Iwin Course for Strings A STRING CLASS METHOD (for Class or Individual Instruction) IN THREE BOOKS BY SAMUEL APPLEBAUM Published for VIOLIN BASS VIOLA PIANO ACC. CELLO TEACHER'S MANUAL ACCOMPANIMENT CD'S NOW AVAILABLEBASS THE BELWIN STRING BUILDER Book One by Samuel Applebaum ‘The Belwin String Builder is a string class Method in which the Violin, Viola, Cello and Bass play together throughout. Each book, however, is a complete unit and may be used separately for class or individual instruction. In this Method, the quarter note approach is adopted not only because it is the unit of the beat, but because it encourages freedom of the bow arm at the outset. Starting from No. 15, the open string melodies and those that introduce the first finger serve as an accompaniment to well-known folk songs which are written for the piano. This provides musical purpose to the melodies and stimulates rhythmic interest. A small “‘p” after the number indicates that there is a piano part for that melody. After the first finger, F# and C# are introduced. This has proven to be most practicable from the standpoint of tonality and left hand finger placement. From this point on, the student plays the actual melodies. However, on Page 20, F natural and C natural are presented to develop intonation and to more readily prepare the pupil for the school orchestra. ‘The material in this book is realistically graded so that only a minimum of explanatory material is required. Each melody is interesting and will provide the basis for a fine left hand technic and bow arm. ‘TECHNICAL PROGRESSION Page Picture Of The Bass and The Bow . .. : ‘The Two Middle Strings—Quarter Notes ‘The Two Outer Strings ‘The Open Strings With Half Notes . Whole Notes More Melodies With Open Strings . ‘A New Tone—The First Finger On The D String... More Melodies With The First Finger On The D String A New Tone—The First Finger On The A String .... ‘A Higher Tone— The Fourth Finger On The D String A Higher Tone On The A String—The Fourth Finger . .. More Melodies With The First and Fourth Fingers ‘The First and Fourth Fingers On The G String More Melodies To Strengthen The Fourth Finger ...... Beautiful Melodies With The First and Fourth Fingers Playing Two Notes In The Same Bow Stroke ....... ‘The First and Second Fingers On The E String - More Melodies Using The E String . vo ‘The Second Finger On The D String .... Playing Three Notes In The Same Bow Stroke Melodies That Are Repeated Melodies With String Changes Melodies Stressing The Second and Fourth Fingers - Playing Beautiful Melodies With Dynamics 225: Playing Pizzicato With The Bow In The Hand . +28 More Pizzicato With The Bow In The Hand 27 Melodies On Alll Strings : 28 Building A Major Scale 29 Bighth Notes 30 Eighth Notes Combined With Quarter Notes 31 Lively Melodies With Eighth Notes 32, (© 1960 (Renewed 1988) BELWIN-MILLS PUBLISHING CORP. All Rights Assigned to and Controled by ALFRED PUBLISHING CO., INC. ‘Al Rights Reserved including Public PerformanceTHE BASS AND THE BOW To the Student: This is the French Model Bow which we will use. Bow Serew 7 | Nut ot Frog Bow stick 1p ‘This Method Book is the basic text for the BELWIN COURSE FOR STRINGS which is the FIRST carefully planned complete curriculum for string development. Toget the most enjoyment from your string instrument activities and to assure a good mastery of musical fundamentals, what you learn in the Method Book should be applied to the playing of Solos, Ensembles, and S:ring Orchestra pieces as your skill increases. This course includes these Solos, Ensembles, and String Orchestra Pieces. On various pages in this Method Book, these supplementary projects are suggested in accord with your developing musical ability. Itis strongly recommended that these numbers be prepared as the various pages are reached. Material Correlated with String Builder Book 1 Solos 1. THE BASS FIDDLE WALTZ «+ for Page 15 