Dancla : Studies Op. 84

General technical remarks for Dancla's Opus 84 :

• Dancla's Studies Opus 84 can be the first book of studies given to a student, after one to two years of preparation
• Dancla often precedes his studies with preliminary scales or exercises to which much attention must be given
• The 36 Studies Opus 84 cover a wide range of technical challenges : scale passages, whole bow legato, detache bowing, cantabile playing style, smooth string crossings, slurred arpeggios, shifting, staccato, etc.
• Some studies are in fact opera arias with variations
• Studies written in detache bowing (such as No. 1) should be practiced also with a great variety of bowing patterns in the aim of developing bowing technique
• The left hand should be kept thoroughly relaxed, with the fingers very close to the fingerboard. In particular, the fourth finger should always remain above the strings
• The first finger acts as an anchor for the entire left hand, and should thus be left on the strings as much as possible
• The use of open strings is to be encouraged for beginners, as they provide an excellent reference for intonation and have a pleasant and pure resonance