Okay here's one for you all.

Been playing for 5 years (same length of time as my children) and I can manage lots of technically demanding music, play in positions and in tune. BUT I still have trouble playing faster pieces to time. I cannot make up up my mind whether it is my fingers or tired old mind.

So the question is: any hints of techniques out there for picking up the pace?

Thanks
Jon

I ALWAYS blamed my left hand for this, when in fact it was the right hand that was the problem!!!
To figure it out, try and 'play' your pieces that you want to speed up just with the left hand fingers. Concentrate on those and leave the bow alone. If your fingers are the problem, then I would recommend a study book such as Jacques Dont Thirty Progressive Exercises for the violin Op. 38 - I'm not sure around what grade you ared at though, wouldn't recemmend these until afterf Grade 5.
If your bowing is the problem - the answer is a composer called Sevcik. Pop down your locl music shop and they are bound to have some of his stuff in. Some get stupidly difficult however!!! And they can be tedious!!!

Another more fun way is to perhaps invest in some Ceilidh fiddle type music - Jigs and Reels. There are some very simple tunes around that can be sped up until there is steam rising from your fingertips!!! I like The Ceilidh Collection by Edward Huws Jones. They are fun to play and very good exercise for the fingers!

Hope some of this helps! Good Luck!
Charlotte x x x

I agree, whatever you may think it will be the right hand that is the problem. Slow practice until you get it right and then GRADUALLY speed up, but NEVER go beyond what you can play accurately. Get it right before speeding up anymore.

Useful to have a metronome and keep just moving up a notch.

And yes Sevcik is the master of the bow arm. If you look you will find for definite and exercise with a variation that fits the problem you have...practise that. And to relieve the tedium of his 4,000 bowing exercises try opus 3, the 40 variations.

Thanks for the advice. Might well be my right hand as I have played classical guitar since being 8, so my left hand is fairly nimble (not rapid though - an age thing I think). I notice that a sometimes get odd slurs (not intended) when playing fast(er) - feels like my left and right hand are not coordinated.

I will pop down the shops to buy a book of 4000 bowing exercises - phew!

Regards
Jon

Yes it is precisely this not joined up thing that I get when trying to play fast especially with separate bows.

Don't get ALL of Sevcik's output...try opus 2 part 1, and as I mentioned before the opus 3 (40 variations) which are a bit more interesting and good of you are short on time.