Scordatura

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Viola Lovers

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A group to discuss and share info and music specific to the viola.

43 Members, Created 8/27/2011 -

Administrators: mudbug (owner)

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From mudbug on 1/26/2013 4:49:39 AM

I've had my viola for a little over a year now and reading alto clef is getting much easier. I pick up viola CD's when I can find them and have one of Nokuthula Ngwenyama playing the Bach partita's on viola, down a fifth from originally written. I don't know if she transposed them to alto clef, but it gave me the idea to read treble clef like I'm playing a scordatura violin tuned down a fifth. Since I have some nice pieces that I like in my violin method books, this gives me another way to use the violin pieces that I like. I already do this with fiddle tunes I've memorised and see that some of you do also, but I never thought of it like this.

5 Comments
	TimK says: 1/26/2013 5:22:35 AM I've been using Fiddling for Viola by Michael Hoffheimer as my main method book to learn viola. For me, the easiest way to read the Alto Clef is to think of it asTreble clef and play one whole note tone higher than what is written. A written C is played as D etc. Works for me :-)
	paulinefiddle says: 1/26/2013 8:01:54 AM I still haven't learned to read alto clef, although I know I should . I keep reading tricks like, "When you see X, think Y," but they haven't helped yet. Tim K, I'll give your method a try. My viola is now my jamming instrument of choice.
	mudbug says: 1/26/2013 11:32:43 AM That doesn't work for me as I don't process the note names when reading. That seems like an added mental step that I bypass. When I see a note written, my brain recognises that it means I need to put this finger on this string, and have no problem switching between reading treble clef first position, third position and alto clef.
	hummyfan says: 2/6/2013 7:59:28 PM I think reading the alto clef is a trial. My grandaughter fell in love with the sound of my viola and took lessons for 9 months before her instructor asked her to take home a page of sheet music written in the alto clef and come back with the tune mastered. She tried, valiantly, for a week then dropped her music lessons. She never picked up the viola again.
	mudbug says: 2/7/2013 2:57:01 AM That's horrible, Hummy. A true teacher is supposed to gently push the student forward, not demand the impossible. What a shame.
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