by F. Beyer 2. A STATELY DANCE «+s. e ees esse e+ for Page 21 by J. Hassler 3, THEME from POMP AND CIRCUMSTANCE. .for Page 30 by Edward Elgar Technic Book EARLY ETUDES FOR STRINGS .... starting on Page 10 Program Book FIRST PROGRAM FOR STRINGS . - Ensemble Book DUETS FORSTRINGS. « = starting on Page 12 ++ starting on Page 15THE TWO MIDDLE STRINGS Draw the bow straight out. Start each stroke by pressing the bow into the string so that the hair gives slightly. Release some of the Pressure as soon as you draw the bow. M1 ~ means down-bow. Start playing at the frog or the bottom of the bow. V - means up-bow. Start playing at the tip. The D String ‘These are quarter notes. Each note receives one count. n v The A String The D and A Strings ©.L. 1547THE TWO OUTER STRINGS The G String ‘The G ig the highest string. Cont 1 2 3 4 Three Strings Starting on A The E String The E is the lowest string. n Each String Twice A The Other Way rn Vv nm E,L.1547THE OPEN STRINGS with HALF NOTES These are half notes (dd). Each note receives two counts. Move the bow a bit slower for the half notes. ‘These numbers ( 4 _ the top number tells us there are 4 counts to each measure. are called the )4 — the bottom number tells us a quarter note receives one count. Time Signature The bars | | divide the staff into measures. The D String my n Count 12 34 The A String n The G String n 8* Playing with Our Teacher ‘A down or up-bow is placed in the middle of each line to serve as a starting or stopping measure. n n Teacher Play Ball! n nm E.L, 1547WHOLE NOTES (0) Each whole note receives 4 counts. Move the bow slowly. A double bar ends the piece. a 1 Count 1234 Two Halves and a Whole Move the bow a bit faster for the half notes. n A 12 Count 1234 1234 Our Theme Song - Lightly Row n y A GERMAN FOLK SONG 13 Teacher One Long and Four Shorts Move bom faster for the quarter notes. fn 4 Count 12341234 Four Shorts and One Long n fA THE WHOLE REST (on the 4th line) It is called a rest because we do not play. The whole rest receives 4 counts. Gaily the Troubadour Leave the bow on the string during the rest. A (THOMAS H. BAYLY ial 15 PS Count 1234 1234 Mary Had a Little Lamb n v nr TRADITIONAL E.L.1547MORE MELODIES with OPEN STRINGS The Whistle a A NURSERY RHYME n perro v FRENCH FOLK SONG THE HALF REST (on the 3rd line) === The half rest receives 2 counts. Bobbie Shafto 7, NURSERY RHYME A v 9° Se Count 1234 1234 Baa! Baal Black Sheep fA NURSERY RHYME Hot Cross Buns a v nm NURSERY RHYME LIFTING the BOW Lift the bow when you see the two slanted lines (7). Who is Thumbkin? n FRENCH DANCE SONG 22° > Merrily We Roll Along ki TRADITIONAL Old King Cole A TRADITIONAL m4P In 22p, we lift the bow at the end of the phrase in order to start down-bow. In 24p, we lift the bow because the phrase ends on an up-bow approaching the frog. E.L.1547mt A NEW TONE 41/20r5 fee The First Finger on the D String (It is called E) 1st finger It sounds a whole step higher than the open D string. Place the 1st finger about 4 1/2 or 5 inches from the nut. Memorize the sound of the open D and the 1st finger. E Ist finger In Space A n F. MAZAS Our Theme Song GERMAN FOLK SONG n n A 21° Etude A Funny Thing The First Finger Game on D n n no TRADITIONAL 2gPMORE MELODIES with the FIRST FINGER on the D STRING Giant Steps 30 A Falling Star n an The Crunchy Cookies fn _ n 31 Teacher Our First Stunt Keeping a finger down while you play another open string. n no 32 19 7 amo) Keep the 1st finger down on D until the end of this line. Playful Puppies n n n 33 1 1 1 Bobbie el oo : 34P 1 ne Skip to My Lou A fn TRADITIONAL 35 P. ° E,L.1547A NEW TONE jabout 4 1/2 or 5 inches © © ist finger The First Finger on the A String (It is called B) It sounds a whole step higher than the open A string. Place the Ast finger about 4 1/2 or 5 inches from the nut. Memorize the sound of the open A and the Ist finger. i The Tired comel F. MAZAS 37 Teacher Our Theme Song (on