This game is fun to play and really improves intonation. It can be played by two students or student and teacher. Be sure not to watch the other player so that you rely solely on listening. You may be surprised how accurate you are when you trust your ear!
Go immediately to the note. You can also sing the note before playing it. You can make this game more difficult by specifying the string or the finger on which the note needs to be played.
For teachers
It is easy to assume when students play with intonation problems that they have poor aural skills. This of course may be true and if so is best addressed by aural training programs such as the Kodaly method.
Commonly however such intonation problems are caused by tightness in the hand or jerky and unreliable shifting.
The third possibility is that the student has a good ear and relatively fluid actions on the instrument, yet still plays out of tune. This can be caused by the student simply not using their inner hearing and not directing the finger strongly enough.
This game can help develop our inner hearing as well as a more fluid shifting action.
SEE
Shifting - Introduction
Resources - Bibliography
- for Practising the Violin, Mentally and Physically by Louis Kievman
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