Notes for Young String Players - Benedetti Foundation by Benedetti Foundation

Benedetti Sessions

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CONTENTS 01 NICKY'S WELCOME

ILLUSTRATED BY MARK BEECH

02 WORD SEARCH

ALL PHOTOS CREDIT TO ARTIST

03 IF I HAD ONE HOUR TO PRACTISE 04 DAILY PRACTISE ROUTINE 06 A LETTER FROM ELIN MANAHAN THOMAS

TOP TIPS 07 SCALES 08 DEVELOPING YOUR SOUND 10 WARMING UP

A PERFORMANCE DISASTER PAGE 22

11 HOLDING YOUR INSTRUMENT

WYNTON MARSALIS PAGE 15

HEALTH 13

GENERAL BODY HEALTH

BEING A MUSICAL ATHLETE

MORE TOP TIPS 17

BOW HOLD

VIBRATO

INTONATION

SHIFTY SHIFTS

STAY INSPIRED

CONCENTRATION

MY LEFT HAND

A NOTE FROM PATRICK KING

BRINGING HOME THE BENEDETTI SESSIONS

SHEKU KANNEH- A DAY IN THE LIFE OF A LSO MASON

PAGE 23

MUSICIAN

MAXINE KWOK-ADAMS

PAGE 28

BENEDETTI FOUNDATION 2020

Hi there !

We hope you’ve enjoyed your time at our Sessions! This book is a little gift to you from us. We hope you'll enjoy it. In here you’ll find a mixture of top 10 tips, bits of advice from a lot of amazing people, little nuggets of inspiration and and plenty of things you may learn from. Playing music can be so, so much fun! But it can also be tricky and a bit of hard work. Please believe me - things that take a bit of hard work can be so much more satisfying. In your future, you’ll come up against many things that will: challenge you, and for that you have to build resilience move you, and for that you have to learn to understand your feelings better surprise you, and for that you have to be flexible and keep on your toes Music can help us with all these things. But in order to learn as much as possible, it’s really helpful to be: OPEN - this means you’re willing to try things. Whenever you want to say ‘I can’t’ or ‘I won’t’ or ‘I don’t want to’, you try to stop yourself and instead say ‘I can, I will and I want to’. AND PRESENT - this means you actually hear and see all that is around you and you try not too worry too, too much about something that went wrong in the past, or something that might go wrong in the future. We all make mistakes ALL THE TIME. I’m here to tell you that is OK! Just try your best to improve at things and not to waste your energy worrying about what you're doing wrong. Music is one of the most wonderful and beautiful parts of life. Cherish it and enjoy it!

love Nicky x

WORDSEARCH

Sometimes it's important to put down your instrument, step back and do something different. So challenge yourself to this wordsearch. Words can be read forwards, backwards, vertically and horizontally.

BELA CONDUCTOR BARTOK ELGAR SCORE

BOW MASCAGNI MAESTRO CELLO VIOLIN

C 02

IF I HAD JUST ONE HOUR TO PRACTISE...

I WOULD... 9:00 - stand still, feel my feet on the ground and feel my arms as heavily as possible 9:02 - without the instrument, bob my arms into the right position and remind myself that I can trust them 9:05 - pick up my instrument without the bow, hold it just where the neck connects to the body of the instrument and draw circles with the scroll to feel my shoulder free. Then slide right up and down the instrument so I’m not scared of going past 5th position 9:07 - pick up the bow and air play with my right hand for a wee second, then..... OPEN STRINGS! This is the bit where we’re thinking... SINK into the string FEEL the string and how it vibrates DON’T PUSH, let it RING MOVE BREATHE Go from loud to soft and soft to loud 9:15 - wake up my left hand. Stretch it out like you’re yawning with your hand, then release it. Stretch it out again.... stretch, stretch, stretch... like a big yawn... then.... release! Now wiggle the fingers, as fast and lightly as possible as if you’re Heifetz or Hilary Hahn playing a super fast run like it’s the easiest thing in the world. Your fingers are strong you know. You just have to release their strength and energy, and that takes belief, focus and relaxation. It won’t just come in a second, you have to do this daily! 9:20 - now I’m going to combine the two. And what’s the perfect way to do that? You guessed it. Schradieck. You only need the first few lines of the first exercise. It’s about HOW you do the exercise. Keep it simple, and think.. for the left hand.. drop drop... release release.. bounce bounce.. active active.. light on the up, dead weight on the drop down. For the right hand, think free, fluid, consistent, relaxed. KEEP BREATHING. ALWAYS BREATHE 9:30 - now I’m onto the difficult bits of whatever it is I have to play. I will calmly (in theory! I am TRYING to be calm) play through them slowly, trying to think clearly and problem solve. Why do I find them hard? What new fingering or bowing can I come up with, or could it be the part of the bow I try to play it in that makes it hard? All problems have a solution. Spend 10 minutes trying to find the solution 9:40 - make music, enjoy yourself, maybe play a piece through so you feel it’s shape and structure and the full story 9:55 - in case you’ve gotten a bit tense or physically imbalanced whilst you’ve been caught up in the music, end with just feeling you’re sound again. Some good old open strings and see how ringing and beautiful that sound can become THE END

DAILY PRACTISE ROUTINE Breathing is one of the most important and most human things we can practise doing. I wish I had been taught to practise focusing on breathing when I was younger. Just take a moment to take a number of deep breaths in and out. When you breathe in, feel your stomach and lungs expand. When you breathe out, let your whole body feel as heavy and weighted and ‘earthed’ as possible. Sink into the ground, or into the chair if you’re sitting down

