2 years isn’t enough to learn this piece. Trust me, i tried and failed. You should focus on building a solid technical base before starting something like this.
Yes, I love the piece, but if it were my choice I would have waited a while before adding it into my repertoire like you’ve suggested. My teacher overestimates us by a whole lot. To be fair though all the harder pieces she’s handed out have helped me grow faster, just in a less linear way.
probably not worth it to learn atm for you. More fundamentals practice. If you realy must play parts from Summer, you should take excerpts of it and use them for your scales routine. However, if you do that, by the time you look at the main piece you will be sick of it.
Disclaimer: this is how I would deal with the situation/what I have learned being in similar situations. It is not advisable to rest on this advice.
I think, this might not be the answer you are looking for, but... As someone who currently is playing in an orchestra and has done this for 17 years/since grade 2, I would say... Fake it till you make it. How?
I had many tutors in group rehearsals for very-hard-to-play-pieces. Some of my favourite sayings I have heard are:
- that's only colour, the exact notes are not as important
- the first and the last note of a fast scale are the important ones. Everything in between is mumbling, maybe make sure the notes on the beats are right, and begin and finish on time.
If you are really struggling - look into ways to simplify your voice, ask your orchestra teacher whether it is ok to do this. Vivaldi is hard, and it's quite ambitious to try to play this with only 2 years of experience.
Ways of simplifying:
- play only every second/4th 16th note, so to say... Play 8th notes or quarters. From there, you can try and fill in missing notes.
-leave out/airbow for you impossible to play notes.
But: if you are sitting quite up front or the orchestra is quite little, faking will become very apparent. I would chat with my orchestra mates, if they also find it really hard, talk with your teacher about the piece choice!
Will your orchestra be performing the piece at all? If there’s no performance attached to it, I’d say take it as a learning experience challenge and strive to get out of it what you can, rather than striving for perfection.
Even if you don’t get the rapid string crossings down, your string crossings will improve, etc.
Have you learned enough of the positions for the highest notes? I think you have to go up to 7th for this one, and I was not at all good, hardworking student, but I don’t think 7th position is a two-year skill.
I did not at all put my 40 hours a week in back when I took lessons, and my development was very slow (and in many areas simply non-existent), but it still seems a baffling choice from my perspective for two years in. That doesn’t help you much, though.
Anyway, no idea if this is good pedagogy, but the high notes in measures 42 et seq. are a-g-f-e, and the lower ones are open a and d, so to practice the string crossings without having the double pain of a position you’re not comfortable with, you could just practice it in 1st position. Would give you the same notes and….not quite the same fingering, but more likely to be in tune and give you a feel for how it should sound when you’re doing it right. Then move up when you’ve got that down.
I would think that for string crossing generally, you could practice on open strings just to get the bowing right, and then start bringing the fingers in. It will be a lot more of a wrist motion than an arm motion at that speed. Not a lot of elbow movement, I would think. I feel like there’s got to be a Sevcik or something for this.
Look at the piece and write down all the techniques used in the piece, practice the techniques, play the piece slowly, play with recordings and play with a metronome, repeat (except for the writing bit)
All I can say is good luck 😭🙏 We're doing vivaldi spring because our concertmaster learned the solo for it (they're amazing btw) so i saw the violin part and almost had a heart attack 💔 im so glad he put me on harpsichord for that piece
The last music camp I attended had this as the performance at the end of the 3-days. Thankfully I was seated behind a column, I just went through the bowing and shifting motions without making any contact with the strings. I wanted the floor to split open and swallow me up. 🫠
2 years isn’t enough to learn this piece. Trust me, i tried and failed. You should focus on building a solid technical base before starting something like this.
I’ve been playing for almost 3 years it’s a bit tricky but enough practice and you can get it
But would it sound good?
Most likely especially if you have a private teacher they can help you learn it quicker and help you fix some smaller issues
I’m not the one who picked it, my orchestra teacher did
Are you happy with it?
