How to Use CSDB Books One and Two in a Fast One-Hour Routine

This is a quick guide as to how to use the exercises efficiently and not obsessively or without getting bogged down.

The important part of doing a technical routine is getting one that you can do almost every day and not get bored or repetitious and maybe you even enjoy doing. I think it is very possible to devise a personal routine that takes an hour a day and everyone will be different to suit individual tastes. I don’t expect everyone to love all the exercises and if you don’t want to do a particular one, then don’t! They all come around again in some form.
A lot of time and effort went into all the text in these books, please read it? I am working on getting a French version, sorry not yet!

In Book 1 the first 7 exercises are all about getting your wrists mobile and reminding your body where and how your body hangs on the bass. Simply put, while hanging with both arms; in the left you have "the move", and in the right you have the horizontal wrist and finger action which should be happening with every bow stroke and in every exercise. Depending on how much time you have to practice you can do all of an exercise or just a bit and then move on. I want to show you where I think your priorities should lie.

Exercise 1, Find the Weight; the bottom line is stop and start the bottom string without pressing or putting on excessive amounts of rosin. Focus on the low strings. 2 minutes

Exercise 2, String Crossings; use wrist only to change strings very near bridge and just do slurred 8ths. Focus on the bottom two strings if time is limited. 2 minutes

Exercise 3, The Move; hang the arm, don’t move elbow, play on the right part of the pad and get smooth action. Leave out variations. 2 minutes

Exercise 4, Hanging; do two scales up and down but only to an octave and a half and with intense vibrato. Fast way, just two scales is, 1up, 2 down, 3 up and 4 for the last part of the neck. 4 minutes

Exercise 5, The Move; do a scale like I suggest in the box. Keep a steady pitch, no elbow, with vibrato throughout. Play Variation F. 3 minutes

Exercise 6, Long Shifts; play 4-1 on top string for an octave and a half, keep in the right part of the pads, never miss a shift and connect your ears to your hand. 4 minutes

Exercise 7, Slow Shift and Pivot; do a few in thumb position and a few in the neck position, keep the good parts of the pads and play 100% legato, no shift sounds. 3 minutes So far 20 minutes….

Exercise 8, Long Tones; this is really just for advanced players that really have all the mechanics very well learnt. It is possible that a technical routine could start here eventually. I also use long tones just to help people discover the feeling of how the left arm can hang from the neck and to keep the angles of the fingers perfect in every position. Then it is very, very slow! I used to try and play 30 second bows and more!

At this point choose whatever you like; one day choose rhythmical studies and select from;

Exercise 9, “el Perro”, Exercise 10, Limbering, Exercise 11, Knucklebusters, 5 minutes

Another day do some double stops,

Exercise 12, Thirds and Fifths, or Exercise 13, Petracchi Double Stops, 5 minutes

Now do some scale work for the bow and focus on the right wrist action. For a lot of players I would suggest Exercise 17 which can easily be continuous and abbreviated. If played as is, it takes about 20-25 minutes. Jump around and do it in 10 minutes or less. On days you don’t feel like doing that, mix that up with Exercise 20, Scale Progressions or Exercise 14, Bow Distribution. we are up to 50 minutes right now…..

Take Book 2 and work in one key at a time. On one day do Intervals 3rds-5ths, 6ths-8ths the next, Chords the next, Arpeggios the next and the Acceleration scale pattern the next. Focus on scales C or D. Move in a three day cycle and give yourself a day off. 10 minutes and more if you can spare it.

Et voila! A one hour routine that covered everything and moved fast! Don’t get bogged down trying to go fast…just try and do one thing as well as you can. If you have more time you can expand this routine out accordingly. If you are obsessive, then by all means do a three hour routine or more, and try and play 30 second long tones!