BREATH

CALM & FOCUSED MIND

Take a little second to be silent and still with your instrument before you dive right into making a sound. Think about what you’re about to do, and try to approach it with a calm but focused mind. Don’t stress about practice, but with positivity try to do it as seriously as possible

08 SOUND

Music doesn’t exist without sound, so time spent on your sound is never, ever, a waste of time. Spend a good portion of your daily practice JUST thinking about and listening to your sound. Just try open strings or simple melodies - nothing complicated. Feel the vibration of the sound, try to make it clearer and more beautiful, more personal, more sincere and more comfortable

6This follows on from the breathing part. Feel the weight WEIGHT

of your arms and the weight of your whole being. Plant your feet deep into the ground and bob up and down. Feel with each out breath that your arms are heavy and calm

2 TRUST

Spend a minute thinking about trusting yourself - that you and your hands can work out what to do. Don’t approach practice with anxiety - ‘I can’t do it’ or ‘I don’t want to do it'. Leave space for mistakes and for experimentation. Don’t try to get everything right every time! 04

INTONATION / LISTENING

WHERE IS YOUR HEART?

To play in tune, you have to listen really, really carefully. One of the most helpful lessons I was ever taught was to just get ONE OR TWO notes unbelievably in tune and ringing and shining and glowing. Once you know what that in tune feeling feels like, you will get addicted to it and want everything else to feel the same. So, actually be ‘mindful’ of intonation, at least once a day

Address what you feel towards music at some point in your practice. Question where the music is from, what’s the point of it, what is it trying to say, what do you feel about it and what do you want other people to feel about it

However small or large the repertoire you have to work on is, it’s best to lay out beforehand what you have to achieve and schedule your REPERTOIRE time so you don’t miss half of the important bits. Know how long the pieces are you have to practise, and try to make sure you can get through it. And if not, make sure you leave time to cover the bits you’re struggling with the most

SEPARATE & SIMPLIFY

CALM ATTITUDE

Separate out rhythm and notes, left hand and right hand, sound production from intonation. For example, practising intonation much, much more quietly is very useful. And practising sound only on open strings without any left hand distractions is really helpful too

If you know you are exercises on a daily basis, you can be calm and trust the results of repetition. And even if you’re not, it never helps to try to do difficult things with stress 5

A LETTER FROM

ELIN MANAHAN THOMAS To young musicians everywhere; YOU ARE A SUPERHERO! Oh yes, you are. And do you know what your superpower is? You can stop time. Did you know that? Do you know how you do it, or remember the last time it happened? I’ll tell you: you make time stand still when you make music. It’s like magic. All those hours of practice, those fiddly technical sessions, those minutes devoted to tricky passages, those lessons filled with scales, dynamics and

no kryptonite to stop you, and you don’t even need the power of the sun to refuel you; nope, you only need yourself. You can make this magic as often as you like, and no two times will be the same. You’re like a storyteller with an endless book of tales. Remember that your story is unique. Even when you’re learning a piece that’s been played a hundred, a thousand times before, when YOU play it, you own it. Give the audience your take on the music; tell the tale as you

repeats – they all boil down to one special

understand it; invite us in to a world of

moment when you get to play your piece.

your own making, one that you’ve

And what happens then? The room falls still.

prepared, studied, considered, and are

You command everyone’s attention. Your

ready to share. There’s no such thing as

instrument colours the atmosphere of the

a ‘wrong’ story, so have faith in what

space you’re in; your sound conjures up

you’re saying, and convince the audience

images and memories for everyone listening;

to listen to your version.

your music sparks emotions the audience didn’t even expect. And all of that – the stillness, the rapt attention, the colours, the emotions – that’s because of you, and your music-making. You are a superhero of music. And even better than that, there’s

Use your power with care: you can reduce people to tears, make them smile, maybe even bring out a laugh, and you can certainly overwhelm them. That’s the magic. And that magic is in you.

x Elin

SCALES

S P I T 0 1 P TO

from violinist Andrea Gajic, Professor at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland

4 5

6 7 8

Always set yourself targets and stick to your mission Breathe Listen for even bow distribution Follow the sound from beginning to end - always listen for a beautiful tone Practice initially without vibrato so you are able to listen for a pure tone, clear intonation, smooth bow changes and flawless connection between the down bows and up bows

Listen for fluidity in the shifting and string crossing Check intonation with open strings and become aware of the vibrations-the ‘ringing’ feeling when it’s really in tune Try to always include arpeggios and double stops - these are invaluable for the development of a good left hand frame and for getting to know the geography of the instrument Avoid dancing fingers in the left hand - keep them supple, ready and

9 prepared

Spend some time in your practice each day developing different bow

10 strokes and remember to use a metronome

DEVELOPING YOUR SOUND Jenny Lewisohn says you have to remember these little points "Our instruments are (obviously!) very fragile creatures so if in doubt ask your teacher, a more experienced musician or go to an instrument shop to help with any set-up questions you have. A good set-up can make all the difference to sound quality and ease of sound production, so it's worth getting right!"