the A string) n fn i GERMAN FOLK SONG 38 P The First Finger Game on A 5 A ‘TRADITIONAI 39 P n Baa! Baa! Black Sheep panera Now It’s Easy nA vy, A 4 ‘The class may now start the “Early Etudes For Strings’” by Samuel Applebaum. These interesting etudes with piano accompaniment will help to develop left-hand technic and the bow arm. E.L. 1547u A HIGHER TONE The Fourth Finger on the D String (It ts called F%) When there is a sharp before F, it is called F sharp. F sharp is a whole step from the Ist finger E. Place the 4th finger about 3 3/4 inches from the 1st finger. When you play the 4th finger place the lower fingers down firmly on the string at the same time. i pie Fg Finger came TRADITION AD 43° oem At a Party When a note is sharped it remains sharped throughout the measure. A A 44 1_____ 4 Mary Had a Little Lamb Place the 1st finger down before you start. 7 TRADITIONAL 45P t 41 014 4—__ Skipping from the Open String to the 4th Finger Skip a Step Place the lower fingers down with the 4th finger. F. WOHLFAHRT n o Teacher Cock-a-Doodle-Doo! NURSERY RHYME a 7 47P ae) (ee ROTE PROJECT: The class may now learn to play the open strings in various rhythms by rote - quarter notes, cighths, and triplets. Hum or sing the rhythmsbefore playing. Play above the middle, starting about two inches below the middle of the bow. EL. 1547A HIGHER TONE on the A STRING The Fourth Finger on A (It is called C4) When there is a sharp before C it is called C sharp. C shar is a whole stepfrom the 1st finger B. Place the 4th finger abou 33/4 inches from the 1st finger. When you play the 4th finge place the lower fingers down firmly on the string at the sam time. Second in Line A A FRENCH FOLK SON¢ of 4 ae The C# Finger Game i TRADITIONAI The Finger Mixer fn n St The Family Gathering no n 52 Teacher A Happy orely RUSSIAN DANCE 53° o 4 os ' The class will now become a string orchestra. Start the ‘First Program For Strings’ by Samuel Applebaum. This is a collection of twenty-eight well known string orchestra pieces to be used for concerts and assembly programs. E,L. 1547MORE MELODIES with the FIRST and FOURTH FINGERS Theme (New World Symphony) A, DVORAK n n 54. 42 == 4 Merrily We Roll Along v TRADITIONAL 55° at 4 TRADITIONAL Gaily the Troubadour n 56° = 7 as 4 A Chinese Garden n n F. WOHLFAHRT 57 Teacher A Finger Mixer A Ls 58 A String Mixer n = tot Au Claire de la Lune a FRENCH FOLK SONG 59?The First and Fourth Fingers on the G String (They are called A and B) ‘The Ist finger A is a whole step from the open G string. The 4th finger B is a whole step from the Ist finger A. Notice that the 4th finger on each string is two whole steps from the open string. Bass Alone WE STRENGTHEN the FOURTH FINGER ‘The four fingers remain down while we play the next higher open string. Melody on D Jumping Beans n A 61 7 Off to School Leave a slight pause at each comma (9) with the bow remaining on the string.» WoHT.FAHRT n a : 62 Teacher ur Theme Song - Lightly Row n C 8 8 v Y GERMAN FOLK SONC 2 : 63° —= 14 ‘ 0 ROTE PROJECT: The tetrachord starting on the D string which includes F¥ and the open G string. Play in various rhythms to conform with the other instruments. Hum or sing this pattern before playing. E.L. 154715 MORE MELODIES to STRENGTHEN the FOURTH FINGER A a B ct p> A 64 =e Melody on A no n F, WOHLFAHRT The Space Ship n 65 Teacher The Pet Shop 5 n 66 The Cuckoo n n Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star OLD FRENCH SONG fo A 68 F Each student may now play duets with another Violin or witha Viola, Cello, or Bass. In “Duets For Strings” by Samuel Applebaum we have 26 lovely duets. Each student may now play his first Bass solowith pianoaccompaniment for demonstration programs. Itis called ‘The Bass Fiddle Waltz” by F. Beyer, E.L. 154716 BEAUTIFUL MELODIES with the FIRST and FOURTH FINGERS Now We Will Dance A an GERMAN DANCE SONG 69° London Bridge is Falling Down fi TRADITIONAL 70° Old