Audio Visual Room (version 0.9 Updated 01 Oct 2008)
Passages and Examples

Roland Herrera - Photo by Simonetta Herrera

Background :
This afternoon I decided to personalise my site a little and add some videos of myself playing a few passages / studies and concertos.
After a few crashes installing my new Logitech webcam, (I think my laptop C drive was low on memory!) I finally got it to work...
The sound and video quality can and will improve with time ; so please check back for updates ! (and don't forget to press the refresh button)
This is new technology for me, and I'm experimenting with it, but in time I plan to add educational video clips and complete audio recordings.
In the meantime, I'm posting a few clips in the hope I inspire some of my site visitors (and surely one or two of my 40 or so students !).

The Videos are in Windows Media Video File format (.wmv extension). Also look out for the Audio (.wma extension) the sound is better and the file size smaller.
I think you can just left click the file and it should play (A dialogue box should ask you to Open it or Save it). Right clicking will also let you save the target file to your drive.
Sometimes the audio loads but not the video ; in this case press the square stop key, wait a moment, then press play.
Please note these are only short extracts due to space restrictions ; It's very hard to keep the file sizes small / contained !

Dear Mr Herrera,
Thank you very much for your mail and it is good to hear that you like the Passione violin strings. Seeing and hearing you playing in the video files is so fascinating and interesting...extremely professional ! Thank you for giving us the information and links.
By the way, we get so many enthusiastic reports from all over the world and I have the feeling that with the Passione it could be a revival of modern gut strings.
Yours Sincerely, Pirastro GmbH, Adrian Mueller, Technical Director

Clips from most recent to oldest

  1. Markov, The Little Violinist and the Brass Band 20MB Video avi (needs DivX decoder) The Teachers Part.. check out some heavy chordal and double stop texture !
    Although this is a modest Sony Handycam recording, I managed to plug the AKG Mics into it (via the Preamp and my Fireface 800)
  2. Robert Fuchs, 1st Little Piece of "Drei Amoretten" Audio Recording mp3 16bit 44.1Hz CD Quality 5MB
    Note this is my first recording using new AKG Mics./ A2D / Fireface800
  3. The Silver Tears of the Moon  NEW by Michael Radanovics High Quality Version Download 22MB (Apr 08)
  4. The Silver Tears of the Moon by Michael Radanovics 5MB Videos Take_2.wmv ; (Apr 08) Something a bit Jazzy... plenty of vibrato going on, and a bit of the old Tonus too ! (I didn't like the slide to the A natural at the end of Take_1.wmv Audio_1.wmv, but take_1 seems fresher)
  5. Bach 6 Solo Sonatas & Partitas ; Gavotte in E ; Audio wma ; Video A Minute of Bach wmv1MB ; Jan 08 (RH note the even, fat sonorous tone... Bach in all its live, modern glory !)
  6. My new AKG C414B xls/st Mics. Just got them today... here's the link to the downloads page : Microphones Test page. an quick impression... not properly set up... didn't even tune up the violin or put a pad on ! But it sounds nice.. added a touch of reverb on the PC.. 
  7. The Little Violinist by Albert Markov Clips for Young students ; (Apr 08) These are such great pieces. I love to play them, and there is so much in them with regards left hand, right hand and sound !
  8. Rode 24 Studies ; Etude n. 8 for 2 String Crossing ; Audio wma mp3 ; Jan 08  (Firstly, this is marked moderato ; you'll never get it sounding legato at this speed, so don't try ! I was just trying to impress the Webcam !) Video wmv 0.5MB
  9. Sevcik Op.2 part 5 School of Bowing ; Exercise 37 on 3 strings for wrist power Audio wma mp3 ; Jan 08 (LH prepare the left hand as for chord playing RH practise many variations on the string before trying off the string)  Video Hints & Tips wmv 5MB
  10. DeBeriot Op.100 ; "Scene de Ballet" ; Audio wma ; Video Ricochet excerpt 0.5MB ; Jan 08 (LH note I am playing open Es, not 4th fingers for an added sparkle ! RH Keep the bow in the middle and use it sparingly)
  11. Dont Op.35 ; Caprice n.1 ; First Phrases  0.5 MB ; Jan 08 (RH note the use of only half the bow and note the flexible right wrist following the chord)
  12. Kreutzer 42 Studies ; n. 36 in E minor ; Audio wma ; Jan 08 (RH This is staccato on the string ; Here I play a medium tempo, then a moderately fast tempo, using slightly less bow) Video demo wmv 2MB
  13. Mazas 75 Melodious and Progressive Studies ; Bk 1 Special Studies n.4 ; Video  0.75MB Détaché Video wmv ; Jan 08 (RH the accents don't come across so obviously visually, but listen carefully.. those little impulses are there scanning away the détaché triplets)
  14. Rieding  Concerto in G Op.34 ; 3rd Movement Opening 0.6MB ; Jan 08 (A great student Concertino for grade 4 players ; I am using a Piano CD 3 Tempi (this is the fastest one) accompaniment by Dowani)
  15. Kabalewski Concerto in C ; Spiccato passage 0.2MB ; Jan 08 (RH practise this on the string first, then every note twice or 4 times bouncing. Use your first 3 fingers for spiccato, and aim for a small close bounce to maximise sound quality)
  16. Khachaturian Concerto in D mi ; Détaché Passage 0.5MB ; Jan 08 (LH I like to practise a détaché passage legato (slurred) in order to learn the left hand fingering or passage work RH détaché must always sing with full body ! It's never a race !)

 

Violinist ; Roland Herrera
"Westbury Park Strings"
Read my curriculum vitae, or send me email wps@blueyonder.co.uk
Violin by Francesco Bissolotti, Cremona 1988
Bow by Jules Fetique, Paris 1905
"Passione" strings by Pirastro