Yes, I love the piece, but if it were my choice I would have waited a while before adding it into my repertoire like you’ve suggested. My teacher overestimates us by a whole lot. To be fair though all the harder pieces she’s handed out have helped me grow faster, just in a less linear way.
Have you tried breaking down some techniques, like maybe isolating the fingerings at measure 22, and the fast string crossing at measure 42?
Yes
Your teacher sounds insane. 2 years and you’re a 7th grader playing in an 8th grade orchestra and this is what they give you? 🤯
probably not worth it to learn atm for you. More fundamentals practice. If you realy must play parts from Summer, you should take excerpts of it and use them for your scales routine. However, if you do that, by the time you look at the main piece you will be sick of it.
well their teacher gave it to them
was it an intent to play in solo recital? sounds like it was a a hard for being hard thing.
wdym. i’m just saying they probably have to
Teacher assigned to many people en masse? doesn't sound like for solo recital purposes. Teacher also probably knows its not for that.
Disclaimer: this is how I would deal with the situation/what I have learned being in similar situations. It is not advisable to rest on this advice. I think, this might not be the answer you are looking for, but... As someone who currently is playing in an orchestra and has done this for 17 years/since grade 2, I would say... Fake it till you make it. How? I had many tutors in group rehearsals for very-hard-to-play-pieces. Some of my favourite sayings I have heard are: - that's only colour, the exact notes are not as important - the first and the last note of a fast scale are the important ones. Everything in between is mumbling, maybe make sure the notes on the beats are right, and begin and finish on time. If you are really struggling - look into ways to simplify your voice, ask your orchestra teacher whether it is ok to do this. Vivaldi is hard, and it's quite ambitious to try to play this with only 2 years of experience. Ways of simplifying: - play only every second/4th 16th note, so to say... Play 8th notes or quarters. From there, you can try and fill in missing notes. -leave out/airbow for you impossible to play notes. But: if you are sitting quite up front or the orchestra is quite little, faking will become very apparent. I would chat with my orchestra mates, if they also find it really hard, talk with your teacher about the piece choice!
Will your orchestra be performing the piece at all? If there’s no performance attached to it, I’d say take it as a learning experience challenge and strive to get out of it what you can, rather than striving for perfection. Even if you don’t get the rapid string crossings down, your string crossings will improve, etc. Have you learned enough of the positions for the highest notes? I think you have to go up to 7th for this one, and I was not at all good, hardworking student, but I don’t think 7th position is a two-year skill. I did not at all put my 40 hours a week in back when I took lessons, and my development was very slow (and in many areas simply non-existent), but it still seems a baffling choice from my perspective for two years in. That doesn’t help you much, though. Anyway, no idea if this is good pedagogy, but the high notes in measures 42 et seq. are a-g-f-e, and the lower ones are open a and d, so to practice the string crossings without having the double pain of a position you’re not comfortable with, you could just practice it in 1st position. Would give you the same notes and….not quite the same fingering, but more likely to be in tune and give you a feel for how it should sound when you’re doing it right. Then move up when you’ve got that down. I would think that for string crossing generally, you could practice on open strings just to get the bowing right, and then start bringing the fingers in. It will be a lot more of a wrist motion than an arm motion at that speed. Not a lot of elbow movement, I would think. I feel like there’s got to be a Sevcik or something for this.
Look at the piece and write down all the techniques used in the piece, practice the techniques, play the piece slowly, play with recordings and play with a metronome, repeat (except for the writing bit)
go to America's got talent
All I can say is good luck 😭🙏 We're doing vivaldi spring because our concertmaster learned the solo for it (they're amazing btw) so i saw the violin part and almost had a heart attack 💔 im so glad he put me on harpsichord for that piece
Man I wish I had an orchestra teacher like this, this would be so fun
The last music camp I attended had this as the performance at the end of the 3-days. Thankfully I was seated behind a column, I just went through the bowing and shifting motions without making any contact with the strings. I wanted the floor to split open and swallow me up. 🫠