JAVS Spring 2023

book in two different ways: the etudes can be worked through sequentially, or, more importantly perhaps, to be chosen strategically for the player to study certain techniques and/or correct playing flaws or challenges they struggle with. Additionally, it also gives the teacher and their lesson curricula support when they assign a particular etude and say, as they always should: “Dearest student, you are being assigned this etude to develop/ remediate/reinforce _________.” The next two etudes address further challenges pertaining to the bow as does no. 4 whose first challenge is lyrical playing and therefore a concern of the bow. To me, this suggests Variego’s pedagogical point of view and emphasis: bow technique, which is of utmost importance and must be addressed first.

A survey of other etude collections shows the same thing. Wohlfahrt, Kayser, Kreutzer, even Paganini all begin with exercises for the bow, developing agility, a variety of bow strokes, and emphasizing tone production. I offer this observation to students in my string pedagogy classes to emphasize that the bow is our principle playing tool, always has been, and must be taught with care and in detail. Other etudes in Variego’s collection exercise the bow too, but after these first four appear two left hand etudes, nos. 5-6, and then several which deal with mixed meters and complicated rhythms, nos. 7-11. The remaining etudes begin to explore special techniques, such as “Bartok” and left-hand pizz. in no. 12, artificial harmonics in no. 13, Sul C and glissandi in no. 14, ornamentation in no. 15 and so on.

Figure 2. Excerpt from Variego Etudes no.3, Common Features.

Figure 3. Excerpt from Variego Etudes 18+3, White Gloves.

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Journal of the American Viola Society / Vol. 39, No. 1, Spring 2023