Mendelssohn — A Midsummer Night's Dream, Scherzo

Conservatory-level. Every dimension is being measured.

Violin96 bpm55s take

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Where this excerpt appears

Standard on every major North American orchestra violin section audition
Conservatory graduate and undergraduate pre-screens
Civic and regional orchestra professional auditions
National Orchestral Institute auditions

Panel-ready practice tips

1.This excerpt is won or lost on spiccato — off-the-string articulation that stays metrically precise for 40 bars. Practice with the bow barely leaving the string so it never bounces higher than necessary.
2.The fast sixteenths at letter B must stay piano. Panels cut anyone whose dynamic blooms on the fast notes because it signals nervous energy.
3.Bow point matters: the sweet spot is roughly two inches above the middle. Too close to the frog and the articulation thickens; too high and the sound thins.
4.Practice with a drone on E — the passagework drifts flat under pressure and a drone trains the ear to hold the center.
5.The sudden forte accents in the B section should feel like a button click, not a swipe. Re-set the bow for each accent.