How to Fast Passages on the Violin and Viola

I have been a violin and viola teacher for nearly 25 years and in that time I have come up with a solution for students that struggle to play fast passages – rhythms. Working passages in rhythms is the ultimate in ‘gutter technique’ but it really works. I still use them all of the time when I have to learn passages quickly for recording sessions or orchestra gigs. For most students, they only need the first seven rhythms on the PDF below, but it’s best to challenge them or yourself so that the passages seem too easy when played as written. Usually, I have my younger students think phonetically about their rhythms rather than the scored parts presented in the PDF – the phonetic version is written there for reference.

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Rhythms – How to Practice 16th Note Passages with Rhythms in 4/4

Suggested Practice Process

 

Step 1

Get comfortable with the fingerings and tuning prior to starting to work with rhythms – slow work is required, no rhythms during this step.

Step 2

Apply the rhythms below to the original section with the metronome set as follows: ♪ = 120-150

Step 3

Apply the rhythms from the PDF to the original section with the metronome set as follows: ♩. = 60-70

Step 4

Apply the rhythms from the PDF to the original section with the metronome set as follows: ♩. = 70-84

Step 5

When you can comfortably and cleanly execute the rhythms at the fastest possible speed, set your metronome 10 beats faster than the final TEMPO and attempt the section as written.

Step 6

Set the metronome to the ‘final tempo’ (10 beasts slower than in Step 5) and you should be able to play the section 🙂 If you are still struggling to play the section, then repeat all of the steps until you get it. Good luck!