The Secrets of Tone Production Part 1: Knowing your Instrument

Renowned violinist and string pedagogue Simon Fischer reveals the five fundamental tone exercises for string players in a four-part course based on his acclaimed DVD 'The Secrets of Tone Production'.

The exercises and principles Simon breaks-down have been taught by the greatest string teachers over the last 250 years, and practised by the greatest players. Names like Lucien Capet, Ivan Galamian, Dorothy DeLay and Pablo Casals. Leopold Mozart taught at least some of this material, meaning that Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart must have benefitted from these tone production secrets too.

If applied correctly these insights and exercises can radically improve tone production on any bowed string instrument, including baroque instruments. Yet they are so simple that any string musician can benefit from them.

This course covers Part 1 (Knowing your instrument), of Simon's DVD, which focusses on understanding precisely how the bow and bow-hair interact with the strings and instrument-body to produce sound, and how you can harness this knowledge to greatly improve your tone.

Music featured in intro: Brahms Vioin Sonatas, performed by Simon and Raymond Fischer. CD available here.

Part 1 of a 4-part course, click here for Part 2, Part 3, Part 4.