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 Left Hand: Hitting other strings, etc…April 22, 2008 at 6:26 PM Hitting neighboring strings: Talk to your teacher, but it is okay to hit the other strings — unless it interferes with the next note to be played. A combination of placing the finger a bit more to the side (off-center) and/or modifying the angle of the left arm via rotation of the forearm possibly combined with the pendulum movement of the upper left arm.
Strings can be set a little further apart. Your luthier can re-do the nut at the end of the fingerboard and the bridge string-spacings. Also, the strings can be set closer for those with smaller hands. This is of tremendous help when playing 5ths and various chords.
With a High 3 Hand Group (M2, M2, m2), also open the left hand/forearm a bit (counter-clockwise). This enables an easier lengthening/reaching of the finger. Don't do so much as to make it difficult for the 4th finger.
Pizzicato on page 93: Left hand pizzicato, what is considered advanced virtuoso technique, is great at developing left hand shape, curve of the fingers, dexterity and precise rhythmic control. Excerpt: Again, work this with your teacher — do #1 with just the open E-string and G-string. Initially pluck with only the 4th finger. When this is gaining confidence, add the 3rd finger and still later the 2nd and 1st fingers. Vary rhythms as ready. Quickly/suddenly — the pulling of the fingertip towards its base joint. Allow a slight follow through of the natural counter-clockwise rotation. Note that on the E-string the 2nd and especially the 1st fingers will drop into the hand a bit if not continuing on with more left hand pizzicato. BONUS: This also develops a stronger finger action and tougher pads.
Wiggle and flex it all over the place:-) This probably happens mostly when playing the 3rd finger, and possible 2nd. Hold them down and move 4th around, including returning the 4th to the "flag pole" position, as this will show the tension that is causing this involuntary action. Hope this helps — Author of
From Jim W. Miller
Re: the flagpole 4th, I saw a video of a well-respected, well-known soloist who does that. Lurking at a different vln website, I saw people talking about it. They were wondering if he'd been taught that to compensate for something else. I emailed the person via this site, and respectfully asked what was up with it. They wrote back and said teachers tried to change it early on but eventually left it alone. So a whole slew of teachers now, including ppl like Zukerman, have apparently left it alone. The real reason for it is just because, like I'd been suspecting :) It's fine in that person's case, apparently.
Posted on April 23, 2008 at 12:00 AM From Drew Lecher
Jim,Posted on April 23, 2008 at 5:05 AM You are probably correct. Sometimes with a very advanced and talented player it is thought better to be leave alone on certain matters at certain levels. There has to be the will-power of the player to see the need and conquer the problem. I could easily imagine PZ saying something to this player and they didn't grasp the need and importance, so he would not spend further time on the subject. It is still not the best way to use the "pinky." It is too likely to develop over-stress or worse — tendonitis! I hope that is not true for the alluded to player, or anyone else for that matter. When I imitate the problem to new students of various levels they are able to conquer it in 99% of the cases. It simply boils down to — bad habits are bombs waiting to go off for all of us. We have to rid our playing of them asap, and then EVERyTHING truly does become much easier and far more enjoyable. Cheers, From Jim W. Miller
To me it's an interesting bit of uniqueness and contraryness that's working, for the time being at least as you say. Actually, it even looks bent backward at the tip-most joint a lot of the time.
Posted on April 23, 2008 at 6:06 AM From Drew Lecher
Who is this player???Posted on April 23, 2008 at 4:02 PM I am too curious:-) From Jim W. Miller
I don't want to say who, because I mentioned a private communication. I wish I hadn't, so we could talk about it more. Other people here might be able to guess. I'll neither confirm nor deny :)
Posted on April 23, 2008 at 5:04 PM From Teresa Colombo
"It simply boils down to — bad habits are bombs waiting to go off for all of us."Posted on April 24, 2008 at 1:15 PM Unfortunately we can get away with an awful lot when we are 20, even 30, but then it starts! Often we don't don't even realize we are mis-using our body!
From Ray Randall
The superb teacher I work with said she was doing something years ago that a highly regardedconcert violinist was also doing. At this time she was playing in one of the top orchestrasPosted on April 27, 2008 at 12:44 AM of the world when he CM, a friend, asked her why she did that. After hearing her explantion the CM laughed and said "so and so play exceptionally well in spite of that, not because of it." This entry has been archived and is no longer accepting comments. |
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