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Frequently Asked Questions

Frances Gall

Why have you released Violin Bow Technique on DVD-ROM?
How closely does Violin Alive match the AMEB Violin Technical Syllabus?
Why are the early stages of learning violin important?
Does Violin Magic use the Suzuki Method?
Will I need a violin teacher if I use your publications?
What is the age range for your titles?
As an adult, am I too old to start learning violin?
Why is video good for learning violin?
Why do you publish on CDROM?
Are your violin lessons available online?
How much video fits on a CDROM/DVD-ROM?
Do your titles run on Macintosh & Windows?
Will you be changing from CDROM to DVD?
Can I make a backup copy of my CDROM/DVD-ROM?
Can I copy my CDROM to my hard disk?
Do you offer site licences?
How do you create your titles? What tools do you use?

Why have you released Violin Bow Technique on DVD-ROM?

Violin Bow Technique is our latest production. Being a new title we were able to make use of DVD technology, which was just as well because we'd run out of space on the CDROM format, so we made the change. The extra room has also allowed us to inrease the resolution of our video clips and give the whole production a bit more 'space'.

How closely does Violin Alive match the AMEB Violin Technical Syllabus?

Very closely. Violin Alive covers the AMEB Violin Technical Syllabus from Preliminary to Grade 8. All the Exercises are demonstrated, with selected Scales and Arpeggios and practice points.

Why are the early stages of learning violin so important?

Early stages are important in all areas of learning. Getting it right from the start saves a lot of time and trouble. There is a large "athletic" component with violin, if you can follow "best practice" and build good foundations you are able to progress quickly. If you do it the wrong way you limit your ability to play. Having good technique and posture in the early stages allows you to develop the physical freedom you need to play at your best.

Does Violin Magic use the Suzuki Method?

Violin Magic volume 1 matches early Suzuki Book 1, volume 2 complements Books 1 & 2. Robert Wakely & Frances Gall are Suzuki teachers and Violin Magic reflects this - the content and teaching on Violin Magic supports the Suzuki Method.

Will I need a violin teacher if I use your publications?

Yes, get the best violin teacher you can. Our titles are educational publications that support you and your teacher in the process of learning the violin. They contain helpful information for violin beginners and the parents of young students. They illustrate points of early technique and provide clear and accurate teaching references. However, if you are unable to secure the services of a good teacher, they are a fine source of information and will give you practical help in learning to play.

What is the age range for your titles?

From earliest beginner to advanced adult. Violin Magic provides foundation material for the first year of learning violin, while Violin Alive and Violin Bow Technique support players from preliminary to advanced levels.

As an adult, am I too old to start learning violin?

There are many mature-age violin beginners, and many have a lot of fun learning the instrument. For all of them it's a challenge. You should find a good teacher to help you, and there are many resources available to assist - the Beginner Adult Violin Students news group is one and Violin Magic is another. Can you afford to spend 30 minutes a day at practice? If you can you'll make progress.

Why is video good for learning violin?

You can see and hear what's going on. Video is the best way to capture the essence of the lesson and clearly show the dynamic action of violin playing and instrumental technique.

Why do you publish on CDROM?

Because we love music. And violin, and teaching, and publishing. So ... multimedia really suits violin education. The CDROM format allows us to integrate video, audio, still photographs and text in the one publication. We can be quick, comprehensive, concise. CDROM is ubiquitous and is good for delivering constant high quality audio/video to remote locations, or a close location. It is a cost-effective medium for publisher and user. As we start to run out of space on CDROM we will be moving to DVD-ROM

Are your violin lessons available online?

Not yet. At present they are available only on CDROM. These can be purchased from music retailers or by mailorder online - see sales. In the future - it is likely that we will publish on DVDROM, DVD and the Web. With these new media, the means of delivery will change but the content will remain constant, and the cost will keep parity. There will also be inexpensive upgrades available for all registered users.

How much video fits on a CDROM/DVD-ROM?

Around 120 video clips, comprising about one hour of video in total. The total depends on frame size of the video and how it's compressed. Video on our CDROMs has a frame size of 352 x 280 pixels. We use MPEG-1 compression, the most common video standard. MPEG-1 is an open-standard technology and freely available. MPEG players are included with Windows and Macintosh operating systems. A DVD-ROM has around four times the capacity of a CDROM, and the newer standards of DVD-ROM will be bigger again.

Do your titles run on Macintosh & Windows?

Twofold Media CDROMs are in a "hybrid" format that will run on both Macintosh and Windows computers. On Windows computers they run on every operating system from 98SE through to XP. With Macintosh, we're currently upgrading from OS 9 to OS X, and this is happening in "stages". This means that the newer disks will run on OS X but WILL NOT RUN on OS 9, while the older disks will run happily on OS 9 and on OS X through its "Mac Classic" emulator. The Mac OS X emulator can run slowly on the smaller Macs and this can affect the smoothness of video playback. If you have questions please contact us at info@twofold.com.au and see system requirements for more details.

Violin Bow Technique has been released on DVD-ROM for Win 2000/XP and Mac OS X (Win Vista also will probably work well, but is so far untested), it will not run on Win 98 or Mac OS 9.

Will you be changing from CDROM to DVD?

We've started to make the change. Our latest title, Violin Bow Technique, has been released on DVD-ROM. The other titles will move to DVD-ROM as they are repressed .

Can I make a backup copy of my CDROM/DVD-ROM?

Yes, you are allowed to make a backup copy of your CDROM for safekeeping.

Can I copy my CDROM to my hard disk?

Yes. When copied to the hard disk your title will load and run faster, and doing this will minimize wear on your CDROM drive. Create a folder on your hard drive, copy the entire contents of a CDROM into the folder.

Do you offer site licences for your CDROMs?

Yes. Site Licences provide savings to schools and organizations who wish to use multiple copies. For information info@twofold.com.au

How do you create your titles? What tools do you use?

The video is recorded on Mini DV tape in mpeg format, cameras used are a Panasonic DX100 and a Panasonic EZ30, sound is captured through Microtech Gefell microphones, run through Behringer mixers and recording direct to tape at 48kHz. Filming is done in the ABC Iwaki Audiorium in Melbourne and the Auditorium of the Monash University Music School. Media processing and construction of the titles occurs on a network of PCs running Win2000 and XP, and a Mac running OS X. Video is transferred from tape to disk with ScenAlyzer and converted to avi format in the process. Audio is processed with Adobe Audition. Video and audio is recombined, resized, trimmed, topped and tailed and reformatted from avi to mpeg with Adobe Premiere. Still images and graphics are manipulated using Photoshop, Illustrator and Flash. Scores are produced with Sibelius. The authoring and production activities (designing a title and writing it, organisation of the filming schedule and post production activities, the acquisition and ordering of hundreds of video clips, texts, stills, scores, diagrams ... and more) is accomplished with the use of a database running on Microsoft Access. A title is assembled from its myriad components using Adobe Director. The final product is transferred to the Mac where it is hybridised, then mastered to CDROM using Toast.