Viola Technique exercises and Postural recommendations

Antoine Tamestit, guest professor

Guillermo Gil García, student

The masterclass starts with a question for the student: what does he want to improve of his playing (sound, vibrato…)? Professor Tamestit comments the rigidity of the student in shoulders and arms, and the need to release tension (Tamestit proposes some specific exercises to feel the contact point with the viola in the right position). This way pressure and weight will be correct. In relation to this, Tamestit tells an anecdote related to his teacher, Tabea Zimmermann, and Schnittke's Viola Concerto.
The Professor gives a complete explanation about how to hold the viola and which are the muscles in the back involved in the vibration. Tamestit plays the beginning of Schumann's Adagio op. 70 as an example. 

Language: English