MODERN VIOLIN PL - forgottenbooks.com · MODERN VIOLIN-PLAYING CHAPTER I THE THREE LIN%S THE object of this book is to help violin-players. To help them, that is to sa y, by offering

MODERN VIOLIN-PLAYING

SAM%EL B. QR IMSONAND

CEC IL FORSYTH

NEW YOR% : THE H . W . GRAY CO .

Sole Agents for NOVELLO 85 CO . LTD .

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TABLE OF CHAPTERS

CHAPTER

I .

—THE THREE LIN%S

II .

—THE LEFT-HAND : THEORY

III .

—THE LEFT-HAND : PRACTICE

IV—THE RIGHT-HAND : THEORY

V.

—THE RIGHT-HAND : PRACTICE

VI .

—GENERAI. POSITION. CARE OF THE VIOLIN

VII .

—THE H IGHER POSITIONS . SHIFTING

VIII .

—SPICCATO . STACCATO

IX.

—HARMONICS . PIzzICATo . TRILLS

X .

-DO%BLE-STOPS . CHORDS . IMPROVISATION


CHAPTER I

THE THREE LIN%S

THE object of this book is to help violin-players . To help them,

that is to sa y, by off ering them something that is quite new in theviolin-world—a n accurate study of the physical laws that governviolin-pla ying. and clear instructions for acquiring a sound violintechnique .

The process of learning to play the violin has no direct connectionwith the art of music . It depends for its success solely onthe properunderstanding and application of the laws of anatomical a ction . Andthese , again, are merely specialized examples of the more general lawsof mechanics .

Till the violinist has mastered these laws and ha s lea rned to rega rdhis violin a s a ma chine , he should keep a ll his ideas on the expressiveside of music under lock and key . Emotion, when pitted a gainst theeterna l la ws of the universe , has a poor cha nce of success ; a nd evenwhen working in harmony with them , it only ra rely ma nages to express itself . This is a hard row to hoe ; but assuredly the only one worththe hoeing . And if some bitterness a nd impatience tend to rise in thestudent ’s mind , he should a sk himself how he would like to ta ke ara ilway-journey over the bridges of an emotional engineer, whose sympathetic soul wa s ignorant of the stressa s and strains of his instrument—steel .

% But , the studentma y ask surely a ll violinists do not need to gothrough this stern mechanica l training ? Surely some are born withthe divine gift of violin-playing ? And if some , why not IWell , the strict and truthful answer to this query is that , first of

a ll, nobody is born with a divine gift of violin-playing a ny more tha nhe is born with a divine gift of walking, or of talking the langua ge of hisown pa rents . He has to lea rn all three.

2 MODERN VIOLIN-PLAYING

About once in a hundred thousand times it ha ppens that a playerhits on the correct mechanical procedure by accident , just a s aboutonce in a hundred thousand times an engineer might guess the tensionsof his steel bridge correctly . The engineer can only repeat his successby the miracle of a second lucky guess . In that respect the violinistha s the advantage over him . When once he ha s hit on the rightmethod , he recognizes its value by its artistic results . He tests it ;and finds that , with him, it always works . That gives him the onething for which he is searching—personal security on his instrument .

The physical why and wherefore of the matter never crosseshis mind .

But observe the vast difference between the two cases from the

teacher’s point of view% N0 one , out of a lunatic asylum , would a p

point the guessing engineer to a university chair of engineering . Theviolinist , on the other hand, though he is certain to have all the artist

’

s

distaste for definition and all the artist ’s confusion a s between mea nsand sensa tion , is immediately labelled genius .

Now , so long as he remains in the genius-business , there is not oneword to be said against him . But a s soon a s that cap is stuck on hishead , he becomes a potent money-dra wing attraction a s a tea cher.

And there the trouble begins .

He collects a grea t many expensive pupils , who come to learn themysteries of his a rt .

” In the class-room they all stand round him,

open-mouthed with the words % How is it done ? And he has not theremotest idea of any satisfactory answer to these terribly sea rchingwords . Hemay Show them how ,

” of course . Hema y play the actualpassage under discussion . If it % comes off the first time , all he ca nanswer to their question is , Like that .

” If it doesn ’t come off thefirst or second time , he ha s to try again , blaming his bow or perhaps theweather for his earlier failures . And even if he plays the passagefina lly

—nay , even if he plays it finally with the most perfect and consummate a rt—his pupils have learned nothing technically . After theexhibition

,one can only sa y that he diff ers from them in that he can

play the passage sometimes , and they can not .

When this position is established a s between teacher and pupil , theformer’s friends have to re establish the balance with a good deal ofClever window-dressing , all designed to cover up deficiencies in thestock-room behind . Out comes all the old rubbish and hocus-pocusa bout genius a nd the divine mystery of the violin and the God

given fa culty of expression —all the old skimble-skamble stufi that

THE THREE LIN%S 3

ha s done so much ha rm to the simple honest dignity Of the violin forthe past three hundred years .It is ea sy to see the result of this system of tea ching . One ha s

only to go through one’

S list of fiddle-playing friends to find a dozenv ictims . They are all men whose student-days have been devotedsolely to imitating the persona l peculiarities of their masters . Themechanical laws under which they have to work have never been explained to them . Nor have theyever been taught that the a pplicationof these laws must differ as between

'

man a nd man, because no twoa rms a nd hands are exactly the same . Technique has always beenheld up to them a s an artistic mystery , to be solved by guess-work andtrick-work and % ha rdThe consequence is that , when they cease paying for this mystical

instruction and begin their ca reers a s players , they are soon startledby the sound of a cog-and-ratchet working in theirmusical mechanisms .

They get so far , and there they stick . Nothing helps them . Theyma y increase their daily allowance of practising to an amount thatwould be almost criminal in a ny other profession . But it ta kes themnowhere . And the bedrock rea son at the bottom of a ll this sea of

difficulties is that they are attempting to substitute knack a nd guesswork for a knowledge of mechanics and their application through thehuman anatomy .

The last two paragraphs have been written in no Spirit of ca rpingcriticism and certainly in no spirit of levity , but with a profound consciousness of the actual state of a fi a irs in the violin-world of to-day .

It is only during our own generation that the reproach has been liftedfrom the piano-world , and the technique of that instrument placedupon a solid scientific basis . N0 less 15 due to the older and more beautiful instrument , the violin . And it is earnestly hoped that this bookmay help many erra nt members of the string-brotherhood , whosewheels have stopped on strange unfriendly roads , by directing theirattention back to the first principles of mechanism and of safe artistictravel .So far for the living teacher and his pupil . There is , however,

a nother large body of teaching-doctrine lying entombed in the variousViolin Schools and Violin Methods that have already been published .

A few of these are important works , written by the great players of thepa st . The grea t majority are timid recapitulations and a daptationsof these few works . They have no importance at all .But even in the best-known and most commonly used Violin Schools


the instructions a re , in the ma in , false and mislea ding. This is a ha rdbut true sta tement . And the ea se with which its truth ca n be provedis a n a stonishing commenta ry on the rea diness of the huma n mind toa ccept a s proved that which requires some mental efiort to disprove .

The a uthors of these recognized Violin Schools were undoubtedly

great a s players . But it does not follow that they were great , or evencompetent , a s educators . Their impulse—the a rtistic impulse—wasa lways to attach more importance to the end than to the mea ns . Thisinvolved the ignoring of the one grea t factor in violin-playing, themecha nism of the human hand . And that factor, once ignored , leftthe a rt of violin-playing a n intangible thing, scarcely capable of adequate treatment . Let us add that the writers of these books were allbusy practical men , and that they certainly had neither the leisure northe training to analyze sensation, or to define it s physiological origin .

The Violin Schools which they strung together a re primarily colleetions of musical matter arra nged in order of increasing complexity a nddifficulty . The literary text , containing the instructions , is an afterthought , a mere record of the most obvious methods of dealing withthe musical text .These Violin Schools produced no fine players . The fine players

produced themselves after a certain point . And a s soon a s they hadsensed and put into practice the right method , they followed theexample of their masters , and promptly consigned it to the limbo of

incommunica ble sensa tion.

Against these few fine players let us set the hundreds whose existence we have a lready hinted a t , the hundreds who never get anywhere ;but grind their very souls out , doomed to struggle .a long eternally inthe da rk . It is poor consolation to them to ascribe their failure tostupidity . And still poorer is the consolation if we tell them that success in playing is a

% divine gift . That sort of thing is all very wellwhen used by the loca l vicar who is introducing the soloist at a PennyRea ding . On the lips of a serious violin-teacher it is—or rather, itshould be—unpardonable .

In this connection we must not forget that , since the days whenthese Violin Schools were written , a considerable change has come overthe material with which the violinist has to work , and also over hisa ims as an a rtist .

The finger-board wa s originally a good deal shorter ; and very thickstrings were usually fitted to the violin . For, though the player of

Stradivarius’s time wa s seldom required to go beyond the third posi

THE THREE LIN%S 5

tion, sonority wa s his idea l in tone-production . Opera was not yet inits heyday , a nd the influence of the church wa s still felt in the sombretones of the string-family. However, with the ever-pressing dema nd forincreased agility in the pa ssa ge—work , the finger-boa rd wa s lengthened .

And the thick Strings gave place to a thinner sort , which spoke moreea sily in the rapid passa ges , a nd could be held down with much lesseffort on the pa rt of the pla yer.

%nfortunately , the old disciplinary rules for the conduct of the lefthand were not changed at the same time. And we have gone on a ccepting them to the present da y a s a sort of gospel , without recognizingthe fact tha t they a re only a n a ta vistic surviva l of primitive a rtisticconditions, a nd a re a ctually detrimental in the twentieth century .