1) Pay a lot of attention to your sound – it is so important, don’t run from it! 2) It is the most personal thing about your playing – take the time to develop it patiently 3) The tone you produce on your instrument is entirely personal to you 4) Ask yourself, “What do I want to sound like?” and remember, your sound is only ever going to be your sound – no one else’s 5) Accept yourself, accept your sound and from there, let’s develop and deepen it 6) When producing and developing your sound, the things we need to take into account are: Bow hold Bow placement – position of the bow between the bridge and fingerboard Bow angle Bow speed – fast, slow, controlled Bow pressure – sinking into the string for a big sound or hovering over the string, creating air and lightness 7) Sound is not a purely physical thing; the strongest force at play is your hearing and your intention 8) Your ears are powerful instruments – they will guide you

Experimenting with your sound 9) Experiment with the extremes of too little and too much pressure. Feel the vibrations of the instrument and listen really carefully when you are experimenting 10) Practise finding the extremes of your instrument, then the middle ground. The ‘middle ground’ is your most resonant, beautiful, comfortable and happiest home for your sound. It’s where you’re probably going to play most of the time. You have to know what the extremes are in order to know how to sit in the middle and make the most beautiful, projecting sound

Remember: Your sound should be unique, but sustainable (so it doesn’t exhaust you!) 'With Nicky' – ‘Developing Your Sound’ 08

S P I T P O T

WARMING UP

It’s so important to make sure your body is warmed up. These instruments we play can be really tricky, and make our bodies do lots of things that are not totally natural. So we have to look after our bodies well! WARM UPS FOR YOUNG MUSICIANS (but all you bigger people can join in too!). These Warm Ups are courtesy of our friends at Sistema Scotland. You can find out more about the work of Sistema Scotland at: www.makeabignoise.org.uk Fidgeting fingers Rotating wrists Elevating elbows (then drop down) Shrugging shoulders Shivering shoulders Bobbing bodies Noble neck Horsey head Swaying sides Hula-hooping hips Twitching toes High heels (roll back and ready to play) YouTube: ‘With Nicky’ link: Back to Basics (Warm Ups)

S P I T P O T

WARMING UP

FOR SLIGHTLY OLDER MUSICIANS These Warm Ups are courtesy of Elena Urioste. Elena is a concert violinist and the cofounder of Intermission, a program that combines music, movement and mindfulness. You can find out more about Elena and Intermission on Instagram @intermissionsessions or download the Intermission App in the App story (it’s totally free!). Start the day by rolling out your wrists with gentle fists in one direction, then the other Shake out the wrists and wave ‘hi’, ‘come here’ and ‘get down’ Stretch out your forearms – extend one arm, keeping a slight bend in the elbow, and use the other hand to gently stretch the thumb, then each of the fingers, then the whole hand.This is about a feeling of length, not depth, so be mindful with your stretches Loosen your knuckles with some finger wiggles Finger flicks are good for added warmth Extend arms out to the side and do some gentle arm circles Vary the width, tempo and direction, feeling your shoulder blades travel down your back rather than shrug up towards your ears Give yourself gentle hugs (taps on the opposite shoulders), alternating which elbow is on top Roll your shoulders up, back and down, feeling the shoulder blades melt down your back Relax your neck by gently dropping each ear to its corresponding shoulder You can watch this video on YouTube via the Description on 'With Nicky': Back to Basics. 10

HOLDING YOUR INSTRUMENT "Holding th e violin is a matter of b alance and flexibility. O nly once th ese two things are maste red can you re ally begin to apply som e strength and some press ure." Y E HUDI M

ENUHIN

TOP TIPS

Lower Body - try not to lock your knees backwards or forwards, keeping them free and flexible. Practise shifting your weight back and forth. Sway and check your shoulders, hips and feet have some relationship and alignment

instrument is a living, breathing 3Your thing so handle it with care, like you would a pet. String instruments do not like to be strangled around their neck, nor petted too roughly. Look after it and hold it like you would a little kitten or puppy. I promise you, it will be much much nicer to you in return

Shoulders – your shoulders can be the most helpful and the most annoying part of your body. You know when you’re a little bit cold, uncomfortable, nervous or tense? You know what happens to your shoulders? They rise up and leave the core of your body and travel closer and closer to your ears. Well, they are a lot less useful if they’re up around your ears. To practise feeling where your shoulders should sit, try raising them up and dropping them down and raising them up again around your ears and dropping them down. Try doing the up with an intake of breath, and the down with an out breath. Do some more swinging of those arms, and your shoulders should feel a bit more like they’re connected to your body!

One at a time - start with the instrument itself. Pick it up without the bow, draw circles with your left shoulder and arm with the instrument (watch the 'Back to Basics With Nicky' video for how to do this) and just keep everything as fluid and free as possible. Then put the instrument down and pick up the bow, supporting it with your left hand if need be. Don’t try to do too much too soon. Take this one step at a time and focus on FEELING COMFORTABLE

HOLDING YOUR INSTRUMENT For Cellists

TOP TIPS

Use gravity where possible in both hands and approach the instrument position and bow hold in whatever way feels natural Make sure your neck is free and your shoulders don’t creep up

For Double Bassists You should be able to play standing and sitting (with the appropriate amount of spike) Long rehearsals are tiring standing, so think about having an adjustable stool Your eye level should roughly be in line with 1st position You should be able to reach the area between the fingerboard and bridge to bow with ease If it’s a struggle to reach the bowed part of your bass, or it feels uncomfortable, you may need to adjust your stool or the spike on the double bass to change the angle. You may even need a different size of instrument altogether You should always be in control of your bass, not the other way around Remember that you should adjust and experiment, with all these things, with your teacher Advice for playing sitting down: You should be able to reach both feet to the floor from your stool, but if it feels more comfortable to raise your left foot, you can. Some people use the bar on their stool or a foam yoga block to rest their left foot Find an angle with your bass that is comfortable. The bass should lean/angle in towards your body a little, unlike the cello 12

GENERAL BODY HEALTH

TOP TIPS

Relationship to Tension and Relaxation – try to have as little unnecessary tension as possible whilst playing. To test whether there is tension, try to tense...and then release. This is like when you squeeze your hand into a fist and then release all your fingers. Try to enjoy it, and remember the great relaxing feeling that the release gives you

Keep breathing - so, so often when we pick up our instrument we stop breathing and we become really, really stiff. Try your hardest not to let this happen. Keep moving, breathing and feeling as weighted and natural as possible

