Frequency of the string and length of the string: opposite ratios Harmonics and double stops

Written by Eun Hwan Bai
Published: August 19, 2014 at 8:48 AM [UTC]

Frequency of the string and length of the string: opposite ratios
Harmonics and double stops

Introduction

The origin of the word 'violin' came from the word 'violine', in which '-ine' means smaller in Italian. Therfore violine came from the word 'viola' and the fusion of the two makes: viola + ine = violine. Hence, 'violin' in English derives from smaller viola, violine.

Historically, there is no doubt that the viola was used long before the violin was created.

As the two instruments evolved, however, the viola became used more for chamber and orchestral music as the violin came more into the foreground as a favorite solo instrument.

In the twentieth century composers have written progressively more for the viola and the cello as solo instruments, but the repertoire for either instruments cannot yet compare to the vast repertoire for the violin.

The question that arises may be 'why did people prefer the high registered instrument such as the violin.

One of the reasons may be that the stimulation of the sound quality of the violin on the human ear may be more intense than that of lower register instruments.

When one becomes excited or upset one tends to raise the pitch of the voice. Female voices tend to carry further and sound louder than that of the male voice.

As a result of these natural tendencies, the violin has established itself as one of the most played instruments.

Frequency of the string and length of the string: opposite ratios

When we use the metronome or tune the piano we use describe the notes in terms of frequencies.

The concert A that most countries refer to has been set at 440Hz. However, in many countries such as Japan and Germany, the concert A is now 442Hz-445Hz. This is to raise the intensity and excite the emotions.

These days the A is so sharp that on recordings it is sometimes difficult to tell whether it is tuned to A or Bb.

In my opinion this is commercial method rather than anything else and in the long run does not make a big difference to the music itself. I personally tune my violin to 440Hz.

Therefore even if the piano in the concert hall is tuned to 442Hz, it makes little difference to the way I perceive intonation.

On the other hand, if students tune the violin to 445Hz to practice, he/she may run into many problems trying to adjust to a lower 442Hz tuning.

Naturally the ear can easily react to tuning up to a set intonation but has physical reaction to tuning down.

A note is created by a shock or wave from a material travelling in the air. 440Hz denotes the number (440) of waves in one second.

Therefore if this number was multiplied a similar shaped wave as A is formed, such as 440 x 2 = 880 which would result in an A an octave above, and 440 x 1/2 = 220 would result in an A an octave below.

In such manner the Pythagorean theory became today's seven note octave. His experimental instrument was of a very simple kind which was used to study the properties of the string.

The stringed instruments of today have the same principles.

If one plays a natural harmonic above the open string, the note produced would be an octave above and this is placed half way on the string.

If a note two octaves above the open string was desired, one has to place the finger so that the string is a quarter of its length. Therefore all the harmonics on the string is a multiple of the Hz of the open string.

The wave lengths measured in Hz identifies the name of the note but it also identifies the exact intonation of the note.

The violin is a difficult instrument to tune, perhaps even more than other stringed instruments.

This may be because the normal limitation of the human ear is only 200Hz-4000Hz. But a well trained ear is very sensitive and can identify the slightest change in the note's wave length.

The smallest movements on the fingerboard are made by the tip of the fingers.

Although the strings themselves speak out the specific notes, the resonance is enlarged by the body of the violin.

Harmonics and double stops

Harmonics can be divided into natural and artificial harmonics. For the purpose of intonation it may be useful to practice the artificial kind.

The harmonic will not sound if the note is even slightly out of tune.

Famous violinist such as Zino Francescatti found scales in harmonics one of the most essential exercises and this shows in his performance.

Another significant part of a violinist's daily practice should be double stops.

Double stop exercises can train the hand shape to anticipate the intervalic space between notes and can help to build up good left hand habits.

Although very difficult, one can improve the hand by combining both harmonics and double stops.

3. Practice methods for scales
What does it mean to practice?
Scales: Different variety scales and Method of practice

What does it mean to practice?

What does it mean to practice? Before we begin with the issues involved in the act of practicing, I would like to briefly discuss how we view the word 'practice' itself.

The method in which we repeat in the practice can be the making or failing of the process of practice.

But another important factor in the practice process is the 'memory'.

Most knowledge and intelligence is generated by the faculty of memory but this is an area of brain function that can be improved.

In English the word 'memory' has a conotation to 'keep'. Very much like the way one programs many data into the computer, the human mind has more potential to input and process the information that the brain discovers.

Can human beings pocess inifinite potential to learn?