For instance, the old sa w%Let the fingers of the left-hand descend like

little hammers is still quoted, with it s a uthoritative ring, by violintea chers. Yet it is quite certain that any playerwho follows this a dviceis ruining his cha nce of success.Perhaps the most telling example of the diff erence between a ncient

a ndmodem is to be found in the study a nd use of the vibrato. In theda ys before it wa s commonly employed the florid finger-technique

°

wa s

far less developed than it is now . The position of the left-hand , thefunction of its thumb , a nd the finger-a ction itself were all ca lculatedwithout any reference to themeans of expression in the lef t-ha nd .

But nowadays the vibrato must be a vaila ble everywhere a nd atevery time . It is the one condition superimposed on the florid fingertechnique, and therefore the one element in violin-playing which mustbe studied and understood before a n a dequa te technique can bedeveloped.

Let us take a glance backwards .LeopoldMozart protests vigorously in his Violin School a gainst the

frequent use of the vibrato . Spohr does the same. Mozart’s directionsfor atta ining it rea d a s follows :

The fingers of the left hand should make a slight , slow movement ,not sidewise , but forward and ba ckfira rd , alternately toward the bridgea nd scroll of the violin .

”

Here is Spohr’s description of the vibra to% It consists of a slight wavering of the tone a lternately above and

below the correct pitch , and it is produced by a shaking movement ofthe left hand toward the bridge .

”

The only comment necessa ry on the above two statements is thethird statement that it is a positive scientific fact that the vibrato is a

o MODERN VIOLIN-PLAYING

movement of th e h a nd a wa y f rom the bridge . This we shall see a nd

understand later.It is only forty yea rs since Courvoisier , after decrying the use of

the vibrato a ltogether , summed up the position (in his Violin Technique) as follows :

%

The whole real power of expression iies rather in the stroke of thebow ; prima rily in a n intelligent a ccentuation producing rhythmicclarity, and then pa rticula rly in the increase and decrease of tonepower.”

Finally , one may a dd that the late Dr. Joseph Joachim , in describing Molique

’

s playing , used to assert that it wa s without any vibratowhatever. Nevertheless , he considered him

% a most distinguishedmusician .

These two points—the modern alterations in the violin itself andthe modern use of the vibrato—will give the reader a broad hint thatan unprejudiced examination of violin-technique is an actual necessity .

To a rrive a t the essentia l factors in the problem, one may appear atfirst to be rather destructive than constructive . But the chief aim of

this'

book , a s was said a t the beginning of the chapter , is to help violinstudents , that is to sa y, all who study the violin, whether as soloists ,as teachers , or as pupils . And the best means to attain that happy endis t o remove from one’s mind all the flim-flam a s to the mystery ofthe instrument . There is nothing occult a bout the violin . Its acousticand physica l properties are , as far a s they concern the player, simpleand ea sily ascert a ined . The genera l la ws of mechanics are equallywell-known . And it only remains to join these two links by the thirda nd more delicate link , the action of the player

’s body.

CHAPTER II

THE LEFT-HAND : THEORY

THERE a re two ways of pla ying the violin—a right way , that conforms to mecha nica l la ws ; a nd a wrongwa y , tha t does not . These laws ,of course, govern a ll our bodily a ctions . And we may be quite surethat , if we can not easily perform or repeat some simple action , we a reeither defying the laws or ignoring them. We are , in fa ct , trying to dothe thing in the wrong way .

Now, the a ctions which a re used in violin-pla ying are all verysimple. But they a re not what are called % heredita ry movements .”

They a re new to us , a nd they ca n not be learned without mental a na lysis of their nature . In a ddition, the violinist ha s to combine and recombine many such movements with grea t rapidity , clea rness , a nddirectness of purpose . Therein lies his chief difficulty .

It must be confessed , then , that violin-playing is a complicatedfea t ; so complica ted , indeed , that it is useless to waste years of blindexperimental work in the hope of solving its problems . %nless we firstthoroughly understand its nature a nd the conditions of its success ,we aremerely beating the a ir.

”

It follows tha t the first thing to do in this cha pter is to lay downgeneral principles . And this treatment of the subject is the morenecessary because no two pairs of hands ha ve exactly the same mea surements ; nor can they be fitted into the same positions . Violin-successby that road is a forlorn hope . When once the general principles a regrasped , the hand , in complying with them , will find its own positions .These physical a daptations will be dealt with in the next chapter .

Mea nwhile , we shall devote this one to a consideration of the right wa yto play the violin, a nd to a n explanation of the rea sons why this way isright and all others wrong .

There a re three essentials in violin-playing , so far a s the left-handin the first position is concerned :

I . A telling vibrato , which will not hamper the finger-action .

2 . Comf ort , ea se , and security .

3 . Independence , accura cy , and speed of finger-action .


The vibrato , as we have a lready said , is technica lly a device superimposed upon the florid running-technique . It is therefore useless toa ttempt to found a running-technique until we are clear a s to the actionby which the vibrato is produced . And that , again can not be studiedtill we understand the nature and purpose of the Vibrato .

Let us , then , devote a few pages to this examination . Let us tryto ascertain the constitution and the aesthetic aim of the vibrato .

Spohr , a s we have seen , calls it a wavering of the tone alternatelya bove and below the correct pitch .

The word % wavering ,” however , does not at all describe the vibrato

which is most commonly heard . It is rather a violent excitement ,whose principal effect is to make the timbre of the instrument morepenetrating, while obscuring the beauty of the individual notes of apassage . E sthetically it is unpleasant to the last degree .

Besides this vibrato , there is another kind that is heard only a littleless frequently— a sort of slow rocking sound

,which adds nothing

whatever to the musical effect , which is not particularly expressive ,and which , repeated over and over again , eventually maddens thelistener by its futility .

Let us sa y at once that the sole object of the vibrato is to enhancethe beauty of an alrea dy existent sound . Incidentally it draws attention to the notes on which it is used . It gives them , a t the discretionof the player, an added emotional thrill ; and so contra sts them withthe notes which have no vibrato . But the moment the vibrato obscures the true sound of any given note, it becomes a n ugly nuisance .

Furthermore, the true vibrato—that is to sa y, the bea utiful vibratomust never give the impression that the pitch is being shifted

,either

up or down . It must lend a ringing sound to the note on which it isused . And this ringing sound can only be appreciated as a continualreturn to true pitch . In other words , the ear receives the repea tedimpression of the correct-pitch-note ; a nd so telegraphs to the mind theimpression of that note plus the emotional thrill of the vibrato .

An important question immediately a rises . If this constant returnto true pitch is a necessity to the ea r, where is the return to be madefrom

,above or below ? Is the ear to be disturbed by a continual sharp

ening or flattening of the pitch ?

The a nswer t o this question governs, a nd is fundamental to , thewhole theory of the vibrato . Diff erences of pitch a lways exist to theca r a s from below upwards , and never a s from above downwards .Diatonic and chromatic differences in pitch a re a lways so judged . And

THE LEFT-HAND : THEORY 9

the sma ller diff erences , commonly known as being out of tune, comeunder the sa me general law .

For instance , if a singer is singing too flat , we instinctively placeourselves , not on the higher level of correct pitch , but on the singer

’slower and incorrect level . We mentally wish him to go up, while weaccompany him on his journey , so to spea k . We can not a sk him to

come up, because we do not project our minds a s being already at thehigher level . Simila rly , if the singer is singing too sha rp , we natura llytake the converse position . We assume that we a re below him , andmentally wish him to come down, not to go down, to our own level .Now , the result of this habit of mind is very obvious . If we have

the choice of two vibratos—the true note plus a continual sharpening,and the true note ‘

plus a continual fla t tening—it is pla in that the sha rpened vibrato will leave a n impression of uncertainty on our minds ,for the simple reason that , looking upwards , we Shall be inclined toregard the slightly sharpened note a s a new and disturbing true-pitchnote . On the other hand , the flattened vibrato lea ves our minds quitefree from any uncertainty a s to pitch . We na turally judge it frombelow ; and we look upwards without effort , recognizing the continualiterations of the upper portion of the vibrato as the correct-pitch-notes .Here we have the true and bea utiful violin-vibrato . And from

these subtle , but quite indisputable , premises we draw the conclusionthat the vibrato is a rapid a lterna tion of correct a ndfla ttened pitch.

Fig. 2

This vibrato is illustrated in Fig . 1 , while Fig . 2 shows the line ofthe unlovely variety .

There ha s been much discussion as to how the vibrato should beproduced, and a great deal of dismal rubbish has been written on thesubject . The main bone of contention is whether it should be made bymea ns of a swing from the wrist or from the elbow. Against the lattermethod it has been urged that it leads to cramp . But this is not so .

The ha nd is moved by muscles in the forea rm : the forearm by musclesin the upper-arm . Can a nyone be so foolish a s to a ssert that the

Io MODERN VIOLIN-PLAYING

muscles of the upper-a rm are liable to cramp , while those of the forearm are not ? If the cramp exists , it can not be because of any inherenttendency thereto in the muscles of the upper-a rm.

It ha s sometimes been claimed that the larger muscles of the bodyare intended to make only wide movements , and that therefore thehand-vibrato must be better than the a rm-vibrato .

NOW , it is true that the muscles which move the limbs are of largersize than those , for instance , which are used to move the fingers lateral ly . It is also true that the extra length and power of these largemuscles are specially fitted to move long limbs over a long , and therefore norma lly slow , course . But it does not follow that they a re

therefore incapable of developing high speed in the limb moved . Quiteapart from this

,the actual speed in inches per second which the fore

a rm a tta ins when performing the vibra to is no greater than the ordi

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media tely confuses the mind a s to the striking distance between fingerand string . And the result is that , a s soon a s the passa ge-work becomes at all complex , the player is hampered in what should be thefree application of the vibrato .