Open strings - use the beauty and simplicity and resonance of open strings to master feeling good with your body when you’re playing. Just play open strings, but try to keep aware of all the above points and to feel like they all start to gel together

Put the instrument down, shake it all out and start again - don’t keep doing things for too long! Our brains get tired, so it’s important to have regular short breaks in order to keep your body feeling good and comfy

Relax your face and neck - so many of us tense our face like crazy when we play and we don’t even realise it. We clench our jaw and tighten our lips. Try your hardest to relax your face, and have your neck as fluid as possible 13

L PERFORMANCE TOP TIPS FOR OPTIMA

BEING A MUSICAL ATHLETE BY SARAH UPJOHN . PHYSIOTHERAPIST

Warm up before tune up Do some exercises that make you warmer. This increases blood flow through your muscles. Blood brings oxygen to the muscles Keep hydrated – drink plenty of water Keep fit – being physically strong and fit reduces the risk of injury

When playing Be mindful Are you sitting comfortably? Are you sitting heavily on your sitting bones? Is your weight dropping through your sitting bones? Are your feet flat on the floor? Return to neutral position whenever you get the chance Regularly let go of accumulating tension – shoulder girdle, forearms, hands, jaw

After playing Stretch out – get out of playing position Make optimal use of breaks – go for a walk, get some fresh air, swing your arms Remember the importance of rest and recovery time – muscles need this in order to get stronger Remember – don’t ignore pains – seek help if you are hurting because of playing Playing-related injuries are preventable

A NOTE FROM

Wynton Marsalis From lullabies to popular songs to symphonies from great composers, music brings us together in the most natural and friendly way. It is a great, vast world that rewards us for participating. For example, when you practice, you play better, when you listen to your favorite song or piece, you feel better. When you really, really rehearse a difficult piece with an orchestra, you experience a struggle that creates a sense of oneness with others. And when you perform, that oneness is so impressive it gives each and everyone of us a special sense of pride, ceremony and achievement. When we think about everything and everyone that participates in our music making; from parents to teachers to conductors to composers to those who set the stage, even to the speakers welcoming our audiences and further consider the nervous jitters and excitement that come with facing the desire to impress and finally, focus on the triumphant joy of making friends, family and an audience of absolute strangers feel so much better about living ......practicing is a very, very small sacrifice.

TRUMPETER, COMPOSER, EDUCATOR & ARTISTIC AND MANAGING DIRECTOR, JAZZ AT LINCOLN CENTRE

"Music is not a test, a trial or tribulation. We are playing. And play is fun." You know, when music is the best that it can be, it can change your life. But even when it’s not, it’s still a lot of fun. Remember this when you get frustrated. Music is not a test, a trial or tribulation. We are playing. And play is fun.

Photo: Piper Ferguson

Photo: Jazz at Lincoln Centre

IMPROVISATION WYNTON MARSALIS WITH

At first only improvise sounds and moods and impressions with no care for harmony or form Listen to Louis Armstrong play Heebie Jeebies Gradually improvise on very basic folk melodies like Lil Liza Jane or C Jam Blues and ornament the melody in its style while adding the sounds, moods and impressions you’ve already worked on Learn a blues song in the shuffle rhythm, like Night Train

Invent unfussy melodies on this form and in this rhythm Always develop your hearing of chords and scales instead of using the scales to create by a method that avoids listening and reacting to what you hear Don’t value what you think over what you hear. The intelligence in music is in hearing and the challenge is to develop trust in what you hear

"DON’T GET DISCOURAGED. KEEP LISTENING AND IDEAS WILL COME TO YOU...YOU CAN’T FORCE MUSICAL IDEAS TO COME"

BOW HOLD IPS TOP T

1 Never grip - hold it gently and try, try, try to relax your hand

starting to grip and your hand looks like you’re holding on for dear life, 2 Ifputyou’re it down and start again. Keep repeating this motion over and over and over again

the wave! We will have just done ‘the wave’ together at this workshop. Can 3 Do you remember it? Fear not, if you can’t go onto the 'With Nicky' series https://www.youtube.com/TheNicolaBenedetti

4 Remember when waving: relax your whole arm, from your shoulder downwards start bigger and get smaller if it feels painful or awkward, if it LOOKS painful or awkward, that’s because IT IS! Stop, relax and start again check that right to the very tips of your fingers, things look ‘natural’ hold the bow with your other hand and don’t bring your hand to the bow, drop the hand on top of it instead out your flexibility and strength without the instrument. Try waving it about 5 Try a bit (but carefully! No broken bows please!), and see if your fingers all stay curvy and natural looking. If they don’t... you guessed it... start again. Put the bow down, shake out your hand, wave, drop and try again

tap, tap - each finger one at a time so you can feel where it lands 6 Tap, naturally on the bow. You cannot tap a power straight finger very easily (look

out for that pinky finger), so this will help you check all the parts of your hand

pinky, pinky! Is it straight? If it is, tryyyyy to curve and relax it so it just 7 Pinky, gently sits on top. It’s not meant to do much other than help balance the bow thumb, thumb! What about it, is it straight or bent? Tense or quite 8 Thumb, chilled out? Go for the latter. Don‘t be impatient. It will learn what to do if you don’t grip too tightly

- don’t neglect the wrist. If it looks too much like a swan’s neck, it’s 9 Wrists probably not helping you. Equally if it looks too squashed and bent the other

way, that’s not great either. But don’t try to blindly copy someone else - do the wave, shake your hand out, see what YOUR hand does naturally if you just flop it onto the bow OR flop it by your side without over controlling it - whatever your wrist wants to do naturally is where it will function at its strongest and most flexible. And that’s exactly what we want! 17