In my opinion the answer can only be 'yes' as far the mastering of the violin is concerned.

In this case the equation of 'practice = potential' is possible.

There are two ways of training the brain to memorise: the first way would be to through understanding and awareness of the materials at hand and the second way would be through repetition.

Generally human beings are enormously affected by their surroundings and more importantly by their situation in life: the amount of knowledge or skills acquired depend very on how much one wants to learn.

Therefore, the act memorising can be a matter of mental concentration. One of the common feats of young prodigies like Midori or Sarah Chang is their excellent memory.

Of course their fortunate environment, the wonderful quality of teaching and talent played a huge role, I believe that their rock solid memory was an absolute reason behind their success stories.

Scales: Different variety scales and Method of practice

Let us compare 'playing with marbles' and a 'basketball game' to intonation of the violin.

A basket player who shoots well from the circle is considered a player with good merits.

On the violin it is also important to retain tactile memory of the distance between two fingers and between two positions.

The priority of an accurate shot in a basketball game and an accurate left hand is without precedent in the technique of playing a game or the violin.

However the tedious problem behind trying to attempt this is the daily repetitive effort needed to master both these skills.

In order to strengthen and train the physical and mental memory one needs to be prepared to invest a lot of time and effort, as well as develop patience and stamina.

Of course other skills and knowledge will come and the student will find that with time he/she has mastered the necessary know-how.

For example, once one has mastered 'up-bow staccato' or 'trill', one does not need to practice them on a daily basis. Great performers such as Heifetz had a strict regimental plan to practice scales everyday throughout his life and this may be the secret behind his legendary career.

Therefore, one can infer that 'tactile memory = scales', but one may ask, "is there not an short cut to this road?"

Everyone must look for the most direct route to mastering the instrument but if one cannot find the most direct route, one must investigate after what is the nearest road.

Reflecting on my personal experience, the fastest or shortest road to a memory that might come even near that of Heifetz's is through practicing scales.

In that case let us look at the different variety of scales.

There is an enormous array of different kinds of scales.

By simply grouping them, the list may look like this: chromatics, single stops, thirds, perfect fourths, perfect fifths, sixths, sevenths, octaves etc. These can be used as intervals within a single stop scale or can be applied to double, triple or quadruple stops.

Intervals extending above an octave, such as nineth or tenths, can be compared to a long shot in a basketball game, and demand agility and flexibility.

More complex arrangements of the above mentioned scales can be combinations of single/ multiple stops to harmonics but once the students has mastered focusing a good center for intonation, learning to play the complex arrange is not so difficult.

Arpeggios and scales in thirds are often practiced in triplet rhythm in order to improve fluency of movement and to regulate the fingers.

For young beginners it is essential that they train the fingers to be rhythmic: this is as important as intonation training at this stage of learning.

I think that regular practice of scales in triplet with the aid of a metronome would be of great help.

There are many theories about how exact intonation should be acquired but in my opinion there is no shortcut except for continuous vigil and care.

As Heifetz once said, "there is not one violinist in the world who has perfect intonation".

All we can hope for is to always aim and practice for better intonation. Left hand training is the most finicky.

What is available in the violin literature for students of different levels of development?

There are some things we need to take into account when choosing pieces for students.

First, the teacher needs to be aware of the level of the student and know what would be suitable and possible for the student.

Second, the teacher needs to think of what would be helpful and useful for his/her improvement on the instrument,

Third, it is more useful of the teacher has intimate knowledge of the piece at hand so that he/she can demonstrate to the student.

I will list a few of the literature available to the beginners.

Among the well-known books are:
- Hohmann C.H. Violin School, Op. 31 - Suzuki Violin Method

Some less known material which can be just as good are:
- Albert Bachmann Violin Method - Siegmund Bauer Practical Violin School
- Jacob Blied Elementary School - Karl Hauer Elementary Violin School
- Karl Hering Elementary School,Op. 13 - R. Hofmann Elementary School, Op. 84
- A. Houfflack Easy Method, Op. 32 - H. Kling Easy Violin School, Op. 453
- L.J.Meerts Elementary School - T. Rehbaum Elementary Violin School
- E. Schmidt The Rudiments of Violin Playing - Karl Wassmann New Violin Method
- Ferd Zimmer Elementary School, Op.2 -C.F.A. Zimmermann Practical Violin School

The intermediate level would require works such as:
For scales:
- J. Hrimaly - Carl Flesch