It may be answered that the a re over which the knuckles a re swungis so short that there ca n be no appreciable diff erence between the twomethods . But , observe%The strings a re not stopped with the knuckles ,but with the finger-tips . And these are some two or three inches fromthe knuckles , and at right-angles to the plane of the hand .

Fig . 4 shows us exactly what happens . There are two solid blackfingers , of which one lies on the string and the other is free . Both arein the backward position . Then there a re the two corresponding dottedfingers , one on the string and the other free , both in the forward position . Note the sma ll movement of the knuckle and the completechange of position of the dotted free-finger in relationto the dottedstring-finger and the solid free-finger. And then remember that

,for

the grea ter part of the time , there are three free-fingers , each one of

which will momentarily be assuming a diff erent position relative to thestring-finger. If this should appear puzzling at first sight , considerthat the tip of the string-finger is held in practically the same place ,both vertica lly and longitudinally ; that there is constant change ofrelative position a s between it and the body of the hand ; but none asbetween the free-fingers and the knuckles .Now

,the dista nce from elbow to knuckle is four times the distance

from wrist to knuckle . It is therefore obvious that , by swinging thehand from the elbow,

”

this vertical movement of the knuckles and thefree-fingers is reduced by one-fourth . In fact , it becomes a negligiblequantity .

Thus we see that the elbow-swing gives us a more precise and bettercontrolled finger-action , as well a s the power to start and to stop thevibrato without fear of upsetting the other fingers . This point aloneshould be enough to decide our choice a s between it a nd the wristswing . But there are st ill other arguments in its favour .

If the vibrating hand is swung from the wrist , there is no possibleway of ensuring that it will swing to-and-fro twice in succession overan arc of precisely the same length . There is nothing but the will ofthe player to decide just how far forward or backward it shall move .

The result is that the pitch of the note is often raised above truth , andthe wave of vibration is of uneven length . This gives a jerky sound ,

which is lia ble to get worse as the playing continues . For the forea rm

THE LEFT-HAND : THEORY

muscles a re bound to tire , burdened a s they are with the task of equal~

izing the swmg-length .

These difficulties disappear when the hand is swung from the elbow.

For the thumb then a cts a utoma tica lly to limit the length of the swing.

It is matter of common observation that players who use the

wrist-vibrato frequently grip the violin tightly with the jaw, in orderto free the hand for swinging . The results are dire . In the huma nbody there is a natural tendency to equalize things between the twosides, either by a simila rity of muscular contra ction , or by a balanceddistribution of weights . So tha t when the left collar-bone is heldcontinuously raised , it is not long before the right colla r-bone alsoraises itself—the very worst thing tha t could ha ppen for the bow-a rm.

Even were the left shoulder alone held raised the eff ort would be distressing. When both are lifted , it is utterly 1mpossible for the playerto maintain calm control over himself and his instrument .

ll

Furthermore , when the violinist grips the instrument tightly withthe jaw, he also contracts his throat , particularly a t crucial momentsin the music . This interferes with proper brea thing . It a lso puts ana dded strain on the heart , which is still further intensified by thepressure on the jugular vein , ca used by the raising of the left shoulderand the pressure of the violin against the neck .

The total result of a ll these mistakes on the player is a desperatestate of fright . Nine times out of ten this ca n be explained by thephysical factors which we have just described . But memory alone canengineer a collapse—the subconscious memory of past struggles andpounding arteries .

Let it therefore be said again , explicitly , once for a ll. Ana tomica llya ndmecha nica lly thepropermethod of producing the vibra to is by swingingthe forea rm a nd ha nd f rom the elbow.

We can now turn to the florid left-hand technique,with the purpose

of examining and defining its mechanism . In the course of this examination it will become abundantly clear that correct left-handt echnique renders the performance of the wrist-vibrato absolutelyimpossible , and that those who advocate this vibra to—or, indeed , anybut the arm-vibrato—are advocating a technique that is contrary tomechanica l law.

In order to clear the ground for this study of the florid left-handtechnique , it is necessary to draw the reader’s attention to two facts ,

1 See pa ge 34 for some rema rks on neurit is , or, a s it should be ca lled ninety-nine

times out of a hundred , voca tiona l cramp.


neither of which , perha ps , he ha s hitherto considered in relation toviolin-playing .

1 . When an object in motion is suddenly arrested ,its energy will

expend itself either by transforma tion into hea t , or (if the disposition

DFig. 6

of weight is favourable) in a continuance of the motion round the pointof arrest .This can be illustrated familiarly by the action of a hammer. If

one strikes a violent blow with it upon a n a nvil , one experiences a


stinging sma ck in the palm of the hand . The downwa rd motion ofthe hammer comes to a sudden stop when it strikes the a nvil . But theenergy seeks a nd finds a n outlet in the upward motion of the ha ndle ,pivoting round the hammer-hea d at its point of contact with theanvil .

2 . The pivotal point from which a blow is to be delivered , or fromwhich pressure is to be exerted , must (if it is to be effective) be in thesa me plane a s the surface on which the blow is to be struck .

This , again, may be illustra ted by the a ction of pounding a table .

To do so eff ectively , one instinctively places one’s elbow (the pivotal

point) in the same plane a s the surface of the table . Otherwise theknuckles would be grazed . If one wishes to pat a friend on the back ,

one takes exactly the same instinctive precautions—only it is with thewrist a s the pivotal point this time .

Let us emphasize this matter of the pivot by means of three verysimple diagrams , Figs . 5, 6, 7.

Tra velling clockwise round the circle in Fig . 5 , one proceeds fromleft to right along the semicircle A C ; a nd from right to left alongthe semicircle C A . Along the semicircle D B one ascends ; along thesemicircle B D one descends .

If one divides the circle into four equa l pa rts , the points A , B , C , D

a re the only theoretical points a t which , if one stopped , one would befa cing in a direction pa ra llel either to A C or to B D . At a ll otherpoints one would face slantingly to right or to left .Figs . 6and 7show an anvil a nd a hammer ; the latter pivoted a t E ,

the centre of the circle .

In Fig . 6the surfa ce of the hammer is pla ced at C in the same pla nea s the pivot . The hammer would therefore strike a n effective blow ,

expending all its energy downwa rds .

In Fig . 7, however, the a nvil is placed either a bove or below thepla ne A C . It would therefore strike a blow , part of whose force wouldbe directed to the right or to the left . Its downward effi ciency wouldbe impaired .

Now for the a pplication of this little lesson in natural philosophy .

First , consider that the finger is the hammer, while the string a ndfinger-board are the anvil .Next , notice that the finger pivots from the knuckle . To do this

,

look again at Fig . 6, and think of the knuckle as E , a nd the finger-tipa s the hammer-head .

Is it not obvious that ,.for a stroke of ma ximum effi ciency , both


knuckle a nd finger-tip must be in the striking-pla ne , tha t is to sa y,

on the horizonta l line A C in Figs . 5, 6, 7?

Let us suppose for a moment that they are not . Wha t will happen ?The string and finger-board (in other words , the line A C) ca n not

move out of the horizontal . They a re fixed . But the knuckle (that isto sa y, the pivot E) ca n a nd willmove . It is not fixed . Consequently

,

when the blow of the finger descends on the finger-boa rd ,the knuckle

will be raised ; just a s , when we strike a blow with a hammer on ana nvil, the ha ndle flies up a nd strikes ba ck a t our hand . So tha t , looking a gain a t Fig . 6, the finger-tip would rema in where the hammerhea d is dra wn , but the knuckle would be ra ised , and would take up aposition somewhere between E a nd B .

Now , this raising of the knuckle is the one thing to be avoided .

Directly it takes pla ce , the body of the hand will try to prevent it , bypressing the thumb a gainst the neck of the instrument . And

,when

once tha t gripping posture of the hand is a ssumed , farewell a ll freedoma nd independence of finger-action . Nor must we overlook the facttha t this loss of freedom will extend all the way down the fingers , fromfinger-tips to wrist . For the body of the ha nd is , a fter a ll, only a

continuation of the fingers , enveloped in muscle , skin, a nd so on .

It need sca rcely be sa id tha t violinists do ra ise their knuckles . Theyra ise them, and so become inevita bly enmeshed in the consequences .The details of these struggles a nd miseries ha rdly ca ll for description :they a re so painfully known to ma ny pla yers . However , this ma y besa id . Tha t the a ttempt to prevent this eleva tion is a lways made bymeans of clutching with the thumb ; a nd tha t one of the objects of thischapter is to show how the ra ising ca n be a voided without recourse totha t fa ulty method .

There is a nother rea son why the knuckle should a lwa ys be kept inthe horizonta l striking-pla ne . It is a rea son rather of the mind thanof the body . Yet it is of the grea test importa nce when we come to thepractica l business of playing the violin .

The mind of course controls the finger-stroke . And , if the player isto ha ve menta l comfort a nd sa fety a t his work , he must esta blish asort of a utoma tism in the finger-a ction . The finger, in a wa y , willexpect to find the string a t the point of its grea test efficiency in thestroke . If it does not meet the string there—tha t is to sa y , if theknuckle is either too high or too low—this a utomatic sta te will neverexist . And the inevita ble result to the player will be surprise , insecurity , a nd , in trill-work , a ctua l locking of the muscle .

Pluto :



Let us then fix firmly in our minds this point of theory : that theknuckle a nd the finger

-tip must be kept in the horizonta l strikingpla ne ; a nd that , as the point of contact between finger-tip a nd stringis immovable

,while the pivoting-point of the knuckle is movable , it is

to the latter that the chief a ttention must be paid .

