Violin 3rd position. Request help lowering notes in parts of score as they are too high to play for novice violinist...

• Oct 13, 2024 - 22:00

Hello,

My daughter is learning the violin and she would like to play the score Chevaliers de Sangreal by Hans Zimmer.

The first part goes really well, however then the score goes very high (3rd position?).

I have very little music knowledge myself but some notes in parts of the score goes so high in pitch that she unfortunately are unable to play them at this time...

Is there a musical way to lower those parts of the score so as to maintain the scores integrity but make it easier to play if you understand what I mean?

I did try to lower all relevant bars by just selecting them and pressing the down arrow a few times. It worked somehow, but when I did the same on Violin 2 the score sounded strange and "off".

Please see screenshot below with relevant parts of the score that goes "a bit to high"...

Any help, suggestion or advice is highly appreciated!

CdS.png


Comments

The only thing you can do is to lower the sequence in question by one octave. Select the notes or measures and press Ctrl+Down Arrow.

In reply to by Hoggorm

Exactly! For example, the first note is a high G, on the fourth ledger line. Select it and press Ctrl+Down Arrow once and it will move to the G on the space immediately above the staff. If I recall correctly, that note would be played on the E string at the third position with the middle or ring finger.

I would recommend discussing this with your daughter's teacher. It's possible that the teacher is explicitly trying to teach those high notes. Also, if you simply change individual notes without considering the flow of the music, you'll hear the "right notes", but they will be jumping from octave to octave, which is not what the music is supposed to sound like.

In reply to by TheHutch

Ok, thank you. One Ctrl+Down arrow is not enough.

"I would recommend discussing this with your daughter's teacher. It's possible that the teacher is explicitly trying to teach those high notes."

  • No, this is something my daughter has found herself and would like to learn besides the teachers lessons. Playing at 3rd position is not a focus from the teacher now.

"Also, if you simply change individual notes without considering the flow of the music, you'll hear the "right notes", but they will be jumping from octave to octave, which is not what the music is supposed to sound like."

  • Yes, that would of course not make sense and was not my intention. My intention was to play the entire score, or at least parts of it, lower than intended. Absolutely not individual notes.

In reply to by Hoggorm

A single Ctrl+Down arrow moves all of the notes you posted into first position. That first note is the highest and it will be played by the middle or ring finger in first position. If you go two octaves, you may end up going BELOW the violin's range. (Can't say that for sure without seeing the entire score, but it's not impossible.)

Regarding talking to the teacher, I was also suggesting that the teacher could give you advice about transposing the piece.

And good on your daughter for trying something difficult just on her own!!! :-) That's one of the ways that she becomes a "musician", in its highest sense.

In reply to by TheHutch

Ah! I'm sorry! I was sure I'd tried this in Musescore but I missed the Ctrl button. I only did arrow down.
Pressing Ctrl+arrow down gave a much better result.

As you suspected there is one single note that went too low though. It is in the Violin 2 part so it is not the melody. Maybe I can fix that somehow.

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