The Janoska Ensemble performs Rumba for Amadeus - plus tips for playing with 'Janoska Style'

In the video above the Janoska Ensemble perform their own improvisation based upon Mozart's Piano Concerto no. 20 - 'Rumba for Amadeus'.

The group of three brothers - Ondrej, Frantisek and Roman Janoska - together with their brother-in-law Julius Darvas provide tips below for performing violinist Roman's most popular rhythmic accompaniment (as demonstrated in the video):

To provide you with a brief flavor of our 'Janoska Style', here's how to play Roman's rhythmic accompaniment on the violin...

1. First of all, put your bow away as you are not going to use it

2. Hold the violin like a guitar

3. The left hand will be used to play chords. The index finger of the right hand will strum so that you can freely move your wrist

4. After mastering the rhythm on open strings, play the same rhythm with chords

5. When you have mastered this rhythm, try different rhythm varieties on one or more chords.

EXERCISE:

In order to practise this rhythm properly, the most important thing is that the right hand moves constantly. No matter what, the hand should not stop.

First, at a slow pace and with a metronome, play on open strings so that you hit all four strings simultaneously

The letter 'D' refers to a downward stroke; the letter 'U' refers to an upwards stroke

At the tie the hand strums downward without actually playing the strings

Do not focus on making your sound pretty; focus only on the rhythm. Combine different patterns and try to make up your own

The Janoska Ensemble release their debut album Janoska Style on Deutsche Grammophon this week in the US and the UK.  The group embark on a multi city tour of the US, including stops in New York, Miami, San Antonio and Los Angeles, from 16 March 2017.

Photo: Julia Wesely