BOW HOLD FOR Lower Strings LOWER STRINGS Top Tips for cellists

TOP TIPS

Top Tips for double bassists

Start by resting your right hand on your

There are two types of bass bow hold –

knee. Notice how the fingers gently spread

French and German.

and naturally curl Tips for developing the French Bow Hold: Now hold the middle of the wood of the bow in your left hand, and place the right

Make sure your thumb is facing back and

hand on your bow with the same feeling

bent with relaxed fingers

as it had when it was resting on the knee

Work with a mirror to keep your bow at

Make sure that the weight of the right elbow is sinking naturally down through the full forearm and hand. The left hand should be working hard to support the natural weight of the right hand/arm

right angles to your bridge and explore how your wrist/arm/shoulder have to be positioned in order to do this from heel to tip Keep relaxed, don’t squeeze the bow Tips for developing the German Bow Hold: The German bow has a taller frog which means the bow is held from underneath There is more than one type of hold for a German bow hold Keep your wrist nice and flexible and your fingers rounded Pinky goes underneath and supports the bow with thumb on top of the stick

VIBRATO

Obviously a lot of you reading this will already have a wonderful vibrato, but these tips never ever go wrong. We should all revisit the fundamental basics of any skill. I know I do, regularly. Nicky x

Your expression comes predominantly from your tone and your right hand so don’t put too much pressure on needing the ‘perfect vibrato’. Besides, pressure and too much expectation doesn’t usually help in learning a tricky skill

advised by our great viola tutor Jenny Lewisohn, try out the dead beetle method. 2 As Practise vibrato away from instrument first - back into dead beetle position (use both

hands if you want) and move them very loosely towards and away from you (a bit like when it's a really hot day and you're pushing air towards you, but keep your hands totally, totally loose otherwise you miss the point!)

From here, just on the instrument (no bow) apply this loose movement up and down the neck of the instrument - go into super high positions too! Don’t be shy or careful. No one can hear you

For violins and violas, it’s a good idea to practise vibrato in 3rd position. But if you don’t already play in third position, the only thing that’s important is to hug (with your hand) where the neck joins with the body of the instrument. This is your safe zone, your comfort zone Your hand should always feel as comfortable and loose as possible when doing these

5 exercises. This includes all the joints in your fingers too. If they’re super stiff, it will make things much harder

Start off with a much bigger, slow, wobbly waving motion. Try to make sure every single muscle in your hand and arm is really loose

7 After a while you should begin to narrow it, but don’t rush this phase and don’t add the bow too soon. Right now it doesn’t matter what it sounds like! Only what it feels like

8 Vibrato should be used to infuse the sound, not the other way around. Try not to make it totally disruptive in terms of shape, line, quality of sound

vibrato should not be one thing. It should vary for different pieces, different moods, 9 Your different styles and different volumes. Do you whisper like you shout? Do you say something lovingly the same way as angrily? We want to express the full range of human emotion. If you are tense, it’s much much harder to be flexible

10 Be patient! Things often get worse before they get better. Or at least they most likely go up and down and up again. Embrace the ride and don’t live and die by each moment Extra Tips for Double Basses: Aim for slow and relaxed rocking motion on the vibrato finger/thumb on long notes Try starting with the 2nd finger, which is the easiest, then 1st then 4th 19

INTONATION IPS TOP T

We asked our team of tutors what their top tips were on improving and practising your intonation. Here they are:

seem obvious, but remember to make sure your instrument is really 1 Itwellmayin tune before you even begin to practise your intonation. There are great tuning apps you can use and you can see a colour or the dial so you can really adjust until it's absolutely correct. Start by tuning your A string to 440 Hz

you're playing something that can be tuned by comparing it with your 2 Ifbeautifully in-tune open strings, then do. This can also work if it's another perfect interval to the note you're tuning

3 Try to hear the notes in your head before you play them

4 Sing your part - it will help with pitching

between fingers as you play up and down the string and focus on 5 Stretch the position of the left hand using Schradieck’s exercises, as one finger goes down, the next one 6 Try bounces up in preparation for having enough height to ‘land’ with full

weight on the string – this can help your intonation to become more secure as our muscles remember the finger positions on the string

7 Remember an out of tune note during a performance is not a disaster! importantly of all; listen and adjust! Light left hands means we can 8 Most adjust our intonation quickly and effectively - if a note starts off a bit dodgy, it shouldn't have to stay that way

9 Learn to correct it quickly and in a way that no one will notice! 10 We then also teach our bodies where the correct position is for next time. 20

SHIFTY SHIFTS! Shifting is all about preparation The fundamentals are to practise and learn shifting with a slow, soft and light motion. -Shifting with the same finger -Shifting across strings -Shifting in octave leaps Whether it's a substitution shift or a shift with the same finger, always practise shifts slowly and deliberately. Use every fibre of your being to feel the physicality from one position to the next (and keep this slow so it's accurate) - this is a chance to teach your body the feeling of each distance. Build in the accuracy with each try A shift takes as long as it needs to be - you pretty much always have more time than you think More often than not you will want to lighten your left hand during a shift (unless you're after a schmaltzy slide!) - be constantly aware of finger pressure. Keep fingers light and buzzingly mobile Have a plan of how you will find the new note Work out whether you want a clean shift or a slide towards the new note, and in which bow you want to shift in - the bow of the old note or the new Sing the note in your head before you shift Practice tricky shifts over and over and over again to build confidence Additional Advice for Lower Strings: Think of your elbow, and release your fingers Try not to squeeze the neck, as your shift won’t work Cellos - When shifting to a note in thumb position and higher, the elbow should anticipate its new height and prepare for the new note position Basses - Don’t shift up from 4th finger to 4th finger or shift back from 1st finger to 1st finger - in both cases, your hand will collapse 21

