producing correct intonation naturally (finger muscle memory)?

[@ViolinClassUSA]

Get an app that is called TonalEnergy Tuner and use Pythagorean setting.

[@fradesjo]

@@ViolinClassUSA Thank you very much, professor

[@whiteowl1137]

Thank you beautiful lady ^^

[@glennbeard7219]

How about listening for the natural resonance of the violin to indicate that the note is in tune especially in the higher positions?

[@ViolinClassUSA]

Fo those who have advanced out of the first positions - therefore, are more advanced players - of course, listening to just the 'natural resonance' may be enough. But too often it is not. This video was made for those who are having intonation issues.

[@nickyork8901]

@@ViolinClassUSA Which is everyone, at some point! Excellent video, many thanks. I was actually taught to check using 3rds and 6ths not just 4ths and octaves, so it was a bit of a surprise when you ruled them out, and I can see why. I do agree with the commenter, though, hearing when the notes start to resonate is a great way to clean up intonation without even doing the double stop (of course this only works in certain keys on the violin). What do you think of Rodney Friend's approach of practising in 5ths, which I think is mainly to get the hand position right?

[@pradipsaha694]

🙏mdm, I am Pradip from India, Please healp for violin tutorial.

[@IamPriyankaSoni]

Hi Julia, love your videos. When I play a scale repeatedly, I tend to lose pitch and without even knowing my left hand fingers compensate for correcting the pitch. Later I find out that the open string becomes slightly out of tune after repeated playing. Is that normal? How to become sensitive to correcting the pitch? Your response would be much appreciated. Thank you.

[@ViolinClassUSA]

Absolutely. Anyone can!

[@LatchezarDimitrov]

One little remark-your note B when product pure fourth with your E string will be too high if you play the major sixth with D string! Another example that the just intervals are useless with the violin - try to play the accord GGCE. If you use just octave GG+just fourth GC, your major third will be horrible with E string! Then?

[@ViolinClassUSA]

I believe I do explain all of this in the videos. Thanks for watching.

[@LatchezarDimitrov]

@@ViolinClassUSA My comment is about your video. I don't understand why do you not speak about...

[@FCarraro1]

As well explained in the video, intonation in double stops is very different as in single stops. When playing single stops it is usually (though not always) a good idea to use intonation built using perfect fifths and octaves. So, B checked with the open E is usually correct. If you have to play it together with the open D, guess what: you move it backwards a tiny bit. If you have to play the mentioned ggce chord (as at the beginning of the Kreutzer sonata, or the end of the FAE scherzo for instance), people tend to prefer to tune the C with the open string, since the chord is broken in 2+2 (gg+ce) so the central fourth is never played together. Hope it makes sense.

[@FCarraro1]

As well explained in the video, intonation in double stops is very different as in single stops. When playing single stops it is usually (though not always) a good idea to use intonation built using perfect fifths and octaves. So, B checked with the open E is usually correct. If you have to play it together with the open D, guess what: you move it backwards a tiny bit. If you have to play the mentioned ggce chord (as at the beginning of the Kreutzer sonata, or the end of the FAE scherzo for instance), people tend to prefer to tune the C with the open string, since the chord is broken in 2+2 (gg+ce) so the central fourth is never played together. Hope it makes sense.

[@LatchezarDimitrov]

Is it an answer?!​@@ViolinClassUSA

[@wisdomseeker0142]

This is very difficult for me. I feel listening for the intonation in a double stop makes it harder for me to hear for some reason. I have a chromatic tuner too. I need more practice on this

[@tts80]

Hi Professor, I was wondering with the C natural, would we first find the G on e string since that is 2 octave higher than the open g and place the 2nd finger on where it would be a perfect fifth from the G on e string? Or would that be similar to the C that forms a major third with the open e?

[@kamikan22]

Maybe play G on Dstring agaisnt open G, and then double stops C with that G

[@ViolinClassUSA]

@@kamikan22 Yes, if anything, I would recommend your solution. BUT: for beginners, it is very hard to not alter the sound of that clean G (3d finger on the D string) while they place the C onto the A string. And they tend to adjust the 3d finger in the process... So it may be tricky in practice (while it is absolutely correct in principle.)

[@fansihsahn7973]

What is the beginning piece?

[@ViolinClassUSA]

Moritz Moszkowski Violin concerto in C Major, op. 30, II mvmt

[@Kofi_Rapture]

Nice Lesson but if you can be zooming in your fingerings to see what you meant.

[@GreyWind]

Why does my violin always sound like a bitter kid whining every time I touch it...

[@richardgaul4906]

Sounds like a geothermal clef

[@SarumChoirmaster]

DOUBLE STOPS ARE THE ANSWER; SPECIFICALLY OCTAVES, NOT SCALES OR ANYTHING ELSE. Simple double stops develop and set hand framing and muscle memory. For example, first finger on a upper string played with the open string below is never exactly in the same place as a first finger on a lower string and played with the open upper string. Octave double stops starting in 3rd position is the correct way to begin playing in tune. Also, the use of a highly sensitive and highly calibrated tuner will help you; although it can produce, at times, frustration since the mere pressure of the bow and a minimal slight pressure difference in a finger will wildly register on a tuner. Why do I say simple double stops? Think! How can you set your hand AND play single notes of a scale in tune when the muscles of the hand AND your ears have not been trained. Finally, absolutely NO VIBRATO EVER and no bow pressure except the weight of the bow! Think of making a sound on a crystal glass half filled with water and your wet finger. Its all the same process - exact speed, exact slight pressure with no hesitations. So it is with a bowed string instrument. I am a 63 year old professional concert level violist, violinist, choirmaster, organist, teacher and composer. I have taught hundreds of children K-12, adults and have studied with some of the greatest teachers and performers around the world. Practice everything with a metronome in extremely slow speed as if you were a Tai-Chi Master or pantomimist. Extremely slow, even, soft practice males perfect. Tackle little amounts! Scales are for the accuracy of agility, speed and dexterity. More complex scales in double stops come after simple double stops. Then finally scales and etudes. ALL AT FIRST WITH NO VIBRATO! Make a beautiful clarinet sound with no vibrator at first, then add carefully practiced vibrato.

[@nickyork8901]

I think her point is that double stop intonation is different from single stop intonation, so playing lots of double stopping is unlikely to help for quite a number of the notes you need (it will for some). But it will be excellent for your bowing, funnily enough. It may also help you learn other things, like the correct finger weight and hand position.

[@martinsinger9886]

May I add a notice, that we have four different types of intonatiom on zhe violin and the other bowed instruments: Just intonation, based on the circle of fiths Well temoered intonatiom Pythagorean intonation and Expressive intonation In unacompanied pieces we ofte use expressive intination, where liading notes are played sharp ur flat depending on the direction in whicht they point IN double stops and chords we use just intonation, Itogether with keybord Instriments we muat play well tempered and the strings are not tuned in perfect fifths and in chamber music our intonation often dependss on the keys of the piece In Music written after about 1900 usually well tempered intonation or even complete different scales (quarter tones - Bartok -, pentatonic scales in far east folk music)

[@LatchezarDimitrov]

The right intonation is only one! All other theories are wrong! One note can't have different places, if no, why do you tune your violin with A440Hz if later this A will be played less or more 440Hz???