The better known studies are:
- J. Dont 24 Studies and Caprices, Op. 35 - H.E. Kayser 24 Exercises, Op. 37
- F. Mazas - R. Kreutzer 42 Etudes
- P. Rode 12 Etudes

The lesser known studies are:
- D. Alard 24 Etude-Caprices, Op. 41 - Ch. de Berio 187 Exercises
- A. Bloch Scales, Studies and Double Stops - Jos. Bloch 12 Caprices, Op. 8
- Franz Coenen 12 Etudes - E. Despas 20 Etudes, Op. 105
- Ch. Hering 12 Caprices, Op. 18 - Gustav Hiller 12 Etudes, Op. 47
- Ch. Kleinecke 12 Etudes, Op. 18 - Th. Kleinecke 24 Etudes, Op. 12
- A. Lefort 12 Etudes - P. Libon 30 Caprices, Op. 15
- Carl Machts 10 Etudes and Caprices - Clemens Meyer 15 Etudes
- Rene Ortmans 25 Etudes, Op. 8 - Pietro Rorelli 12 Caprices, Op. 3
- Hans Sitt 24 Etudes, Op. 80 - Lidwig Spohr 12 Studies
- Georg Wichtl 25 Studies, Op. 115

The studies that are universally used by highest level would be:
- F. Fiorillo 36 Studies or Caprices - P. Gavines 24 Studies
- N. Paganini 24 Caprices - O Sevcik Studies (5 volumes)

Other less known but equally efffective studies are:
- Leopold Auer 12 Characteristic Preludes - A. Bachmann 6 Caprices du Vitrtuosite
- Ch. de Beriot 6 Etudes Brilliantes, Op. 17 - David Ferd 6 Caprices
- F. A. Durand 6 Caprices, Op. 15 - J. Eichoberg 24 Technical Studies, Op 80
- H.W. Ernst 6 Grand Etudes - Ivan Galamian High Technical Method
- Carl Flesch Etude Collections (3 volumes) - Ed. Hermann 6 Concert Etudes, Op.6
- Jeno Hubay 6 Etudes, Op. 63; Op. 64; 10 Etudes Concertantes, Op. 89
- Franz Kneisel Advanced Exercises - N. Krouszevski Etude de Concert, Op. 1
- John Palaschko 6 Concert Etudes, Op. 14 - E. Pente 6 Etudes-Impressions, Op. 18
- F Prume 6 Grand Etudes, Op 2; Op. 14 - E. Sauret 18 Grand Etudes, Op. 24
- H. Vieuxtemps 6 Concert Etudes, Op. 16 - H. Wieniawski Etudes Caprices, Op. 10

- Anton Witek Fingered Octaves

For those of us who want to learn to play the violin as a hobby, how far must we study until we are able to just enjoy playing?

In my opinion the violin is a too difficult an instrument to learn without receiving at least one or two regular lessons a week. After perhaps a year of receiving lessons, the student may be able to play simple hymns at sight.

What are the special points I need to remember when I am purchasing a violin?

The prices of violins can vary enormously, depending on the age, the maker, the condition, the popularity and of course the sound quality of the instrument. Machine-made instruments are relatively much cheaper than those made by hand.

Of the machine-made violins, those made in Germany are somewhat superior in quality than those made in Japan.

There are some good quality hand-made violins produced for around 5000 US$ Of course, of the 'old' Italian instruments, there are violins which are priced a few million dollars.

One must be weary of fake instruments, as well as instruments in bad condition. There have been many cases where the dealers have been even imprisoned for falsifying and forgery.

One must ask for advise from a reputed violin repairer or dealer.

How long should my daily practice should be?

The hours of practice should depend on the age of the student. For students aged ten or below should not practice more than three hours.

Students who are older should, health permitting, practice a little more than three hours if the student would like to aim to become a professional musician.

(Of course, it is not the number of hours that matters but the quality of practice which should concern the students. As a student begins to become more familiar with instrument, the practice should become more efficient.)

I remember over-practicing for 12 hours a day in my youth: 4 hours in the morning, 4 hours in the afternoon and 4 hours at night.

(It is also very important to take regular breaks so that the muscles and tendons are not damaged in any way.)

How early should a child start playing the violin?

Many children in the West start to play when he/she is only four years old. Today, there are parents who begin their children at the age of three.

In cases of prodigies like Midori and Sarah Chang, they also started at an early age but their success is a culmination of excellent teaching, high awareness and talent.

When is a good time to begin 'vibrato'?

Of course it would ideal to begin as soon as possible. However, I think that the student should be able to read and distinguish the notes before beginning work on 'vibrato'.