There is,of course

,only one way in which the height of the knuckles

ca n be altered . There is only one way in which they can be raised orlowered

.And that is by means of an a ltera tion in the curva ture of the

finger.We shall explain this in more detail later. Meanwhile , the

practical question arises how the ha nd is to be held , so tha t it will sa tisfythese theoretical conditions .The best way to a nswer this question is to invite the reader ’s

a ttention to Plates 1 , 2 , 3 .

If he will,with his own hand , assume the positions illustrated in

these plates,he will recognize that Plate I is the % correct position ”

plate . The knuckle , in this plate , is held in the striking-plane . The

weight of the hand is directed neither backwards nor forwards . It ha sno influence whatever on the finger-action ; but allows the finger totouch and hold down the string with the minimum of eff ort a nd themaximum of efficiency . The result is mental satisfaction , inducing acomplete sense of safety .

Compare this with Plates 2 a nd 3 . Plate 2 shows the hand tilted ,

so that its weight is thrown forward on to the nail . The knuckle isabove the striking-plane . Plate 3 shows the weight of the hand hanging backwards from the finger-tip , while the knuckle is far below the

striking-pla ne .

With the hand held as in Pla te 1 , the free fingers rela x and a re

rea dy for a ction . Thus we ha ve the four essentia ls (comfort , ea se ,security , a nd independence) upon which the other two (accuracy a ndSpeed) depend . But note tha t , the moment the position is aba ndoned—the moment the knuckle is either raised or lowered—this feelingva nishes . At once insecurity steps in , bringing with it the fa taltendency to grip the neck .

Having settled this matter of the correct hand-position , we nowpa ss to the question which rises natura lly in the rea der’s mind—thequestion how this position is to be assumed a nd retained .

We have a lrea dy noted the evil effects which a re produced bygripping the violin with the ja w . It is unnecessa ry a nd da ngerous ;Provided the instrument is rested , at its one end , on the collar-bone ,a nd , a t its other, on the thumb , only the lea st touch of the jaw is

I 8 MODERN VIOLIN-PLAYING

needed to keep it in position . And this is the proper way to hold theviolin . It gives the instrument two points Of support underneath

,

while the player ’s fingers are Operating above . See Fig . 8 for its

dia gramma tic illustration.

Thumb Colla r bone

It is importa nt to observe that , if one wishes t o rest the neck of theviolin on the thumb without gripping , and if one wishes to guardagainst any tendency of the neck to slip down into the crotch , thethumb must be held relaxed , in order that a fleshy pad may be formed .

With the thumb so relaxed and held , the neck of the violin rests on thepad at the lower end Of the second phalange .

I This position , which iseasily found , will be more particularly described in the next chapter .

When once it is found , the player will experience a feeling of ease andsecurity

,which contrasts strikingly with the sense of eff ort and danger

which comes from gripping the violin between the thumb and the hand .

Pla tes 10 and I I which must be viewed a s a pair, give an excellentidea of the diff erence between the two positions . Plate IO shows thecorrect position , with the violin resting properly on the fleshy pad of

the thumb ; while Plate I I shows the incorrect position , with the thumbclutching the neck .

The whole a rt of the technique now lies in performing the fingeraction in complete independence of the thumb .

The reader must here diff erentia te between what one may call apincerlike action and the action shown in Fig . 8 . In the pincer-actionthere is pressure up as well as down . But , in the correct violin-action

(Fig . 8) the thumb must not press up . It must act solely as a support ;and the entire pressure must be from the finger downwards . The

1The pha la nges a re the bones of the fingers a nd thumb. The first pha la nge is tha tnext to the body of the ha nd .

Pla te 4



fingers descend like little hammers is mere thoughtless nonsense .

The people who formulated that maxim left the anvils out of a ccount .They also ignored the physica l results of conta ct between hammers anda nvils .

But , one ma y a sk , why in the name of common-sense should thefingers descend like little hammers ? Why should they violently assa ultthe strings in this way ? Their function is to hold the strings down tothe finger-boa rd , not to give a xylophone performa nce . That methodof atta ck lea ds to an excessive over-thickening of the skin on the fingertips—a n over-thickening tha t Nature herself sets up to protect theviolinist a ga inst his constant bugbea r, exposure of the nerve . Indeed

,

if one had to describe the proper approach of finger-tip to fiddle-string ,it would not be a s one of

% hammering ,” but ra ther as one of sensi

t iveness ,” even of inquisitiveness .

”

Furthermore , the old practice of keeping all the fingers on thestrings until it wa s absolutely necessary to raise them

,is dia metrica lly

Opposed to correct principles . The pra ctice is merely an a wkwardattempt to counterbalance the insecurity that comes from faultytechnical methods .

The general rule is that every finger must be raised as soon a s thenext note ha s been located . And the simple reason for this rule is thefact that , with all four fingers down , there would be four diff erentknuckle-heights .The only exception to this rule is to be found in the deta ils of pa s

sage-work , such a s trills , where there is an immedia te return ( I ) froma higher note on the same or on a higher string ; (2) from a lower noteon a lower string , back to the preceding note .

The last point to be dea lt with in connection with the question of

finger-curva ture and knuckle-height , is the method of crossing thestrings . This is ordinarily eff ected by rea ching out with the fingers .

And the result of this is , of course , that their curves are altered . Thecorrect wa y is to swing the left-a rmmore or less under the instrument .

If this is done , the integrity of the left-hand action is preserved ; a ndwe have a nother strong argument a ga inst the ha bit of gripping theviolin tightly with the jaw .

CHAPTER III

THE LEFT-HAND : PRACTICE

THE pra ct ica l side of the simme left-ha nd technique ca n be summedup in the two words % muscula r control .The a im of the present chapter must therefore be to lay out a

scheme of muscula r tra ining . And the student , besides following itout , must keep its importa nce clearly before his eyes . Its object is ,not only to give him the power of contra cting any desired muscle a lone ,but also the sense of muscular relaxation ; and to give him both socompletely developed that he will be able to contra ct certain muscleswhile relaxing others , a nd to sense the rela xa tions just as keenly a s thecontra ctions .

The words muscular contraction a nd relaxation thus amplifyand explain the words muscular control . Only it must be notedthat , in the delicate a rt of playing the violin , the grea t difficulty is toa cquire a vivid consciousness of the diff erence between contra ction andrela xation . Yet the unerring fa culty of discriminating between thetwo processes must be a cquired . Otherwise , there is no hOpe of banishing unwilled muscular a ctivity . To put the matter familia rly : if onedoes not know when a muscle is contra cted a nd when it is rela xed ,that muscle will be apt to do a s it plea ses .If there is a ny doubt of the fa ct tha t muscula r movement is often

quite unconscious , it ca n be sa tisfied by a simple experiment . Ask afri end to allow you to raise his a rm. Then , after raising it , suddenlylet it go . In all probability your friend ’

s a rm will rema in in mid-a ir,kept there by his own unconscious muscular a ction . For, the verysuggestion that you a re going to ra ise his arm is enough to set his motorappa ra tus in action , without any conscious intention on his part .Our scheme of muscular tra ining , then , must ha ve a s its object the

acquisition of this sense , so vital to the violinist . Of the ten exerciseswhich we shall prescribe for the student , the first seven a re directedsolely to this end . The la st three are pra ctica lly a ba sic study of theleft-ha nd technique ; only that the right-ha nd is substituted for theactua l violin . This cha nge is ma de , pa rtly beca use the exercises ca n

2 1


be seen , and therefore criticized , better without the violin ,and partly

beca use sensa tion is more acute through the right-hand than througha wooden .fiddle-neck . This is , in fact , a matter where it is advisableto let your right-hand know what your left-hand is doing .

Not until these exercises have been thoroughly practised is theviolin to be taken in hand . Then , when it is , the pract ica l business ofthe finger-technique can be begun . When that point ha s been reached

,

in order to concentrate the student ’s mind on the objects that he shouldkeep in view we shall tabulate them ; a nd , to diff erentia te them fromthe ten exercrses , we shall letter them , A , B , C , D ,

E,F

,G .

The above few para gra phs will give the student a rough genera lidea of what we propose to do in this chapter . But before we presenthim with the ten exercises to which we have alluded

,there are some

facts in connection with the human hand to which his attention shouldbe drawn .

The hand is not a solid structure . Violinistically it consists of fourbony shafts , extending from the knuckles to the bones of the wrist .

These shafts are bound about with muscles ; and , together with thetendons attached to the visible part of the fingers , they are coveredwith skin .

For pugilistic purposes the hand may be regarded as a solid mass .For ourmusical purposes we must regard it quite diff erently . Wemustnot think of the fingers as being worked from the top of a solid fleshywall . We must think of each finger a s extending from nail to wrist .

In a word , we must recognize the fact that , by setting the joints , weca n

% lock ” into one piece the whole structure from finger-tip to elbow .

But note here an important point . When this % setting ” or locking has been accomplished for one finger , it by no means involves the% setting or % locking ” of the other three . Their muscles : as well asthe thumb-muscles , can be and should be relaxed as far as possible .

And this should be done somuch as a matter of routine , that the violinist acquires a habitual mental picture of his own hand as having at anygiven moment only one finger—the playing-finger, which , for him ,

extends from the finger-tip to the wrist . Half the troubles of violinistsarise from their contracting the muscles which hold the four hiddenshafts together ; a nd so handicapping themselves with a rigid hand .

