This week, we're talking scales and etudes. Are they the foundational blocks on which your entire technique is built? Or more like raw vegetables that you have to choke down if you want to stay healthy?

Akiko actually had a scale class as a kid, while I got a crash course in scales from my Curtis teacher Felix Galimir (who had studied with Carl Flesch himself).

Etudes were a different story. Both of us went through a progression of Sevcik, Schradieck, Kretuzer, Dont, and all the rest. But back then, we just played without knowing why. These days, we like to know the point of an etude before we dive in: the key that unlocks each etude's benefit.

Developing my Virtuoso Master Course has given me a chance to reevaluate my relationship with the classics, but I wanted Akiko's take on the topic as well. Enjoy a roll in the hay of fundamental violin techniques!

Key points

* Akiko recounts her distaste for practicing scales at Juilliard* Scales: more like meditation or workout?* Akiko's time at Juilliard pre-college with Ševčík, Schradieck, Kreutzer, Paganini and Yost* Why Akiko stopped practicing scales after a Paganini concerto got her down* Scales and etudes as prep for challenging pieces* Nathan's first scale, at the end of Suzuki studies* How Ivan Galamian adjusted a three-octave scale to give it 24 notes* Akiko's scale class* Nathan and Akiko's take on Simon Fischer’s Warming Up* The times in life to discover etudes (i.e. bachelor freedom)* Thirds for 20 minutes a day, thanks to Ruggiero Ricci* Nathan's first lesson with Felix Galimir, and the four-hour-a-day scale workout* Every etude has a key to unlock its benefit* How to practice scales so they lead to confident performance* Akiko’s feeling of impending violinistic disaster, as inThe Godfather.

Quotes

“I feel like the goal for the Delay students was to get to Paganini ASAP.” — @Akiko Tarumoto  [0:10:31]

“I think that’s the real argument for learning skills in scales and etudes, so that when you get to them in in the repertoire, you feel like you can say, ‘I’ve got this.’” — @natesviolin  [0:14:43]

“Opening up an etude book, trying to play one and just – whether your reaction is just stopping and closing it or breaking down crying, it is actually a pretty common thing.” — @natesviolin  [0:26:56]

“Great strides are made when there is not a lot else going on.” — @Akiko Tarumoto  [0:29:17]

 “it wasn’t like I was sitting here watching TV and you came up to me and you said, ‘You need to work on your arpeggios.’” — @Akiko Tarumoto  [0:47:04]

Links from the episode

Juilliard Pre-CollegeAspen FestivalThe Virtuoso Master CourseKreutzer SonataHenry SchradieckOtakar ŠevčíkNicolò PaganiniFranz WohlfahrtJacques Féréol MazasGaylord Yost