Name: Shifting 101, Part 2: Guide fingers and helping notes
Uploaded: 2023-03-06T03:09:49.000Z
Duration: 6 min 9 s
Description: In this video, I'll demonstrate how you to find the "guide finger" for your shift as well as the "helping note." This is especially important to know for when you are shifting to a new finger in a new position.

In this video, I'll demonstrate how you to find the "guide finger" for your shift as well as the "helping note."
This is especially important to know for when you are shifting to a new finger in a new position.

Violin

Greetings, future students! Welcome to my page. If you have made it all the way here, congratulations--
because you are in good hands!

I began violin at the age of 7, after begging my parents since the age of 3 after falling in love with a violin on display.

I have 18 years' experience teaching violin, all ages and abilities, and am truly passionate about helping you grow and learn as a musician and human. 

As I was with begging my parents to let me play violin, I am persistent in helping you achieve your personal best and genuinely care about each of my students as my own children.

I have the great fortune to play a variety of styles of music: classical, Baroque (I own a Baroque violin and played for 4 years professionally with a Baroque Music ensemble), traditional Mexican folk tunes, and a fusion of rock/jazz/pop/New Age in a band. I also have the great fortune to possess a variety of training as a teacher, including Suzuki-based, traditional, and Dalcroze Eurthymics.

My training as a violinist began in Minneapolis, MN, where I studied with acclaimed violinists Kristina Lantz and Mary West. Mary West taught until she was 96, when she passed away, and left behind a huge legacy of warmth, kindness, and students possessed with both incredible ability and compassion. After high school, I moved on to obtain my performance degree at Oberlin Conservatory, where I simultaneously earned a degree in French. Following my studies there, I moved to Paris, France, where I immersed myself in contemporary music repertoire with outstanding French violinist Jeanne-Marie Conquer, who plays in the world-known Ensemble Intercontemporain.

I have performed with orchestras and as soloist in the United States, France, Switzerland, Canada, China, Poland, Hungary, Austria, the Czech Republic, and Vienna--and have had the immense opportunity of working with artists such as Simon Rattle, Jorja Fleezanis, Robert Spano, and Pierre Boulez. 

Above all, I have a love and drive for learning and improving--which inevitably you will be the recipient of as my new student. I am dedicated to your growth and improvement--however that may look for you, however we may need to design the lessons to help you achieve your potential. Learning is a conversation, and I do believe it takes two to tango!

I look forward to welcoming you into my studio!

Shifting 101, Part 2: Guide fingers and helping notes

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Viola

Beginner

Intermediate

Advanced

Suzuki Violin Books 1-5

Violin/Viola Professor

Violin Teacher

Violin and Group Class Teacher

School Partnerships Teacher

Violinist

Baroque Violinist

As a violin teacher with 18 years' experience, whether you are a beginner, intermediate, or advanced student, I will offer you many gifts depending on your needs! Here's a snapshot of my skill areas:

-Suzuki Violin Certified Books 1-5
-Experience working with ALL ages, 3-70!
-Dalcroze teaching (teaching music through the body!)
-Recitalist 
-International performing experience (Europe, Asia, Canada, Latin America)
-Baroque violin speciality + experience with rock/jazz/pop
-Seasoned orchestral player, performing in orchestras in the USA and internationally
-Movement therapy for violinists. I apply specific stretches and movements applicable to freeing up your movements as a violin player.

Jennifer had the patience and kindness needed to put me at ease. I look forward to my next lesson and those going forward.

I finally decided to take the leap to improve on my violin technique/skills/playing, which had come to a standstill after trying to figure the instrument out by myself. I knew I needed guidance and correction in many areas, which after the very first lesson with Jennifer, I knew I had made a very wise decision. Lessons with Jennifer is one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. She is very patient, kind and easy to understand. I have high hopes now that one day,  I’ll be able to play the violin and actually enjoy the music I make on it instead of cringe, lol.
I highly recommend her!