The force of this last paragra ph will very soon become evident tothe student when he begins to experiment with an actual violin . Forhe will find that , as the activity shifts from one side of the hand to theother, there is a corresponding la teral bending of the wrist . This is



ea ch finger should take the strongest curve and the one best suitedto it . In pra ctice it comes to this : tha t there must be a slight shifting of the ha nd forwards or ba ckwards re la tive to the thumb , sotha t the new finger ma y be pressed down with the grea test ease andefi eiency. And this ca n only be done if themuscles which join thethumb to the hand a re tra ined to relax , and so to permit ea ch fingermovement to take place at the moment tha t the preceding finger isra ised .

Another pair of pictures may be grouped here , to show correct andincorrect positions of the first finger. These two pictures (Plates 12a nd 13) must be compa red with our two earlier pla tes ( 10 and I I )which showed the right a nd the wrong way of holding the violin .

Pla tes I 2 and 13 give us, in fact , the finger-results of the correct andincorrect methods of Pla tes 10 and I I . In Plate 12 we see the fingerproperly posed and rela xed , when the neck of the violin rests upon thethumb . While Plate 13 shows us the faulty position of the first finger,often caused by

' clutching with the whole left-hand .

Now that we have cleared the ground by these preliminary considerations , we are at liberty to follow them up by the ten exerciseswhich we outlined a t the beginning of the chapter . They are here a llgrouped together ; but the student may be reminded of the fact thatthe first seven diff er in intention from the last three . Performed awayfrom the instrument , a nd therefore without the distraction of sound ,they will give him a n instinctive perception of what is meant by thewords muscular control . And even a fter their validity ha s beentested on the violin , it will be beneficial to go back and try to perfectthem, simply as muscular exercises .

EXERCISE I

Raise the am slowly until it is parallel with the floor, then allowit to fall limply to the Side . This should be done both to the sidea nd to the front, and care should be taken not to ra ise the collarbone .

The object of this exercise is to develope the serise of what is thelea st eff ort necessa ry to raise the arm from its zero , that is to sa y froma state of complete rela xation . After it ha s been pra ctised , it will bewell to get someone to ra ise the a rm, a nd , without warning , to let it

go free . As it is not vet certain that the a rmwill fall , we go to the nextexercise .

THE LEFT-HAND : PRACTICE 25

EXERCISE 2

After ra ising the a rm slowly a s before , place the right-hand underthe elbow . Then relax the shoulder-muscles , allowing the dea d weightof the whole a rm to rest in the right-hand . Remove the right-hand ,

a nd at the same moment support the a rm by the shoulder-muscles ,without allowing it to fall .Repeat this exercise from eight to ten times , concentrating the

attention on the moment of cha nge from the one sta te to the other,and noting the diff erence in sensation at thatmoment between therela xed a rm and the a rmwhich holds itself aloft .

ExERCISE 3

Ra ise the a rm in front of you until it is a t a n a ngle of 45°to the

floor . Then , a fter raising the forea rm slowly until it is nea rly perpendicula r, let it fall by sudden a nd complete rela xation of the biceps .

In all these exercises the greatest care must be ta ken not to helpthe fa ll of the limb . It must fall of its own dea d weight . In performingExercise 3 , there is often a tendency to let the whole a rm fa ll at themoment tha t the biceps is relaxed . And one of the chief benefits tobe derived from this exercise is a clea r sense of the stea dy effortnecessa ry to hold the upper-a rm aloft , during the contraction a nd

rela xat ion of the biceps .

ExERCISE 4

After raising the forea rm , place the right-hand under the wrist .Then , by rela xing the biceps , a llow the weight of the forea rm to rest inthe hand . Remove the right-hand , ca tching the forea rm a t the samemoment by biceps-action . Repea t from eight to ten times .

This exercise resembles Exercise 2 in that it ha s for its object themental diff erentiation between contraction and rela xation at themoment of muscular cha nge .

EXERCISE 5

Rest the finger-tips on a table , keeping the forea rm parallel with thefloor. Raise the thumb , and then by sudden relaxation allow it tofall .


If there is complete rela xation , one will have a clea r sense of theweight of the thumb , a lthough it is very slight .

EXERCISE 6

Rest the outer side of the hand and the forearm on a table . Raisethe thumb , a nd then by sudden relaxation a llow it to fa ll .

EXERCISE 7

Hold the forearm perpendicular, and , with the thumb relaxed ,pla ce a finger of the right-ha nd just below the second joint , a s shownin Plate6. From this position bring the thumb slowly up to the perpendicula r, as in Pla te 7, involving only the first phalange in the movement (which is made against slight resistance from the right-hand),and exerting no eff ort with the rest of the thumb . Now relax thethumb suddenly , when the pressure of the right-hand will return it tothe position of Plate 6.

The object of this exercise is to gain mobility of the thumb , withoutthe tendency to % clutch ,

” which arises from activity of the second andthird phalanges .

EXERCISE 8

Hold the forearm perpendicular , while the elbow is resting on a

ta ble . Take the second pha la nge of the thumb between the thumband forefinger of the right-ha nd , exercising therewith a slight downward pressure . Then move the forearm backwards and forwards a s inthe vibrato , slowly at first , a nd then gradually quicker. The movementmust be very short , and the wrist and finger-joints must be held immobile .

EXERCISE 9

Pla ce a curved finger on the right-forefinger, a s in Pla te 8 . The

finger must exert a slight pressure , but the a rm must neither dependfrom the finger nor be lifted so as to nullify the pressure of the finger .

In other words,the knuckle must be held exactly in the striking-plane .

A correct sense will thus be gained of the finger-and-a rm a s one piece .

A fuller a pprecia tion of this will come when the student ha s experi


THE LEFT-HAND : PRACTICE

mented in cha nging from one finger to another—a lways bringing theknuckle into the striking-pla ne . It is only when this perception of

unity a s between the finger a nd the a rm ha s been established tha t thevibrato ca n be a ttempted .

EXERCISE 10

The same as Exercise 9, except that the thumb is first pla ceda gainst the right-forefinger, which exerts a slight downwa rd pressureon it , corresponding to the weight of the violin .

If the thumb is held rela xed (see Pla te the right-forefinger will ,starting a t the third joint of the thumb , press down until it rests upona fleshy pad that forms on the inside of the second phalange of thethumb . I f the thumb is held stiffly , its rigid tendons will prevent thepad from forming, and the forefinger (or the neck of the violin) willslip downwards .

This exercise is diflicult : the greatest patience is needed in orderto master it . The thumb has to a llow the hand to ma ke its necessarya djustments ; for it is on these tha t the menta l%conviction of unity a sbetween the finger, the ha nd , a nd the forea rm depends . Furthermore ,it has to pursue its policy of non-intervention . It ha s to serve as amere support . %nless it is isola ted in this way , the violinist will neverbe able to difierentia te sharply between it and the finger-plus-arm ,

which is his playing-medium .

There are only four fingers to be trained . And , once they a ct

perfectly in any and every order , the most diflicult part of the lefthand violin technique has been learned . But , a s this portion of thescheme of study is of crucial importa nce to the future of the player , it isadvisable that he should make his first experiments with Exercise 10 ,

then test each finger with the vibrato , ta king care that it should alwaysbe started in the forea rm , a nd not in the ha nd .

If the vibrato is not successful , it is a sure Sign tha t some elementof the technique is wrong . The wrist may be flexible , or the knucklemisplaced . The fault may lie in the fact that the thumb is unconsciously interfering ; or the impulse may be originating in the handinstead of in the a rm.

Whatever the cause , there is only one remedy—renewed practice,with increa sed watchfulness a s to what the muscles are and are notdoing .

When some degree of success ha s been a ttained , it will be well to


study changing from one finger to a nother , a nd to ma ke the changethrough a ll the possible finger-combina tions , such a s

These exercises must a ll be performed with the greatest deliberation . Probably fifteen seconds will be needed for each finger. Andthe a ttention must not be a llowed to flag even for the fraction of asecond . This is particularly necessary at the moment when the ba lanceis shifted from one finger to another. For it is at that moment that thedanger of stiff ening lies .This is the point at which the student may first be allowed to ta ke

up his violin . And it is here that , according to our plan , we intendto ta bulate for him the objects on which his attention must be concentra ted . They a re :

The use of the thumb to support the violin .

The best curve for the finger to assume .

The pose of the knuckle in the striking-plane .

The retention of the knuckle in the striking-plane .

The complete relaxation of all the fingers except the playing

The dissociation of the thumb from all finger-action .

The vibrato .

Let it be said at once that t his list , though tabulated for couveniemce of inspection , must not be regarded a s a series of isolated points .The first six (A to F) are , it is obvious , mutually dependent on each


THE LEFT-HAND : PRACTICE 29

other, and a ll concern the running-technique . It is true that thevibrato (G) is , in a wa y, a n a ddition to the others ; but it is an additionthat is clea rly dependent on them .

The whole series , in fact , is interlocked . And it is essential that ,when the student takes up his violin to make his first attempt , heshould regard the whole series a s one a ction, or perha ps rather as onea ction having seven interdependent parts , A , B , C , D , E , F , and G .

Now that the violin is in his hand,the student will doubtless ask

what it is exactly that he is supposed to do . The answer to tha tis that he is to practise the finger-a ction on the violin-strings , firstindividually with each finger

,and then with the various finger

combinations , But this practice is not to be% fingering ” in the

ordina ry musical sense of the term . It is to be a finger-pra cticerepeated a nd continued unt il he is satisfied that its seven featuresa re all working harmoniously . In other words

,the finger must be %

posed on the string, but the mind must be rivetted on the combinedaction represented in the table A to G . The object is not merely tostop the string

,but to achieve a finger-action that complies with all

the conditions .The ea siest , a nd therefore best , finger to begin with is the third ,

using the A-string. Take up the violin and make the experiment ,which will be , in effect , only a transference of Exercise 10 from theright-hand to the instrument itself . At first , confine yourself to thisone finger and this one string , concentrating your attention on thecomplete action (A to G) which you are endea vouring to carry out .