MacDonald Had a Farm n A TRADITIONAL ne ENGLISH FOLK SONG An Octave Apart When two notes have the same name and are eight notes apart, they are called an octave. n A B Sea Shells n n F. WOHLFAHRT 4 ‘Teacher 7 ROTE PROJECT: The pupils may now learn the D Major Scale. Starting on the D string, play an octave lower on the second tetrachord, which begins on the open A string. The class should hum or sing the scale before playing. EL. 1547PLAYING TWO NOTES in the SAME BOW STROKE When a curved line (~) connects two notes that are alike it is called a tie. Both notes are played in the same bow stroke and counted as one note. The Tie B ie 4 ii ‘We play the same melody again. The dot after the half note adds one half of its value. The dotted half note will now receive three counts. Both lines will sound the same. The Same Melody A 5 ‘ 4 When a curved line connects two or more notes that are different, it is calleda slur. Play these notes in the same bow stroke. The Slur n n 16 Smooth Sailing Long, Long Ago A — n THOMAS H. BAYLY 78? Jingle Bells n n J, PIERPONTThe First Finger on the E String 41/20r5 It is called F inches hole : 2 ®@® 1 bean ae half-step | ©O® 2 It sounds a whole step higher than the open E string. Place the 1st finger about 4 1/2 or 5 inches from the nut. G aBC pEF The First on E (bass alone) Bass Alone When Do We Use the 2nd Finger? When the next note above the Ist finger is a half-step away, we use the 2nd finger. We now use the 2nd finger on the E string to play the note G. Itis a half-stepfrom the 1st finger F&. Place the 2nd finger about 1 3/4 inches from the Ist. When this mark ~~~ connects two notes, they are a half-step apart. The Second on E (bass alone) ER G Bass Alone = 612 80 THE QUARTER REST ‘This is a quarter rest (). It receives one count. 81 2 Thoughts of ee ae erron 82° Good Morning! n n OLD MELODMORE MELODIES USING the E STRING The Tap Dancer ‘The top,3 means that there are 3 counts to each measure. a n v n 85 The Second Finger on the A String When we play C natural instead of Con the A string we use the 2nd finger. C is a half-step from the Ist finger B. a A Under the Sea f 87 Watching the Sheep nr FRENCH FOLK SONG20 The Second Finger on the D String 4 - This is a natural sign which means that the note is not sharped or flatted. n n 89 Nelly BI vey TRADITIONAL 90P = 0 5 GERMAN FOLK SONG The Half Step March A o 92 ROTE PROJECT: The class will now enjoy playing a tetrachord with a half step between the second and third notes. Play in various rhythms to conform with the other string parts. E.L, 154721 PLAYING THREE NOTES in the SAME BOW STROKE Use one third of the bow for each of the slurred notes. fq 93 ° 12 Thoughts of You - n GERMAN FOLK SONG 94P Blow That Man Down This note is called an‘‘up-beat’’. The count is subtracted from the last measure. SEA CHANTEY \vooSN —S—~ n 95P THE VIOLAS and CELLOS PLAY on the C STRING A n 1 Each student will now be ready to play the next Bass solo with piano accompaniment. It is called “A Stately Dance’’ by J. Hassler.22 Melodies that are Repeated a7 Monkey in his Cage A fo 98 oo t Dream Waltz The dots are called repeat marks. You are to repeat the section between the two sets of dots. n 99 Pony Ride (Duet for Two Students) F, WOHLFAHRT f ROTE PROJECT: Play the same finger patterns that are used by the other strings, practicing them three notes in a bow. E,L. 154723 MELODIES with STRING CHANGES n a A Wise Old Owl v v y GERMAN FOLK SONG 102° 103 The Lonesome Cowboy 5 ‘TRADITIONAL Happy Go Lucky (Melody with Octaves) When there is only one set of dots go back to the beginning. ROTE PROJECT: The scales of G and D Major may now be tried in the following rhythms. The notes marked with a dot and dash are played Détaché’ Lancé-a slight pause between each note with- out the martelé accent. FB. L, 154724 MELODIES STRESSING the SECOND and FOURTH FINGERS 106 Above the Clouds C. HOHMANN n A |Student 107 Student