November 2007

Teaching in Ramallah

November 15, 2007 06:39

Yesterday a lady working on projects of development in Palestina asked me if I would be interested in joining a project for classical instrument teaching in Ramallah for beginners.

The project will include also the chance for beginners to have thier own instrument bought using regional funds.

Unfortunately in this moment I'm focusing on getting a job as a chemist so I refused her proposal but in the same time I was thinking that it's crazy that in Israel there are the best music schools in the world and palestinians can't afford to get there to study in those schools, that's so sad.

I hope the instruments will get to Ramallah without problems: you know as strict are the controls in Ben Gurion airport.

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Clockwise and Anticlockwise rotation: a key rule for violin playing

November 9, 2007 08:21

Today I was at violin class and my teacher was teaching to a beginner the rule that is fundamental for a correct and physiologically sane way to play, day by day I get a confirmation on that.

Clockwise and anticlockwise rotation of bow can be identified in this way:

if you have to play on two adjacent strings and

1) lower string has to be played down
2) higher string has to be played up

the rotation of the bow has to be performed with the arm as still as possible and just with a combined movement of fingers (closing and opening) and wrist (bent fingers on the lower string and relaxed on the higher) and the rotation is clockwise from the point of view of the player. THIS IS THE PHYSIOLOGICALLY MORE CONVENIENT CASE

Otherwise if you have to play

1)lower string up
2)higher string down

the rotation has to be performed with the aid of the arm and the rotation is anticlockwise.THIS SITUATION IS LESS PHYSIOLOGICALLY CONVENIENT BUT IS VERY FREQUENT IN THE LITERATURE.

One of the most helpful etudes summarizing the theory expressed above is the etude n°2 by Rode in which we can apply both the movements.

At the base of this patterns there is once again the precious movement of fingers/wrist which is at the basis of mechanism of forte and piano production (vd previous discussions).

Day by day I guess that who learns these movements has just learned to walk...

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