In his personal teaching, Sevcik recommended the following exercise for all double stoppings, e.g., for octaves :
In this, especially the uninterrupted gliding from the third into the first, and from the first into the
third position is to be practised, and in doing this the fingers should glide over rapidly and lightly to stop the higher or lower strings the moment they leave their position. The jamming of the violin between shoulder and jaw should be avoided. It cannot be overemphasized that the assurance of the virtuoso cannot be achieved through a stable grip of the instrument, but only through a flexible equilibrium between body and instrument. This exercise (in all keys) is to be played slowly and piano. A turther and very useful exercise by Sevcik for the contracting finger intervals in high positions follows:
2nd and 3rd fingers to be placed lightly on the upper string. Up to the fourth position, the thumb
should glide up and down alongside the hand without any individual movement.
Exercise 1
At first the intervals should be played with light gliding fingers. When intonation appears assured,
change of position in quicker tempo should be lightly jerked with the left hand, or rather, the forearm.
Exercise 2
First every group of quavers, whole bow. Pure intonation of the intervals within the octave to be
watched. Overstretching should be avoided by placing the fingers lightly.
Exercise 3
At first glide slowly and piano from interval to interval. Afterwards, jerked from the hand more
quickly and, lightly.
Exercise 4
The preparation to the fingered octaves to be practised with a minimum tension of the hand. In
the first exercise, hand and thumb should follow elastically the position of the first finger. In the
subsequent fingering exercises the hand should be held relatively horizontal to enable the player to distribute the necessary stretch more efficiently also to the 1st and 2nd finger and thus take strain off the 3rd and 4th. To be practised slowly, evenly and piano. At first, every group of crotchets full bow.
Exercise 5
Thirds to be practised at first as follows:
Then practise with the second and fourth fingers. Scales in thirds may then follow. If intonation is
faulty, tones should be singled out.
Exercise 6
Here too, notes to be played singly and checked for intonation if double stoppings are not well in tune. At first very slowly and piano. Every group of crotchets whole bow.
Exercise 7
Combinations of double stoppings to be fingered as elastically as possible, slowly and piano. At first whole bow for a quarter of a bar.
Exercise 8
Practise in the same manner as the preceding.
Exercise 9
Chromatic thirds to be practised with relatively horizontal hand position, fingers to be placed as
lightly as possible. Slowly and piano, detache at first.
Exercise 10
Sixths to be practised at first as follows：
The original scales in sixths may now be taken.
Exercise 11
Fingers should be placed lightly. Every group of :rotchets to a bow to be played slowly.
Exercise 12
Preparatory exercise to playing in tenths:
1n this, the index should be stretched backwards to the E peg (:-), and from this position reach for
the lower note of the tenth with the first finger, whilst the 4th finger stops the upper note. When playing in tenths the tension of the fingers should be distributed fanwise over the whole hand, and not left to the 4th finger alone. Then the following to be practised:
Next, the original exercise.
Exercises 13 to 16
The applied double stop exercises are to be practised detache at first. If the intonation is faulty, double stoppings should be broken up, and that always from the lower note upwards.
Exercise 17
The three-part chords should first be practised as follows:
Then the original variants 1, 2, and 3. Thereafter, each chord sounded simultaneously, on down
bows. In this, the middle string should first be gripped by the bow hair, so that the whole chord
sounds " unbroken ".
Exercise 18
The four-part chords are first practised arpeggiated:
Then the original variants.
Exercise 19
The pizzicato finger should be pulled off the string with a quick elastic movement.
Exercise 20
In pizzicato exercises with sustained bowed notes the fingertip should flip lightly off the string, applying moderate pressure only, so as not to touch the strings with the sustained notes.
Exercise 21
Both fingers should be placed lightly when playing harmonics. The finger nearest the nut should not press the string down on the fingerboard; the touch by the " harmonic " finger should be hardly perceptible. If the finger near the nut is too heavily exerted, hypertensions will result which impede both the intonation and the required stretches for double harmonics. When playing scales in harmonics, gliding from note to note should be practised as follows:
And this is how the original scales in harmonics should be practised.
Exercise 22
Arpeggios in harmonics to be practised in the same way:
Exercise 23
Preparatory exercise for double harmonics in thirds.
The double harmonics in sixths to be practised in the same way.
When practising natural and harmonic tones mixed, sounded simultaneously, the natural note should not be stopped by pressing against the fingerboard. Pressure of the bow should be adjusted to the harmonic.
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