Then lay the violin down . Pick it up again, and repeat the experiment , sa y , a dozen times .

Then do precisely the same thing with the second finger ; then withthe fourth ; and finally with the first .

Next , transfer the whole operation to the other strings in turn,going first to the D-string, then to the G-string, and last to the Estring .

Then pass on to finger-combinations , using the old list which wa sgiven on page 28 , and adding thereto such combinations a s


As soon a s. some progress is made in the applica tion of these exercises , the student may begin to play the scales very slowly and with hisa ttention rivetted on the training of his hand . Afterwards he canincrea se the speed of the scales , stopping unpremeditatedly on somenote, a nd immediately applying the vibrato . There is no surer testtha n this . If a ringing vibrato is not produced at once with every feeling of ease a nd security , there is something wrong with the runningtechnique .

In crossing the strings the hand is moved freely round the neck , so

a s to present the finger properly curved to each string in turn . The

essentials here a re to observe that the whole left-arm swings freelyfrom the Shoulder , and that the thumb remains passive .

The student is recommended to play the scales , not according toany system of relative keys , but in theif finger-board order—G , A

fla t , A-natural, B-fla t , C, and so on . That is the right way to learnthe finger-boa rd and the right way to cultivate the left-hand technique .

After he has gained some experience in scale-playing , he will naturally go on to study-practice and to the playing of musical works . But

he must by no means forget the advantages to be derived from im

provisa tion, of course within the limits of the first position . On thispoint , however, we shall sa y something more in a later chapter.

CHAPTER IV

THE RIGHT-HAND : THEORY

O%R theoretical chapter on the left-hand was divided into twoparts—a first , which dealt with the wrong wa ys of doing things ; a nd asecond , which put forward the right wa y . We propose to follow thesame arra ngement in this theoretica l chapter on the right-ha nd .

The student is , no doubt , awa re tha t inside his violin there is asound-post ; a nd that that sound-post is ca refully fitted to resist thedownwa rd pressure on the belly of the violin ca used by the tension ofthe strings .The amount of this pressure, again , is determined by the height of

the bridge , which is cut to give the grea test possible resona nce to theback and belly . With too low a bridge there is too little pressure, a ndconsequently too much resonance of the upper a nd lower plates . Theresult is a big hollow tone . With too high a bridge there is too muchpressure , and consequently a lack of free vibra tion on the part of the

plates . The result is a small hard tone .

The function of the bow is to set the strings in vibration by mea nsof friction . And this vibration is conveyed through the bridge a ndsound-post , a nd so communica ted to the a ir in the body of

'

the instrument . The violin is , in fact , a hollow resona ting box ; and the soundwa ves tha t come direct to the ea r from its four strings a re only a smallpa rt of its total efiect . The sound-wa ves , however , owe their length ,and therefore their ca rrying-power , to the speed of the bow .

The student ’s attention must here be drawn to two words whicha re , so to spea k , the two opposing factions , the Montagues a nd theCa pulets , in the a rt of tone-production , the words pressure ” a nd

contact . For the main business of this cha pter is to show him : ( I )that a good tone is impossible when pressure is improperly exertedwith the bow ; a nd (2) that it is only possible when the conta ct between ha ir and strings is properly a djusted .

Let us look into this difierence a little more closely.

1 For grea ter deta il on this point , see pa ge 304 of Orchestra tion by Cecil Forsyth


The bow is a n elastic wand strung with horseha ir, which itself ha sa certa in ela sticity . It can be manipulated in two wa ys . Either thestick or the ha ir ca n be made to bounce . And when one of the twobounces , the other will remain inela stic .

The fingers hold the bow by the stick , which , we must remember, isnea rly a n inch above the playing-medium (the ha ir). The hand therefore tra vels in a pla ne tha t is pa ra llel to the pla ne of the horsehair,but above it .

Fig. 12

The importa nce of this fact lies in its a pplica tion . When once thebow is handled a s though the holding-plane coincided with the hairplane, a dia gona l line of pressure is established from the hand to thestring . This is shown in Fig . 12 , where A is the thumb and B the forefinger . The downwa rd pressure is , of course , exerted by the rotationof the forea rm round the thumb . And the direction of this rota tion isrepresented by the curved a rrow

Fig. 13

In this wa y,then , a diagona l line of pressure is set up between the

forefinger a nd the string . It may be represented , for instance, by theima gina ry line connecting the two points B a nd C in Fig . I 3 . If itrema ined const ant in its direction and force , it would have no evilresults on the bow-stroke . But that ; of course , is exa ctly wha t it does

not rema in. It is continually cha nging, both in its length a nd in its

incidence to the string a nd to the stick—a nd consequently to the a xis

of the ha nd .

THE RIGHT-HAND : THEORY 33

In other words, the direction in which the power isapplied is a lwaysa ltering . The nearer we get to the nut ( in the bow-stroke), the shorterbecomes our imaginary line B C : and the further we get from the nut ,the longer it becomes . Consequently , when it is at its shortest—tha tis to say , when we are playing at the nut—we ma y expect a good dea lof roughnes s ; a nd when it is at its longe st—that is to sa y , when we arepla ying at the tip—we can not look for much force .

Furthermore , the tone-quality that is produced by the exertion ofthis pressure is bad . The string ha s a tendency to hopunder the hair .

And it is able to do this because the pressure-plane does not coincidewith the plane of movement .

moromenl’

Fig. I4

Gla nce at Fig . I4. The little circle in the middle represents a segment of the string . If you hold the pa ge up in front of you, the stringma y be supposed to run directly through this circle to your eye . Thepla ne of movement gives you the line-of-tra vel of the horseha ir.The plane of pressure

” pivots , as it were , on the string , continua llya ltering its angle of incidence . So tha t you will have no difficulty inseeing why the string is inclined to respond with a hoppingmovement ,such a s may be observed in a loose string .

There a re other rea sons why this a pplication of pressure is undesira ble . It increases the tension of the string , and actually raises itspitch . It restricts the vibrating wave-length of the string, a nd therefore lessens the ca rrying-power of the tone . The ma teria l of the violintoo must be considered . If the bridge and the sound-post have beenfitted to give the instrument its best chances of resona nce and ea syspeech , it sta nds to rea son that al l this added pressure must be a hin

For the media ava l a ttempts to construct a mecha nica lly-bowed stringed instru

ment—tha t is to sa y, the orga nistrum, which wa s the a ncestor of the hurdy-gurdysee Orchestra tion (Forsyth) pp . 295

—96. The point is of specia l interest here , beca use

of the method by which the pres sure wa s a pplied to the strings .


dra nce , not a help . Finally , the player ha s no real control over hisa pparatus . His mastery of the stick practically ends at the pointwhere his forefinger lies . Beyond that , the string may , and will , become so bouncey that , with the slightest nervousness on his part , theeven course of the horsehair is liable to be upset . Nor can he correctthese irregularities by means of a small increase or decrease of this kindof pressure . For the main result of that will merely be that the stringwill be bent either more or less tha n before .

This method of bowing, then—the method of the pressing forefinger and the forearm rotating round the thumb—is unsatisfactory.

Not more satisfa ctory is the shoulder-method. This utilizes theshoulder as the point from which pressure is exert ed . The idea is that ,if the a rm is held at all crooked , and the upper-a rm rotated away fromthe body , the hand is bound to descend.

It is , however , a very elementary principle in mechanics that it ismore difficult to deliver power through a long shaft than through ashort one of the same diameter. With the long shaft there is alwayssome loss from ela sticity or bending. Errors are magnified , as thedistance from their point of origin increases . And , in the arm , there isthe added disadvantage of the joints that are interposed between theshoulder and the fingers.Besides these mechanical principles, we must not forget that there

are also human factors to be considered. The power has to travel along way from shoulder to bow-stick. A great strain is thus placed onthe muscles , and vocational cramp of the shoulder is the almost certainresult .This painful complaint sometimes comes from the long and un

relieved holding of a muscle contracted. More often it is due to thefact that the surfaces of the bones are not always perfectly smooth.

They may have tiny projections which cause irritation , part icularlyround the joints. A projection of this sort may rub across themuscle ortendon-sheath , a s the arm is moved to-and-fro, and may set up inflamma t ion in either. When this inflammation is in the tendon-sheath,

the wall weakens , stretches , and forms a pocket , which fills with thelubricating fluid of the tendon .

But apart from these very serious physical drawbacks , there is astrong mechanical rea son why pressure should not be applied from the

1 Cramp sometimes a t t a cks the ha nd when the tone is produced by pressure of

the forefinger from the knuckle . It is a lso the inevita ble consequence of ra ising the

right colla r-bone to a ssist the pressure .



sideration, with the one rema rk that the string is of course a segment ,just like the string in Fig. 14.

The advantages of this system of bowing are ma ny and obvious.The string will not be bent out of its course. The hand-pressure

will be transmitted as it should be, in the form of a firmer or loosercontact between hair and strings . These results are inevitable . Forthe pressure is not exerted radially onto the strings as in Fig . 13 .

Theweight of thebow does not rest on the string . But the hair , passing

Fig. I6

to-and-fro a long the pla ne of movement , just touches the string, whilethe sensitive ha nd regulates the degree of intima cy in the contact.There will be no tendency of the string to jump under the hair,

beca use the pla ne of pressure a nd the plane of movement run parallelto ea ch other.The amplitude of the string-vibrations is not restricted. In other

words, the wa ve-lengths ca n be a s big a s they like, beca use the stringis not being bent under the bow.

Fina lly, the stick is under complete control. It is ra ther a part ofthe ha nd tha n a n exterior mechanism guided by the hand. And theconsequence of tha t is tha t there will be no unintentional bouncing.

