The violin method aims to combine the effort of learning with the joy of making music from the very beginning. Therefore, each stage of the course includes good pieces of music and songs that can be mastered and simultaneously present challenges that demonstrate the necessary technical skills for violin playing. The instruction in playing technique is thus always linked to the development of musical sensitivity, understanding, and expression.
Through the gradual exploration of the tonal range and the inclusion of inventive exercises, the development of the ear for active pitch perception is further encouraged. All technical tasks are introduced with the simplest exercises and grouped into chapters that progress to increasingly difficult ones. The method ensures that the student can understand why each task is assigned; a piece of music is always provided that immediately allows the student to apply the technical skills learned.
For practicing ensemble playing, the majority of the examples are in duet form, encompassing all types of accompaniment, from the simplest accompaniment to rich counterpoint. Often, the student themselves or a more advanced classmate can play the second part. Since the learner is to be prepared for the various possibilities of domestic and chamber music from this stage, they will find music of diverse styles from centuries of our musical history, music that is still, and once again, alive in our musical life today.
Experience has shown that such a juxtaposition is quite possible. It was important, however, to always select original duet pieces in order to avoid the otherwise common and not always artistically satisfying arrangements. New pieces in contemporary musical language were also written for the work. The often extensive selection of musical examples for each violin exercise seems necessary in a method book intended for use by more than one age group; it will therefore often be necessary to select only the most suitable examples.
This third edition of the method book incorporates new improvements. The essential technical exercises, especially in the first book when introducing the various fingerings, have been precisely recorded, whereas earlier editions of the method book required more input from the teacher. Instructions regarding the practice technique for each piece should, however, be left to the teacher. Some newly included preparatory exercises for the following piece are intended to serve as suggestions.