A PERFORMANCE A PROPER ONE - AND THIS WAS MY ONLY DRESS." DISASTER This recital day, like usual, we'd been beavering "NOW THERE WAS A HOLE,

BY NICOLA BENEDETTI

It was 2007 and one of my first trips to the US. I had only been performing and touring full time for little over a year, and there were plenty of "first time that's ever happened" moments. I haven't had many a dress disaster, thank goodness, but it can happen to us all at some point. I was performing a programme of Bach, Beethoven, Debussy and Ravel with the lovely Julien Quentin. The first piece was the entire D minor Partita, a 45 minute work for solo violin Bach began writing in 1717, the same year as the Stradivarius I now play. My dress had a chiffon insert trail at the back which had been slowly but steadily fraying for some time. I tend not to think much, or at all really, about the dresses I wear. Really they are like work clothes to me, albeit quite pretty ones. Once a new dress is bought (a rare occurrence born out of necessity due to the current one falling apart) I never really think of them again.

away rehearsing the works of the aforementioned composers, and the dress hadn't had a look in. 45 minutes before we were due on stage I brought it out the bag to iron, only to discover the fraying was worse than I'd realised. In the absence of a sewing kit, I decided to use double sided sticky tape. It was a disaster, and the more tape I added the worse it became. I ran upstairs to ask anyone I could find if it looked acceptable and was met with literally no words, even though they knew I had no time and no solution. I ran back downstairs, Julien following me and helping me out (he didn't have to play until after the Bach). He kept telling me things would be OK. It was concert time already. So concerned was he, he decided to help me up the stairs. In the hysteria of the moment, and my rushing around, and Julien being so concerned, he came that little bit too close to me climbing those stairs, and stood on the chiffon part of the dress. It ripped - but really badly this time. Now there was a hole, a proper one - and this was my only dress. I apologised to everyone, went back to my trusted sticky tape and fumbled with it for another five minutes. I wish I'd taken a photo, it looked so ridiculous. Like an enormous ball of scrunched up sticky tape attached to the back of my dress. I had to go on stage, and hope that no one could see my back. In order to focus, I closed my eyes. In fact 4 whole movements went by before I opened them again. What I hadn't realised was I had managed to turn halfway round so my side was facing the audience. In that moment, my eyes open to tune briefly before beginning the formidable Chaconne, I saw a man in the audience peering with all his might. We're all human, things go wrong - even when a stage is involved. Anyone else have a performance story to share?

A NOTE FROM

Sheku KannehMason

CELLIST

Many people watched my performance in the final of the BBC Young Musician of the Year competition in 2016 playing Shostakovich Cello Concerto No.1, but what many won’t have seen and might not have been aware of was the preparation and support I had leading up to it, and that was mainly thanks to my wonderful teacher at the time, Ben Davies. I started having lessons with Ben at the age of 10 when I started at the Primary Royal Academy of Music, which I went to every Saturday. Ben was my teacher right until I was 18 and finished my time at the Royal Academy Junior Department. They were some of the most amazing years of my life and I learnt so much about cello playing and about music, and discovered the musician I wanted to be. Ben helped me develop from a young enthusiastic boy who loved the cello, into the musician I am today (still loving the cello). The unlimited number of ideas Ben had about the pieces I was playing was one of the things that always inspired me in my weekly lessons. He enabled me to search deeper into the music I was learning. It was clear also that he would think a lot about these things throughout the week away from teaching me and that was really special.

"My teacher taught me to search deeper into the music." Although he is no longer my full time teacher, if he’s at a concert, he’ll be sure to have his notebook and pen and always send me a message after with his thoughts. This is always so valuable. I think what’s really important is the trust I have with him that’s built up over the years, because I see him as a friend as well as a teacher. One of the things I remember the most from studying with him is the weeks leading up to the performances in the BBC competition. Right until the last few moments before going on stage, Ben was there with me enthusiastically coming up with ideas and challenging me. He encouraged me always to search within my playing and for that I am so thankful, because it has enabled me to be creative and to think about what I want to say in my performance, instead of worrying about what could go wrong! I am so lucky to have had a teacher like Ben for so many years. 23

A TALE FROM MY TRAVELS BY NICOLA BENEDETTI

A few years ago, I flew from Hannover to Istanbul. Emotions were running high at the Turkish Airlines check in and boarding gate. Many tearful partings and many lost looking elderly, nervous to leave their sons and daughters behind to travel alone. I had been warned the flight was full and therefore had to check in both bags, so ended up carrying more single loose items than usual, and not coping terribly well (left my computer at the coffee stand, left my mobile at security, and my scarf on my seat at the gate - all to be returned to me by a succession of lovely motherly souls, tutting at me with a twinkle of amusement at my disorganisation). Boarding the flight was more chaotic than usual and with all the loose items I was desperate to sit down. When I reached row 10, there was a smiling elderly woman comfortably sitting in my window seat (a 3.5 hour flight after two extremely short nights, I was relying on that window seat to catch up on sleep). I showed her my ticket to which she just continued to smile. I tried to say in a few different ways (mostly with actions and pointing as it became clear she didn't speak English and I don't speak Turkish) that she was in the wrong place. She just kept smiling, so I gave up and sat in the middle instead.

