Double Stopping exercises, hints and tips Options

[Organistin]

As soon as my grade 8 piano is over at the end of March, I have decided I am going to concentrate on the violin again, properly. He has been a bit neglected recently, only trotting out to orchestra and practising orchestral music.
What is lacking in my technique is reliable double stopping!
Sixths are fine, 3rds are good but only when slowly. Octaves - nasty! (These are all decent in scales but they go a bit haywire in pieces)
Other intervals - a bit random!

Does anyone have any exercises/books of studies just devoted to double stopping which they could recommend?
Or are there any books on violin technique where I could read about double stopping in detail?

The aim is to improve the double stopping because I am learning the Joachim arrangements of Brahms Hungarian Dances 1 and 5, the Sarasate Carmen Fantasy and Romanza Andaluza.
The double stopping is the sticking point in all cases. It just sounds nasty... not all of it, but chunks of it do!

[Violin Hero]

I don't know any specific excerises that I can suggest to you. I do want to say that you are not alone as I have the same double stop issues as you, there are a few peices I can play very well apart from the wretched double stops. It really is holding me back.

[viola-mad]

Hi Organistin. One of the Sevcik study books (sorry, can't remember which one) has ample double (/triple/quadruple) stopping exercises in it.

I get very fed up with studies very quickly and prefer shorter exercises. What I generally do with double-stops is to play the double-stopped passage but only bow the upper string. Then do the same with but the bow on the lower string. It certainly shows up where your intervals are too wide or too narrow, whether you moved up the neck too far in this or that position shift or whether you are consistently sharp/flat on one or other string. Sometimes the simple act of becoming aware that, for example, your 4th finger has a tendency to be sharp is enough to fix it.

Oh, and check everything possible against open strings. Get used to listening to lovely 3rds, 4ths, 5ths, 6ths and octaves. The vibrations of the sound are slightly different when the interval is in tune. Once you've nailed that you'll be well on your way.

[Sunrise]

Hi Organistin. One of the Sevcik study books (sorry, can't remember which one) has ample double (/triple/quadruple) stopping exercises in it.

I get very fed up with studies very quickly and prefer shorter exercises. What I generally do with double-stops is to play the double-stopped passage but only bow the upper string. Then do the same with but the bow on the lower string. It certainly shows up where your intervals are too wide or too narrow, whether you moved up the neck too far in this or that position shift or whether you are consistently sharp/flat on one or other string. Sometimes the simple act of becoming aware that, for example, your 4th finger has a tendency to be sharp is enough to fix it.

Oh, and check everything possible against open strings. Get used to listening to lovely 3rds, 4ths, 5ths, 6ths and octaves. The vibrations of the sound are slightly different when the interval is in tune. Once you've nailed that you'll be well on your way.

(IMG:style_emoticons/default/agree.gif)
My old teacher used to torture me with Sevcik very regularly, and this was a part of it.
For your octaves, try practicing your stopped harmonics - you know straight away if you are out as they just don't sound.

[Organistin]

Some great suggestions here. Thanks!
I think double stops just take an incredible amount of work to perfect.
(IMG:style_emoticons/default/blink.gif)

[Violin Hero]

Could anyone enlighten me as to which Sevcik studies book is the one to purchase to practice double stops?

When I saw this thread I realised that my double stops need to be worked on,very hard!

[miffy]

Sevcik op.9 is preparatory exercises in double stopping.
It's brilliant.
Op.1 no.4 after that - but do start on op.9 first!

[Organistin]

Sevcik op.9 is preparatory exercises in double stopping.
It's brilliant.
Op.1 no.4 after that - but do start on op.9 first!

Thanks Miffy!

[rachelviolin]

I also like a book called 'Melodious Double-stops' by Josephine Trott. It's a book of short and (mostly) melodious studies in double stops. The first few are all one stopped note and one open string note so that you can work on tuning against the open strings, then it moves onto fingers on both strings. They make a good bridge between the Sevcik type of exercise and 'real music' or more advanced studies.

[miffy]

I also like a book called 'Melodious Double-stops' by Josephine Trott. It's a book of short and (mostly) melodious studies in double stops. The first few are all one stopped note and one open string note so that you can work on tuning against the open strings, then it moves onto fingers on both strings. They make a good bridge between the Sevcik type of exercise and 'real music' or more advanced studies.

Well done, Rachelviolin! I've been hunting through my stuff because I couldn't remember the name of this book (or author), but wanted to pass it on as a recommendation!

Just one thing to add, when you are practicing double stopping, play really slowly, split if necessary, and really go for a full and beautiful sound as you are training bow and fingers to work together to create a good tone as well as just simply getting the notes in tune. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

[Organistin]

Guess what I was supposed to be doing this afternoon.....

Guess what I was actually doing! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)
Sevcik Op 9 is fascinating - a very useful diagnostic tool apart from being very good exercises.
I played through 8 pages of it and from that it was blatantly obvious which areas need work - anything involving octaves (eg in the first exercise) and 4ths.
The other intervals sounded good. So the main focus of my practising is going to be the octave and fourth exercises to start with.

[miffy]

Guess what I was supposed to be doing this afternoon.....

Guess what I was actually doing! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)
Sevcik Op 9 is fascinating - a very useful diagnostic tool apart from being very good exercises.
I played through 8 pages of it and from that it was blatantly obvious which areas need work - anything involving octaves (eg in the first exercise) and 4ths.
The other intervals sounded good. So the main focus of my practising is going to be the octave and fourth exercises to start with.

Getting addicted?? (IMG:style_emoticons/default/laugh.gif)
You'll find once you start relaxing and actually enjoying double stopping, they will happen.
Have fun! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)