Demetrius Constantine Dounis

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Demetrius Constantine Dounis (1886 – 1954) was an influential teacher of violin and string instrument technique. A trained physician, Dounis focused his early medical career on treating professional musicians from the world's major symphonies. He would work with a musician for at least six months, observing the musician's technique, asking questions, and devising new exercises to indirectly address the problem.

Dounis also wrote several instructional books. In his 1921 volume The Artist’s Technique of Violin Playing, Dounis emphasized the importance of shifting and finger exercises. These were to develop the musician's mental map at the beginning of practice, after which scale drills would be more effective.

Dounis' first name is variously spelled Demetrios or Demetrius.

[edit] References

• Wasson, George Dwayne and John M. Geringer (January 2006). "Elevators and escalators: the study of an innovative approach to teaching fingerboard geography to heterogeneous string classes". Theses and Dissertations from The University of Texas at Austin: 10–12. 

[edit] External links

• Neikrug, George and Tim Janof (2002). Conversation with George Neikrug. Tutti Celli. Internet Cello Society. Retrieved on 2007-08-21.