Teaching Notes

This is mainly a study for working on playing in thirds, in particular when they need to be articulated every third note!

Mastering scales in thirds for annual exams at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama was a total nuisance for me. I hated them and couldn’t understand why we had to learn them! The technical exam usually took place in February and for four weeks before, most of us would be in a blind state of panic, as we attempted to get all our scales up to scratch. Playing the right notes and in the correct order on the day, was our only concern. Shape and any desire to create direction from the bottom to the top and back again, were of little interest.

Of course, so much music has been written in thirds, so it is very useful to have good command of these annoying devils. The importance is in making sure that they are approached………