Our next step is to ta ke up the bow. And when we do tha t , wemust above a ll not rega rd it a s something to be rested on the strings ,a nd then to be squa shed more or less. It is a light , strongly resilient ,a nd delicately ba lanced instrument , to be wielded exquisitely by thehand

, not merely to be dra gged and shoved to-and-fro.

In holding it , the two outside fingers a re the most important. Theyserve both to hold and to bala nce it , while the middle fingers supportthe hand by contact with the stick. The thumb is placed midwaybetween the outside fingers .

The tip of the fourth finger and that part of the first finger whichlies between the first a nd second joints are first placed on the stick.

THE RIGHT-HAND : THEORY 37

Together with the thumb they hold the bow. This tilts the horizontala xis of the hand slightly downwa rds on the first finger side. The stickshould not be pa ssed under the second joint of the forefinger. For, ifthat is done, the ha nd , when called on for flexibility, will not be able torespond.

The two middle fingers are then placed lightly in contact with thestick. And , if all four fingers a re properly placed , the distance on thestick between the contact-points of the first and fourth fingers shouldexactly equa l the distance between the first a nd fourth knuckles . Ift hat is so , the bending efficiency of the fingers will be at its highest.The oft-repeated a dvice that the fingers should be kept close to

gether probably originated with a violinist who had very thick fingers.In view of the many existing types of fingers and hands , the studentwill do well to disregard it. The proper way for him to find his positionon the stick is to space the first a nd fourth fingers so that the thumb-tipfa lls midway between them, and so that their width on the stick equalsthe width of the knuckles.Let us now ta ke up the bow and hold it in this easy manner. We

shall find no difficulty in passing it to-and-fro in the air. And if , whileit is in motion , we lower it slightly onto the violin , a good dea l of freetone will result from the merest contact of hair and string. All this isa lmost effortless on our pa rt.If we now try to make a n ordinary bow-stroke, we shall find that

we need exert nomore effort than is necessary to draw the palm of theha nd towa rds the inner side of the forearm. The fingers do nothing.

They merely remain flexibly arched. For if closer contact betweenha ir and strings is sought , it must be obta ined by downward pressurefrom the wrist , not by any effort of the fingers. Indeed , it is essentia lthat the fingers should make no more effort than is necessary to mainta in them in their a rched position . Any effort on their part will robthem of the flexibility and sensitiveness through which the degree ofcontact is gauged.

To understand this point fully , the student should turn to Plate I4,a nd place the fingers of the left-hand under the knuckles of the righthand . If he will now press down the right-hand from the wrist , he will

get a very good idea of what is meant.He will a lso see the practica l working of what was said above

(pa ge 35) with rega rd to the backward-push . For he will find that itbecomes necessa ry to prevent the forearm from rising. As we havea lready pointed out , this requires very little effort , provided the arm


is not used to supply pressure. For the force is applied from a pointvery close to the bow. It therefore loses almost nothing in transmission. And the Shoulder-muscles are called on for only a fraction oftheir resources to prevent this backfire. It may be added that someviolinists accomplish this by bringing the weight of the arm into play.

But this method is not to be commended. It s mechanical result is theresting of the weight of the bow on the string: its artistic result is a% fat , colourless tone-production.

As we have introduced the word colour, we may mention thefact that , if a change in tone-colour is wished , it is to be eff ected byrela xing the gua rd mounted by the shoulder, and so allowing the wristto rise in relation to the tip of the thumb.

The bow is thus presented to the string at a diff erent angle ; theelastic relationship between hair and stick is altered ; and the essence ofthe contact between hair a nd string undergoes a subtle transformation.

If broader colour-changes a re desired , they are to be obtained byadjusting the speed of the stroke to the quality of the contact . Thegreatest degree of intensity will , of course, come not from a high bowspeed , but from a low speed joined to a firm contact .To cross the strings we merely raise or lower the hand in relation to

the forearm ,which re-adjusts itself after thenew string ha s been reached.

If the tone is produced according to this method—that is to say , bypressure of the hand from the wrist , using only the forearm-musclesand such shoulder-control a s is necessary to direct the pressure properly—the arm will remain supple , a nd will always assume a positionwhich is natural , unt iring, and free from awkwardness.There is really no necessity to teach or to study any arm-position.

Consciousness centres in the hand. The arm hangs between wrist andshoulder. It is neither pushed up nor held down ; but, with an easynatural mobility , adjusts itself to every Change in the position of theha nd.

The only question now to be considered is the question of changingthe bow at the point and at the heel . Nothing ha s caused more misunderstanding, or been the subject of more misinf ormation .

We have already pointed out that the horizontal a xis of the handtilts slightly downwards towards the first finger. Some hands are sola rge and wide that this tilt is hardly noticeable . The late Dr. JosephJoachim had such a hand . And it was therefore taken for gra nted thatwhat he called % a sideways movement of the hand ” in changing thebow , was that and nothing else.



tion or even to the continuation of a school . His extra ordinary control of expression by mea ns of the bow always remained something of amystery to him.

In fact,those who surrounded him were responsible for what be

came known a s% the Joachim bowing . And nothing ha s been so

much misunderstood , caricatured , and maligned a s this bowing .

The object of his followers wa s Simply to imitate the pose andappearance of his big wide ha nd . And , as Joa chim himself never gotmuch further in his expla nation of his own technique than flexibilityof the wrist ,

” the most outra geous exercises were invented by hisdisciples .Things even went so fa r that pupils were led by their instructors to

hang cha irs on their forearms just a bove the wrist , while practisingsidewa ys movements of the hand that were an outrage a nd an abomination to na ture .

Those who succeeded in imitating somewhat the appearance of

Joa chim ’s right-hand , a nd who could swing their own right-hands sideways over a wide a rc were sa id to have the Joachim bowing .

” Theirplaying might sound a s scra wny a s a midnight concert of ca ts . Buteven under these a ural disabilities , they were upheld by the mystica lbelief that they % had the Joachim bowing .

” It was a sort of conviction of inwa rd salvation , whose outwa rd futility did not forbid themto hOpe tha t in time a ccomplishment might follow on a ppeara nce .

Not a ll succeeded—even to the point of a ppearance . But thosewho succumbed , succumbed a s ma rtyrs . As a rule their martyrdomwa s spoken of a s a n honoura ble a chievement , entitling them to rankand precedence only just below that of the noble army of violin-saints .

They also served , in a way ; but , of course , without doing much a ctiveplaying . For the melancholy truth must be told tha t , as signs of theirmartyrdom, they usually bore large wens on their wrists , or suff eredthe a gonies of vocational cramp .

Is it necessa ry to a dd that , in encoura ging these eccentricities and

perversions , that grea t artist and noble-spirited ma n , Joseph Joachim ,

took no part whatever ?

CHAPTER V

THE RIGHT-HAND PRACTICE

BEFORE a tta cking the pra ctical Side of his right-hand technique ,the student must undergo a course of muscula r training , just a s hedid for his left-hand . With these exercises we shall begin the chapter ,a nd then go on to the practical transference of the right-ha nd technique to the violin-bow . After that , we shall deal in succession withthe subject of the hand-position , a nd with the two most importa nttopics of the bow-stroke a nd the change of bow ; closing the chapterwith a few pages on expression , the method of crossing the strings , anda ttack .

The object of the exercises is the same in this chapter a s in ChapterIII —muscula r control . The scheme will therefore be a lmost identical ;but a Special thumb-exercise (No . 9) ha s been introduced for reasonsthat will be given la ter.

EXERCISES I , 2 , 3 , 4, 5, 6

These are the sa me as Exercises 1—6a lready printed in Cha pter III .

It goes without sa ying that the words the a rm,

% the hand , and soon, a re now to be understood a s referring to the right-side . All sixexercises should be re-studied with the closest a ttention ; and the

grea test care should be taken not to raise the colla r-bone .

EXERCISE 7

Raise the arm slowly , first at the side and then in front , just a s fa ra s is possible without raising the colla r-bone .

This is a Special exercise intended to prevent the raising of thecollar-bone. With a little practice the Shoulder-joint becomes loosened ;a nd the muscles round the shoulder a re stretched , so that the a rm canbe ra ised with ease a lmost to the perpendicular.

4I


EXERCISE 8

This exercise ha s already been described in Chapter IV . ,pa ge 37,

and its performa nce ha s been shown in Plate 14 . It should be repea tedvery slowly ten or fif teen times ; a nd the utmost

.

care should be t a kenthat the fingers of the right-hand remain entirely relaxed during the

downwa rd pressure from the wrist .

EXERCISE 9

Place the left-thumb against the first pha lange of the right-thumb .

Then , with the first two fingers of the left-hand , bring the second phalange of the thumb over, a s fa r as the stiffness of the joint will allow ,

ta king care not to press so hard as to cause injury .

This exercise is specially designed as a training for the thumb inthose movements tha t accompany the cha nge of bow from up to d own ,

and vice versa . It is a necessary exercise because most players a llowthe second joint of the thumb to become stiff from disuse . Plate 19

shows the thumb stra ightened : Plate 20 shows it bent . Notice part icula rly tha t , when it is thus properly bent (Plate it is actuallyarched , and that this a rching is due to the fact that all three joints areequally moved . Compare this carefully with the imperfect bendingshown in Plate 2 1 where only the first joint is moved . This importantexercise (No . 9) should be performed ten or twelve times on end , andthe performa nce should be repeated at intervals during the da y . Aftera while , a n a ttempt should be made to move the second pha lange without the a ssistance of the left-hand . The limit-

%

positions ” of thisexercise will then be those Shown in Plates 19 and 22 .

