Dowland liked this melody so much he set it several times, once as a song (“Now, oh now, I needs must part”) and once as a galliard for solo lute. I’ve included the text here to help you with the phrasing.

Skill Builders

Musicality: As we work on singing lyrically, we can focus on getting the best sound possible. The hemiolas (shifted accents in the bar) at the end require some attention.

Left Hand: Because there is no new technique to work on, let’s concentrate on placing the fingers exactly behind the fret to help with getting the best sound possible.

Right Hand: Lots of retakes and hooked bowings mean accuracy in placing and phrasing with the bow.

The branle, also known as brawl, is a stately dance in four danced by a chain of couples. Praetorius collected many of these earlier dances and published them in his famous collection "Terpsichore."

Skill Builders

Musicality: While the first half can be played in a slow two, the second half is made of quicker and lighter rhythms; be careful not to start too fast!

Left Hand: The fast eighth-notes will test our coordination, while we also get to practice a barre on the top two strings.

Right Hand: Dotted quarter + eighth are always challenging for the right hand, making sure the eighth-note doesn't come crashing out. The eighth-notes in the penultimate bar in each half are bowed backwards; make sure they don't sound like it. 

One of the most beautiful consort songs of the English Renaissance, we'll get to play this piece twice. This is the complete song, compared to the reduced version we worked on in level 1.

Skill Builders

Musicality: From bar 14, the increased rhythmic activity should be played should be articulated and under control.

Left Hand: Although this version is longer, there are no new techniques. Make sure to keep down your fingers as much as possible to avoid unnecessary movement.

Right Hand: The quarter notes should be short and sparkly, making sure you get the right string at the right moment, with no unwanted sounds or squeaks.

While Isaac was once one of the most famous and prolific composers in Europe, this wistful song is one of the few works we still play today.

Skill Builders

Musicality: The word accents don't always line up with the rhythmic accents, meaning we have to figure out how best to interpret the text

Left Hand: We will continue to refine our use of 4th finger versus open strings

Right Hand: The unexpected text accents require a planning of bow weight that we haven't seen yet

A 16th-century frottola, or lightweight love song, this sweet little tune has a few fast notes and a surprising F natural, making it sound older than it is.

Skill Builders

Musicality: We want to keep this light and perky, without too many accents on the first beats. Lean on the F natural when it comes.

Left Hand: As most of this song is played on the top two strings, we'll practice a light left hand to match the right.

Right Hand: The first jump is already a big string crossing, so work on making that clean. The fast notes in bar 10 should sound easy; make sure that you place all four fingers down, then it's just a question of lifting them up in time.

In this course, we are looking at a huge variety of repertoire, from Completely Forgotten to the Greatest Hits of the Renaissance and Baroque. But no hit is as engraved in the common consciousness as this one, the perennial Greensleeves.

Skill Builders

Musicality: While the melody sounds naive, our task is to make it as singingly sweet as possible, despite a few challenges for the bow arm.

Left Hand: We remain firmly in first position but need to think about perfect placement behind the fret in order to get the best sound possible on the top strings.

Right Hand: Because this piece lies high on the instrument, the bow needs to be at the sweet spot close to the bridge, with not too much weight on the D string.

A true classic that has stood the test of time, written by one of the great composers of the Renaissance. 

Skill Builders

Musicality: The long slow melodic lines require good bow control and a conscious effort to continue the phrase. The final note is special with its minor cadence, unusual for the time.

Left Hand: The key of G minor means we have to remain in the half position. The third finger on the Eb is new and needs enough weight to fully stop the string.

Right Hand: Many phrases begin on a down bow, which doesn't always feel natural. Work on setting the bow down at the frog calmly, with no bounces.

The music is exactly the same as we saw in Level 1, but we're going to use a more advanced fingering this time.

Skill Builders

Musicality: We want this to sound easy, despite the new fingerings.

Left Hand: We'll work on using lots of weight for the barré so the strings are really held down. The shifting back to half position for the F will give us a much cleaner sound than the 4th finger we used before.

Right Hand: The unequal rhythms remain a challenge, plus having a few more string crossings than before.

Another English Country dance from the important collection by John Playford. It goes by in a flash, but has some technical challenges for us to examine.

Skill Builders

Musicality: The tonality is ambiguous in the first full bar, preparing us for the interesting harmonies in the second half.

Left Hand: The first half remains in the first position, allowing us to work on preparing fingers on the new string. We will practice our first/half position shifts in the second half, always with an open string to prepare.

Right Hand: The repeated quarters and dotted quarters need to remain light, while the scalar eighth-notes should be long. Be aware of the backwards eighth-notes in the last bar, making sure they keep the correct accents.

This slow and elegant pavane from 16th-century Spain is not rhythmically challenging, but needs a controlled sound and our first shift into half position.

Skill Builders

Musicality: The long melismas (multiple notes on one syllable) and odd phrase lengths require long melodic lines

Left Hand: We will practice shifting back into the half position and then back up to first; the open string before the shift will give us plenty of time to make the motion

Right Hand: The few syncopations and the long lines will need a concentrated bow control 

Another favorite throughout Europe, we will be looking at the version by the Dutch composer Sweelinck. A perky, happy dance, the tune was written for the grand wedding festivities of Fernando de Medici.

Skill Builders

Musicality: We will work on different articulations to bring out the moods in the piece

Left Hand: We get another chance to practice shifting in and out of half position, now with a little less time to prepare

Right Hand: The shorter articulation of the repeated notes should contrast with the longer bow stroke of the more melodic passages

This wistful 5-part motet was first published in 1679 but was adapted many decades later by Bach for the closing movement of his cantata 27. Note the different atmosphere in the triple meter at the end, depicting the joy we'll find in heaven compared to the strife and pain we feel on earth.

Skill Builders

Musicality: This is our first piece where we have to shift the pulse from 4/4 to 3/4. I've set the metronome to the half-note so the pulse stays the same from the half-bar to the whole bar.

Left Hand: We'll practice shifting back to half position for the A# on the word "strife" (!) and then using the open D string to shift back up to first position.

Right Hand: We have a few long up-bows, which we'll have to compensate for by a very short down-bow. This is even more clear in the triple section, complete with hemiola (a shifting of the pulse) at the end.