Technical Exercises & Studies
Exercises for Bowing & The Right Arm/Hand
![The 10 Beat Challenge!](https://www.violinschool.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/10BeatChallengebytheriver-noplay-600-400.png)
Can you survive the 10 Beat Challenge? A great exercise for warming up your bowing, and for making clear and consistent sounds on whole bows.
![String Crossing Exercises](https://www.violinschool.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/string-crossing2.jpg)
ViolinSchool’s String Crossing Exercises – eight pages of rhythm and bowing patterns – will help you get really really good at crossing strings!
![Staccato Spritzer](https://www.violinschool.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/staccato-Spritzer-600-400.jpg)
A great study for practising staccato strokes, Staccato Spritzer is also a delightful piece of music … with a very cheeky ending!
![Hook, Line, & Sinker](https://www.violinschool.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/hook-linesinker-600-400.png)
Hook, Line, & Sinker is a great study for practising hooked bowing using dotted rhythms. Avoid playing unwanted accents, or using too much bow too quickly!
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Exercises for Fingering & The Left Arm/Hand
![A Major Scale: Rhythm Patterns](https://www.violinschool.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/Amjor-and-logo-600-400.png)
Practise your scales with different rhythm patterns, to make your left and right hand movements more independent, and improve your coordination.
![First Finger Fitness](https://www.violinschool.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/First-Finger-Fitness4-600-400.png)
Give your 1st finger a proper exercise session with this first-finger-focused exercise based on quaver and dotted quaver rhythms!
![G Major: Exercises in Thirds](https://www.violinschool.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/g-major-thirds-600-400.png)
Here are some exercises for practising the G Major scale in thirds. Make sure you practise slowly, and be very aware of the position of your bowing arm.
![1st - 4th Pos. Finger Placement](https://www.violinschool.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/2-1-...-...-1-2-Study-2.jpg)
These incredibly useful left hand exercises will help you to get really familiar with the placing of your fingers in the first four positions.
![Double Stop Exercises in Sixths](https://www.violinschool.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/Double-stopping-in-Sixths-600-400.png)
These exercises are brilliant for practising double-stopped sixths! Use them for intonation work, and to develop a really solid left hand technique!
![](https://www.violinschool.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/left-hand-Dexterity-and-Stamina-600-400.png)
Is this the ultimate workout for advanced players? If your left hand can survive this, it can survive anything! To prevent cramps, keep your left thumb relaxed...
![Tricky Trills](https://www.violinschool.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/tricky-trills-600-400.png)
Tricky Trills will help you to practise double-stopped trills. Trills in thirds … trills in sixths … trills in octaves … and more … Very tricky trills indeed!
![Legato (Anti-Portato!)](https://www.violinschool.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/anti-portato-600-400.png)
Violinists often play portato (slightly re-articulated notes) instead of legato (smooth and connected). This study will help you to play as legato as possible!
![Intonation - 1st-7th Position](https://www.violinschool.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/Intonation-Exercises-1st-7th-Position-600px-400px.jpg)
For a happy marriage of aural and muscle memories, keep the first finger down and learn the distances to the other notes within the hand ‘frame'.