Quite quickly, without saying one word either of us understood, we assumed a close interaction. I fixed her belt, adjusted the air for her, helped her with her cardigan and disposed of her sweetie wrappers. I had a hunch that when my food came she might want to 'share', and sure enough as soon as she saw I was leaving some of mine she began pointing and talking and eventually taking. Once she'd finished, she decided she no longer wanted her table in front of her so proceeded to pile all her things on top of mine. I collected them all and cleaned and folded her table. Resigned to the fact that this lady saw me as someone who was looking after her (and that sleeping was out of the question), I did just that for those 3.5 hours. When boarding the bus after the flight, she came to find me and sat next to me. Was she presumptuous? Or was she quite right to assume that a younger person should look after the elder? I don't know, maybe both, but I was very happy to do the latter. After all, most of us need looking after at some point, and even if we seemingly don't need it we sure welcome it. I may well be without a computer to write this story on if I hadn't been helped at the airport.

STAY INSPIRED

a step back from endless repetition, look outside of the problems you're facing and get 1 Take some perspective! frame of mind is everything! So many times in my life, I have got myself into a real 2 Your negative spiral where my own state of mind makes everything so much worse and harder. If this is happening to you, do anything but practise! You’ll only solidify mistakes Go outside and see some of the world (for the little ones, with your parents please!). We get

3physically static and very one track minded. If I could actually turn back time, I would see more and practise a LITTLE bit less

Contextualise - look at the rest of what the composer wrote. Get to know him or her, not just

4 the piece that you’re playing 5

Look at all the things that other people who play your instrument do. Watch and learn from them. But please, please don’t just copy! You have to balance what you see with who you are and what you want to sound like yourself Find the masters of your instruments across time and listen to them. It’s incredible how

6 much our ears start to adjust and improve through listening to great people. But don’t look for the most perfect ones. Look for something greater than that. Look to be moved

8 9

Allow yourself to feel things as deeply as possible. This can be super uncomfortable sometimes because music doesn’t just have feel-good emotions but a lot of more painful ones too. However, if we want to play better, it’s really important to feel things and get comfortable with the discomfort Practise a sense of empathy which can be channelled into your playing and make you a more sincere and dedicated musician. This can be practised anywhere - in your family home, with your friends at school, when you listen to or play music, when you watch tv or read a story Experiment as much as humanly possible. Don’t just do what you're told (but shhhhh don’t tell your mum or teacher I said that!), try out things and see what works

Don’t always desperately look for answers and for more and more information to improve. Sometimes you just have to relax and let things come to you. You know, your instinct is 10 really intelligent! Trust it

Sing and dance the music you are playing as much and as often as possible. Sometimes connect it to basic intuitive things and it’ll help you feel and interpret it better 25

CONCENTRATION Because we want to reeeeallly concentrate on concentrating... we’re going to make this one shorter!

1 Release the pressure of now, breathe, think long term and be calm 2 Anything you have to do that’s worrying you, do beforehand! 3 Have a piece of paper and pencil next to you (not your phone) so that if you think of something you want to tell someone, or something you want to do, you can write it down without being dragged away from practising for too long

4 Set an alarm, so you’re not always having to check ‘how long have I practised for?’ 5 Set your alarm for a time you think you can really, really manage whilst not getting too distracted or bored. If you think that’s 20 minutes, great. Do that. But DO IT EVERY DAY!

MY LEFT HAND BY NICOLA BENEDETTI

STEPHANIE BENEDETTI PERFORMNG WITH CLEAN BANDIT

To start playing an instrument can be really, really tricky and we don’t all have a good, fun beginning. Sometimes things can happen that put you off really quickly! For me, that was being left handed. I actually only wanted to play the violin because my big sister Stephanie wanted to play. Do you know of Clean Bandit? She’s the beautiful violinist that can dance and play at the same time! Anyway, when I went to my very first lesson with Brenda Smith to study Suzuki method, my teacher handed me the violin. She gave it to my left hand, and I switched it straight away to my right hand. She promptly took it back out of my right and into my left. It felt so, so wrong to me aged four - to hold the violin that way that soon enough I started getting really upset. So, what started off as an exciting moment soon turned into floods of tears! Luckily, my teacher was the nicest, most encouraging woman ever and she was very patient with me. And from the second lesson onwards, I accepted that the violin goes in the left hand and the bow goes in the right hand. How did you start playing? Share your stories with us, or write them in this book at the back for good memories! 27

A DAY IN THE LIFE OF AN LSO MUSICIAN WITH MAXINE KWOK-ADAMS 1ST VIOLINIST WITH THE LONDON SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA,

"What's a typical day in the LSO?" is a question I've fielded countless times in my years as a member of the 1st violins. Hopefully this Q&A sheds a little light on my life in London.' WHAT'S MORE TIRING?

Photo: Joseph Branson

HOW LONG DO YOU SPEND ON A CONCERT PROGRAMME? Typically we would start two days prior to the concert day. There are no sectionals so everyone is expected to know their parts ahead of time. At this point in my career most repertoire is coming round for the 5th, 10th or even 20th time! DO YOU LIKE ACCOMPANYING CONCERTOS? This will depend on the repertoire and I'm definitely biased towards hearing violin concertos! But in general it's lovely to either discover new talent but, more often than not, have a chat with a soloist the LSO has worked with for years and catch up with them. DO YOU PLAY DIFFERENT PROJECTS ON THE SAME DAY? We often go from a rehearsal straight to recording sessions so it can make for a long day needing stamina and concentration. We can have a rehearsal followed by two recording sessions, which means you are at work from 10am-10pm. You might also find yourself doing unusual things like recording a Christmas album in July, or in the morning you’re rehearsing a Brahms symphony and two hours later you’re accompanying Jamie Cullum in a recording studio.

