Zigeunerweisen Bowings

November 2, 2011 at 07:17 AM · This is a pretty big question. What exactly do you need help on? Have you asked your teacher?

November 2, 2011 at 07:37 AM · Four years? What are you trying to prove? Take a little time to smell the musical roses, and don't be so worried about impressing people with your skills.

November 2, 2011 at 10:14 PM · I am more concerned with sautille. My teacher has taught it to me but we have not reviewed it and I have a competition coming up so I have no time to review. This piece will not be played at the competition.

November 3, 2011 at 03:09 AM · Just out of curiosity, have you studied the spiccato stroke? This would generally come before the sautille. If you are interested in experimenting, sautille is usually done above the middle, with slightly less tilt in the bow. Of course, speed is the defining factor in this stroke. It is actually a rather good way to "test" a bow, if you are trying different ones.

November 3, 2011 at 03:18 AM · In that case, I must have a bad bow as I seem to get no sound with this stroke. Technique problems, possibly?

November 3, 2011 at 05:47 PM · "I am more concerned with sautille. My teacher has taught it to me but we have not reviewed it and I have a competition coming up so I have no time to review. This piece will not be played at the competition."

I'm confused (more than usual). You have a competition coming up and are concerned with sautillé. Yet you're not playing the piece in the competition. I'd think that your teacher would tell you to NOT waste time on strokes that are above your level and to instead focus on the techniques that the competition DOES require.

November 4, 2011 at 11:09 PM · I know that none of the advice to not worry about this at this time is going to stop you - so let me tell this:

Yes - it could be your bow!

I had an adult (mid-20s) student about 10 years ago, who had played the violin previously and wanted to get back into it. She could not do a sautille with her W. Seifert bow even though it looked like she was doing everything correctly. I handed her a Glasser Composite that I had around at the time and and a decent sautille sounded immediately.

Not to disparage the W. Seifert brand of bows. My best viola bow is a W. Seifert - great sound and I can't keep it from a decent sautille (at the right times, of course). But her bow was a clunker.

Andy

November 4, 2011 at 11:10 PM ·