It is essential, particulary in the early years, that instrumental teaching is of the highest quality.
These formative first years are crucial for the child’s future in music.
Colourstrings© creates a firm musical foundation for the child, which means child-centred music teaching. In 50 years of successfully teaching this method was developed further and refined. The philosophy and method does not form or mould the child to the need of the instrument but rather domesticates the instruments and the instrumental teaching to meet the child’s need.
Colourstrings© is not limited only to teaching manual dexterity movements made by the two hands but tend also to give the whole music as an “art-package” to the child, where the developing of instrumental technique, the musical hearing (with the help of the relative Solmisation), understanding (music theory) and the musical emotions occur in equilibrium all the time.
Colourstrings© involves many senses in learning any new idea. To teach more complex notions, the instrumental school will make use of Colour- and Picture symbols.
To see and to hear goes hand in hand. Thus the learning is deeper and more lasting.
But also musical writing and reading is connected from the very beginning with playing. While playing and reading movements are connected with intellectual processes. Playing and instrument thus develops also to an intellectual activity.
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This excellent method for the young musical generation has proved to be really very successful and has already produced many fine string players.
Professor Max Rostal CBE
Honorary President of ESTA
CHARACTERISTICS OF THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE INSTRUMENTAL TECHNIQUE
Numbered Pizzicato
Colourstrings introduced as a first method the “Number Pizzicato”: Not just the little finger is plucking but in turn all fingers of the left hand (a higher string with a higher finger and a lower string with a lower finger). Thus the children learn before stopping the string to move the fingers independently.
Octave Harmonics
Through octave harmonics the child becomes acquainted with the whole fingerboard.
Also for the development of the bow technique the regularly use of harmonics is very useful: The flutelike, intensive and pure sound of a harmonic can just appear, if the child’s bow stroke is straight, with the right amount of speed, length, pressure and bow hair.
Natural Harmonics
As a first method in the history of string pedagogy Colourstrings© is using systematically natural harmonics to develop the first technical skills on the instruments.
Changing Positions
The arm is doing changes of position movements at a very early time and the child learns immediately a very free and relaxed handling of the instrument.
Relative Solfa – Inner Hearing
Unique in Colourstrings is also the systematic connection between learning the instruments and relative Solmisation. The use of the relative Solmisation (movable DO respectively LA as the Major and Minor tonic symbol) facilitates transposing in all registers starting from any finger. The child hears inside the next tone step before playing it.
The fingers are led by the ear. This promotes a very good basic intonation.
Without problems Colourstrings children can play scales even in Fis major or B flat minor.
Transposing
The relative Solmisation serves also a very free handling of the instrument because the child can discover already at a very early stage the whole fingerboard with the help of transpositions.
A free playing position can be easier developed.