Rehearsals and recording sessions are very different animals. In a rehearsal you're generally involved in everything that's going on and can play whole movements at a time. There's always the noise of sections organising details like bowings and dare I say, a level of chatting! In recording sessions you might record for only up to a minute of a film scene and then there can be a large amount of sitting around in silence whilst things are organised, so it's a good idea to have a book to hand. WHAT IS YOUR FUNNIEST LSO STORY? A moment that stands out in my mind was a concert on tour when I was sitting with our coleader Carmine Lauri on desk 2. He broke a string and, in his enthusiasm to quickly change it, yanked the broken string free without grasping the peg which then flew into the extensive row of flower arrangements lining the front of the stage. The whole section was in fits of laughter as he scrabbled about amongst the flowers trying to find the small peg. I had a similar situation recently in China when I removed a broken string in a concert but decided it was too close to the end of the symphony to bother changing it. I lifted my violin back up to play but the peg, no longer anchored by a string, fell out and bounced nice and noisily onto the stage. Cue lots of snorting and giggling from my section! So it's not only getting all the right notes in a concert you have to worry about! 28

A NOTE FROM

Patrick King

PRINCIPAL TIMPANIST WELSH NATIONAL OPERA AND HEAD OF PERCUSSION PERFORMANCE, ROYAL WELSH COLLEGE OF MUSIC AND DRAMA

Music is the food of life! You have a gift that will stay with you forever. Enjoy the fact that no performance is ever the same, and that you can make music wherever you are. I never dreamt I would be doing this for a living, but I kept practising and my dream came true. Make the most of every opportunity, be a sponge and soak it all in. Everyone is creative and you are so blessed that you have an instrument to allow your natural creativity to blossom.

Even if you choose not to follow this as a career path, these experiences will stick with you for life and will help in every aspect of your studies and social life. From transferring your practice regime into structured revision for exams, or playing in ensembles which helps your interaction with friends, family and teachers. 29

"Music is the food of life! You have a gift that will stay with you forever." The most valuable pieces of advice from my teacher were: practise slowly. Rome wasn’t built in a day, use a metronome: you won’t believe how your internal pulse wavers. Mental practise is often as useful as playing through mindlessly. Concentrate on the music and visualise yourself actually playing the piece you are practising. Smile and enjoy it. We are all here to have fun!

BRINGING THE BENEDETTI SESSIONS HOME WITH YOU We hope you have had a great time this weekend, and the experience has helped you feel closer to music and maybe even a little more more in tune with yourself. We’d love you to continue as much as possible of what we’re tried to create here, so we’ve put together a few suggestions for you to try at home!

Set collective goals to work towards!

I’m sure you’re not the only person in your school or your town or village or borough or street that plays an instrument, right? Go and find out who the others are, and set some collective goals. For the little ones, for example by February 14th (Valentine’s Day) you will have learn one little romantic song each. Or perhaps by March you will have all learn one new scale, or will have developed your sound.

Get together, don’t work in isolation!

Please, we strongly encourage you to arrange get togethers and play throughs. It’s so, so hard, and also not fun, to only practice alone and then maybe at some point turn up for an exam. No this isn’t what music making is! Get as many of your friends together as possible and arrange to play your pieces through to each other. This can take place in a: -

living room classroom community centre school church hall

Where else can you think of? You can make music in most places, as long as you’ve checked with people and are not disturbing anyone! 30

But we need a few rules to make these things more enjoyable and fun! A) No one person can steal the show. Let everyone who wants to have a chance to play B) Appreciate others' talent and ability and try not to be envious if someone can do something better than you. That is life, and we ALL have strengths and weaknesses. The sooner you embrace this about life, the better things will be. Because you can appreciate that someone else can do something you can’t, and THAT’S OK! And likewise - I guarantee you there is something you can do that another person cannot. It’s part of why life is so colourful and brilliant and unpredictable C) Be prepared. These things are never, ever as fun if you’re not prepared. And what does it take to be prepared? Daily discipline. Not weekly, daily D) Be kind to one another, stay super positive and put energy into the organising and the playing E) Don't expect someone else to do all the work. Things only happen because WE MAKE THEM HAPPEN. So... if stands need setting up, or chairs moving, or music sticking together or printing out... do it. Be helpful, be active, and participate F) Don't be scared to ask for favours. If you know someone who knows someone who plays the piano, ask if they would accompany you all! You never know!

A string orchestra doesn’t always need a conductor! You need rhythm, melody, harmony and bass. With these things, and with a lot of people knowing their parts, you can pull things together without a conductor. Don’t be shy to try this out!. But once again.... the more prepared everyone is, the more fun it will be Try to remember all of our fundamental values. The basic things we discussed sit underneath all the other things we are trying to do. Now that you’re home, please try not to forget them. They are so, so important. But perhaps more importantly, think of your own. Try not to be passive, but to be proactive with considering what your own priorities and values are. Go with repertoire you love, but also repertoire that challenges you!

Work on your organisational skills, but start small and get bigger I can’t wait to hear about what you all create and get up to!

Nicky x

NOTES

2345 WICKFORD AVENUE LOWER EAST SIDE, NEW YORK

NOTES

2345 WICKFORD AVENUE LOWER EAST SIDE, NEW YORK

For musical doodling

“Music… can name the unnameable and communicate the unknowable” - Leonard Bernstein

“Music expresses that which cannot be said and on which it is impossible to be silent” - Victor Hugo

“The music is not in the notes, but in the silence between” - Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

“If I were not a physicist, I would probably be a musician. I often think in music. I live my daydreams in music. I see my life in terms of music” - Albert Einstein (Did you know that Einstein played the violin?)

“Music is enough for a lifetime, but a lifetime is not enough for music” - Sergei Rachmaninoff

“To play without passion is inexcusable” Ludwig von Beethoven

“The future belongs to young people with an education and the imagination to create” - Barack Obama

“If everything was perfect, you would never learn and you would never grow” – Beyoncé