Today s professional orchestral musicians are highly specialized and highly qualified instrumentalists. While the traditional study at universities and music schools gives students an excellent foundation for orchestral playing it has long been acknowledged that it often does not prepare a musician for all the challenges of orchestral life.The Orchestral Violinist's Companion imparts knowledge and skills essential for the orchestral violinist extending on the musician s high school or university education. This advice and training manual is intended to serve as a guide for the full course of a musician s career from the preparation for anaudition to the long-term heavy work load in an orchestra. The volumes cover an abundance of themes including:Practice techniquesSight-readingDaily practice routineLooking after your bodyBow technique and tone productionLeft hand techniquePizzicato technique and other special techniquesRhythm and ensemble playingNotation and performance practicePreparing of orchestral partsItalian French and German terms and abbreviationsKnowledge of styleDevelopment of a core repertoirePreparation for auditionsCoping with stage frightCoping with orchestral lifeAppreciation for the orchestra as a social environmentCoping with the long-term physical and mental pressures in an orchestraIncluded is a detailed annotated index of orchestral excerpt collections thematically relevant books and articles and recent important studies on Performance Science . Chapters on essential practice and performance techniques include hundreds of examples from over 300 orchestral works which encompass the areas of symphony oratorio opera operetta and ballet from the period between c. 1750 and 1950. In addition there are exercises specifically designed to advance a player s orchestral technique.As well as serving as useful teaching material for courses these volumes are geared towards students currently in graduate or postgraduate courses specializing in orchestral playing audition candidates