Criss-Cross n n 108 Caterpillar A RUSSIAN FOLK SONG 109° ROTE PROJECT: Play the finger pattern that starts on the note E, the first finger on the D string. Play in various bowings and rhythms. Do not play the other patterns used by the other strings. EL. 154725 PLAYING BEAUTIFUL MELODIES with DYNAMICS Playing in the Snow - means to play loudly - from the Italian word “forte”’ n FRENCH FOLK SONG 110 ® t The Clock Tower 1p - means to play softly - from the Italian word ‘«piano”’. fi A.R. REINAGLE m1? P Good King Wenceslas rit. or ritardando means gradually slower. n TRADITIONAL CAROL La 12? f Old Hundredth v . v LOUIS BOURGEOIS 113° My Pet Pony GERMAN FOLK SONG v =26 PLAYING PIZZICATO (pizz.) with the BOW in the HAND Hold the bow with the 1st, 3rd and 4th fingers and extend the 2nd finger away from the stick of the bow. The tip of the thumb is placed on the side of the fingerboard closest to your body. Pizzicato is played with the 2nd finger plucking the string in the direction of the thumb. The Second Does the Picking Chop Sticks TRADITIONAL 116° pize, F A Maypole Dance ENGLISH SINGING GAME 17? bizzs SF Smooth Slurring “arco” means to play with the bow. n 118 arco f? pizz. Snowflakes FRENCH FOLK TUNE lig P EL. 154727 MORE PIZZICATO with the BOW in the HAND Right Hand Pizzicato bizz. P The Happy Ghost The Puppet GERMAN FOLK SONG v v n RUSSIAN FOLK SONG Come, Beautiful May A The Wagon Wheel fn A Blue Butterflies A n |Student pp Sf fn, A Student28 MELODIES on ALL STRINGS Yankee Doodle n n ‘TRADITIONAL The Beanstalk OLD DANCE Vesper Hymn RUSSIAN AIR , Faith of Our Fathers HENRY F. HEMY —— a ft rit. The Cobbler RUSSIAN FOLK SONG n E.L.1547130 131 132 133 134 29 BUILDING a MAJOR SCALE If we play eight notes going up a step at a time so that the 8th note isan octave above the Ist note, we have a scale. If there is a half-step between the 3rd and 4th notes and a half-step between the 7th and 8th notes, we have a Major scale. Let's divide the scale into two halves. Each half is called a tetrachord . The First Half of a Scale (in different rhythms) Notice the half-step between the 3rd and 4th notes. A half-step on n 2 + The Second Half of the Same Scale (in the same rhythms) ‘The 2nd half will start a whole step above the Ist half (half-step between the 3rd and 4th notes). To play the high C move the 4th finger with the entire hand a half-step away from B (about 13 inches). oO A o 74 Putting the Two Halves Together (This scale is called C Major because it starts on C) Notice the half-steps between the 3rd and 4th notes and the 7th and 8th notes. n n half-step half-step The C Major Scale - Up and Down . 6 7 ‘This is written in C Major. AN Overnight Hike n nm F, WOHLFAHRT nt f i Student ELL. 154730 EIGHTH NOTES (J7) Eighth notes are played twice as fast as quarter notes. Two eighth notes receive one count and are equal to one quarter note. Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star (As we played it earlier in the book) OLD FRENCH SONG fn an St Pp St P St rit. Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star (in 8th notes) Each note is repeated in eighth notes and played twice as fast as quarter notes. 136 ° = ft 1 Lightly Row (in 8th notes) n A GERMAN FOLK SONG For the third Bass solo with piano accompaniment to be used for demonstrations, we have an old favorite. It is called “Theme from Pomp and Circumstance” by Edward Elgar. E.L.154731 EIGHTH NOTES COMBINED with QUARTER NOTES n 138 The Game Starts A a The Spooks In the Cave nm rn jtudent ¢ mil, Student eLinag32 LIVELY MELODIES with EIGHTH NOTES The Magician fq 4 142 Polka ‘A Polka is a lively Bohemian dance with two counts to each measure. The ‘ey 2 means that there are two counts to each measure. F, WOHLFAHRT A n ‘Student S 7 Student Bow to Your Partner A 5 SWEDISH FOLK GAME E.L.1547Belwin eL01547 $6.95 in U oMsisel iit alfred.com ISBN 0-7692-3131-4 1SBN-10: 0-7692-3131-4 1SBN-13; 978-0-7692-3131-0 rT