My daughter started online lessons with Jennifer at the beginning of the pandemic. After a year and a half of lessons my daughter said she could sight read music like reading a book and her musical ability had greatly improved. We did choose to eventually find in person classes, at Jennifer’s suggestion, as she felt that is the best way to learn. My daughter still misses Jennifer and her teaching style almost a year later.

At age 55 I started lessons with Jenny and immediately she was able to focus my practice on areas I really need to improve upon.  I had only been playing violin for a year with very limited exposure to music way back in high school on a marching band drumline.   She is very patient and understanding of the time challenges of working adults trying to lean a new skill.  Moving from a H.S. drumline to violin is pretty much a quantum leap in understanding of music theory and execution, but Jenny broke down the process and was able to bring me to a level where I could perform confidently in front of audiences and gave me a whole new appreciation of music.  She is dedicated, thoughtful and can help you achieve your music goals.

Thank you Jenny!

For 15 years I was Director of a Center for the Arts in Plymouth, MN. Jennifer Lang was a valued member of our faculty here. Not only her finesse and expertise as a performer, but the wide range of her teaching skills made lessons with her a very positive experience for our students.

Her complete command of a wide range of styles of music enables her to connect easily with students, wherever they may be in their musical studies.

She's very personable and works warmly and respectfully with parents and students alike.

I recommend Jennifer Lang without hesitation - she's terrific!

I have been taking lessons from Jenny for about three years now. She has helped me a great deal. She is very kind and polite and takes time to explain everything. She always helps me to improve my technique.

My daughter worked with Jenny for one year and her playing improved immensely!  Jenny has high expectations for her students, at the same time she is kind and makes the lessons fun! She even taught my daughter some French! She is a good teacher and able to adapt her teaching style to her student.She always invited us to her performances which was inspiring and impressive!

In this video, you will learn the C section of Stinky's Blues.
Have fun practicing, and be sure to listen to the A and B tutorials as well!

Stinky's Blues Tutuorial #3

In this video, you will learn the B section of Stinky's Blues.
Have fun practicing, and be sure to listen to the A and C tutorials as well!

Stinky's Blues Tutorial #2

In this video, you will learn how to play the A section (the "head") of Stinky's Blues.

Stinky's Blues Tutorial #1

This is a play-through, with piano backing track, of Stinky's Blues, a very fun original composition in 12-bar blues form by Brian Wicklund.
Be sure to listen to the Stinky's Blues tutorials following this to learn how to play the tune!

Stinky's Blues

Did you know that the violins and bows of 300-400 years ago were constructed differently and tuned differently from our modern violins?
In this video, get a close-up view of my Baroque violin, which though built recently actually meets the specifications of a violin of the Baroque period. 

Period Instruments: all about the Baroque Violin

In this video I'll demonstrate three different exercises that you can use to practice shifting.
We'll start off with a SLOW shift and gradually increase the speed of the exercise until the shift is almost imperceptible.


Shifting 101: Same finger shifts

There are many ways to play the same note on the violin, ESPECIALLY the open string notes.
In this video you'll learn the difference between fingering an open string note and playing an open string.

*As a bonus, you'll also learn how to play harmonics in the place of certain fingered notes.


Open string, 4th finger, or harmonic?

In this video, play along with me to learn the notes of a famous fiddle tune: The Swallowtail Jig.
I'll also show you how to "spice up" the tune with special ornaments on notes of your choosing.

The Swallowtail Jig

In this video I practice going from a legato bow stroke to eventually coming off the string, in a "spiccato" bow stroke.
Sometimes we say that the bow is "bouncing" to describe a spiccato bow stroke.
This spiccato bow stroke is extremely utilized in a lot of violin repertoire, as well as being something that you can utilize in your own improvisations or compositions.

Practice Spiccato

Join me in this video as I practice my staccato ("disconnected" or "short") bow stroke on each of the strings.
The staccato bow stroke is useful for many pieces in the violin repertoire, or even if you just want to improvise playing short  "staccato" notes.


Practice Staccato

Many people don't know a lot about the viola, other than that it's bigger than a violin.
In this video, I will explain some additional differences, as well as some of the advantages to learning viola on top of violin.