EXERCISE I 0

Is not an exercise , but a medica l prescription . The application of

the wet-sponge of an ordinary thera peutic battery round the joint willoften help it to ga in flexibility .

When the positions shown in Plates 19 and 20 can be assumed withmore or less ea se , the exercise should be vitalized and ma de practica lby transferring it to the violin-bow , held perpendicularly . Plates 23a nd 24 Show us vividly what this tra nsference amounts to . But thewhole process needs careful a nalysis .Sta rting, then , a s in Pla te 23 , the ha nd is tilted slightly upon the

Pla te 19



As in the left-hand technique , it is best to begin this study on theA-string . And a mirror may be recommended as a ca ndid friend .

With its help the player ca nwatch his ha nd and note his daily progress .

He should stand sideways to it , so that only the top of the bridge meetshis eye . In this way he will be able to tell whether the bow is beingdrawn straight across the strings , and also to watch the movementsof his hand during a cha nge of bow .

However, the mirror should not be turned into a fetish . It has noma gica l virtue . And a s its use takes the attention off the playing , itshould be employed a s little as possible . Bow a nd hand must eventua lly be judged by musical results . And , when the fine tone comes ,the appearance of the hand will be quite satisfactory .

A young player ’s first bow-stroke is generally a s daring an a dven

ture as a young swimmer ’s first dive into deep water . There is hesitation and emba rrassment , both of which aff ect the bow-stroke . A gooddeal of the embarra ssment is caused merely by inflexibility of theshoulder . The point for the beginner to keep stea dily in mind is that% consciousness centres in the hand ” (page In other words

,he

must always think of his hand as the master, controlling the bow .

When the hand descends to place the bow in the playing position,the

a rm must give way before it—must , indeed , accommodate itself ,through its various joints , to whatever movements the hand is pleasedto make.This counsel of perfection is , of course , very easy to put on paper .

Its execution is a harder ma tter . And the best way to set about it isto undertake a sort of bow-drill , or violin-salute .

Hold the violin in position and the bow in the right-hand . Dropthe right-hand at the side ; a nd then , with the a rm straight , move itoutwards and away from the body , till it is over the head .

From this position lower it , guiding the bow until it touches thestring at a point previously decided on . The bow throughout itslength must a ccompany the hand in its descent , a nd must not beallowed to move radia lly towards the string from the hand a s a centre .

When it engages the string , there must be no stuttering .

When first pra ctising this bow-drill , it will be wise to keep withinthe limits of the point and the middle . Later onit can be performedwith the lower half of the bow .

1 By middle the student must a lwa ys underst a nd tha t point of the bow whichtouches the string when the forea rm is pa ra llel to the ground , not tha t point which isfound by dividing the bow equa lly into two pa rts.

Pla te 2 1

Pla te 22

THE RIGHT-HAND : PRACTICE 45

A very little experimenting with the tilt of the bow will teach thestudent the best a ngle at which it should be placed on the string .

The stick should be turned away from the player until , with thelightest possible contact , only a single hair touches the string . To

reach this position the bow does not have to be turned fa r ; and it is aposition which should not be passed . The power of the stick is , at thispoint , still over the hair. And , as the contact is intensified , the hairtouches the string throughout as much of its width a s is desired .

If the bow is held flatter , only by turning it over ca n the edge of thehair be presented to the string . And if it is turned to form a moreacute angle with the string , a new a nd false elastic rela tion betweenhair a nd string is established ; so tha t the effort to make firm conta ctbrings the stick into contact with the string .

It is quite unnecessary to turn the bow flat on approaching thepoint . That is only done by those who rely for their bowing onshoulder-action .

In practising the bow-stroke it is best to sta rt from the middle .

Place the bow in position a nd try to sense with the fingers its verySlight contact with the string . Then go on to intensify the contact bypressing down the whole bow with the hand from the wrist .Ta ke care all the time tha t the thumb does not give way , and so

vitia te the pressure from a bove .

In this position , with fingers a nd thumb comf ortably curved , keepyour attention rivetted on the pressure which you a re exercising byyour hand . See a lso that the fingers act only to transmit the pressure ,not to augment it . And try , through them, to sense the degree ofcontact that ha ir and string a re ma king.

Hold this pressure for several seconds . And then , by the experiment of trying to relax the shoulder, ascertain whether you ha veunconsciously been allowing it to take part in the action .

Then gradually relax the pressure .

Repea t this about a dozen times . After which , when the pressurehas been t e-applied , draw the bow slowly towards the point .Once the bow is in motion , your fingers may try to seize command ,

and so will blur all the impressions that you are seeking to perpetuate.

Only the greatest watchfulness on your part will prevent this , and keepthe hand in control . Remember that the sole function of the fingersis to tra nsmit and to record.

When your hand ha s now drawn the bow to the t ip , and before thepressure is rela xed , you should again ma ke sure that the shoulder ha s


been properly rela xed , and has permitted the a rm to follow the ha ndwithout interference.The bow is now at the tip. And at this point you should repeat the

experiments in pressure which you have just made at the middle ofthe bow. Press and relax five or six times ; taking care, a s usual, thatthe pressure is a pressure of the hand from the wrist .Then move the bow upwards with the hand; until the forearm is

parallel to the floor.Here aga in , before changing the action of the hand , you must

examine your a rm carefully. For there is more danger of shoulderinterference during the up-bow than during the down . Repeat thisexercise, then , until you are convinced that your hand is actingwithout any intervention either from the arm or from the fingers .

After you have assured yourself on this question , you may movethe bow rapidly between the middle and the point some twenty or

thirty times .

Be sure that if the shoulder or the elbow then feels tired or crampedyou have been allowing the shoulder to exert pressure in an effort tohelp ” the hand. Or it may be that the impulse to move the bow isonly pa rtly centred in the hand. The forea rm may be participating.

And the result will be a subconscious conf usion as to the exact momentwhen the upward movement changes to the downward , and vice versa .

After the above exercises have been pretty well mastered as between the middle of the bow and the point , they should all be repeatedfrom the middle to the heel .When the two halves of the bow can be used with some facility , it

is high time to begin drawing the bow from end to end.

While doing this , it is an excellent plan to stop suddenly andexamine the shoulder. If the bow can be drawn from end to end withthe greatest swiftness and lightness, it means that the a rm is absolutelyfree. The stop , when it is made, should be a long one ; and the bowshould remain on the string, while the player concentrates upon thenext stroke . If there is the least stuttering during the stroke , it maybe ta ken for granted that the a rm is not accommodating itself to themovements of the hand ; but is participating in directing the movements of the bow.

The next difficulty to be faced is the change of bow. Here aga inwe shall be well-advised to begin the practice of the change at themiddle of the bow.

First place the bow on the string , with the hand at a right angle to


THE RIGHT-HAND : PRACTICE 47

the stick. From this position we can make either the up or the downchange.

Toma ke the cha nge a s thoughfinishing a n up-stroke.

Raise the hand at the knuckles , accompanying the movement bythe bending action of the fingers described on page 43 . But at thesame time lower the wrist , a nd move it towards the stick to makecompensation a nd tokeep the bow moving in the same planes. (Thiscompensation is necessary because we do not wish the action of thefingers to move the bow out of its course either horizontally or perpendicula rly. The former would be caused by the shortening of the distance between wrist and stick : the latter by the raising of the knuckles. )Next

,reverse the whole process , and bring the bow back to the

starting point .

These movements are all very slight . Their object is merely toprovide an elastic change of direction . It is a good plan to make theChange , described above, first of all a s shown in Plates 23 and 24, thatis to say , without any compensatory movements . The need of thesewill thereupon become so urgent that their purpose a nd nature will beevident to the player.

Toma ke the cha nges a s thoughfinishing a down-stroke.

Lower the knuckles slightly , a s thefingers and the thumb are straightened. At the same time raise the wrist , and move it towards the stick.

Then reverse the whole process.Note that the bending movements of the fingers and the thumb

have nothing whatever to do with tone-production . Their only objectis to help in guiding the bow and to prevent stiffness and j a rs whenchanging stroke .

The change at the point is practised a s a continuation of thedownstroke , in the manner just described.

The change at the heel ismuch more difficult than any other. Thisis but natural . For the hand is then in a position in relation to theforearm which makes it difficult for the fourth finger to execute itsproper function . Also it follows that , a s the weight of the whole a rm isthen lifted , the hand-movement necessary to relieve the a rm is longer. I

1 It is often sa id tha t bowing a t the heel ismore difficult tha n bowing a t the pointbeca use , when the bow is not a t the heel, it s weight is on the opposite side of the stringfrom the ha nd . This ca n only mea n one thing : tha t the bow is being lea ned on thestring. If the pla yer holds the bow a nd support s its weight in his ha nd, it ca n ma keno diff erence whether the ha ir is touched to the string a t the point or a t the heel,beyond the a dded eff ort of lifting i

the a rm for the la t ter.

48 MODERN VIOLINP LAYING

Owing to the length of this movement at the heel , it t a kes a relatively longer time to execute there than at any other point. The ideais

,of course , to move the bow at the same speed during the cha nge a s

during the stroke proper.If the player experimentally sets the bow in position about four

inches from the heel , and then raises the knuckles while bending thefingers and the thumb , he will find , not only that the hair is high abovethe string, but that it ha s moved considerably towards the ta il-piece .

Hence the necessity for these compensating movements of which weha ve a lready made mention.

‘

They are doubly difficult here . They are grea ter in extent andduration ; the function of the forefinger is specia lly trying ; and thebusiness of lowering the wrist , as the knuckles rise , ha s to be underta ken with much caution . Otherwise , at the slightest Sign of relief ,the muscles holding the arm aloft will act too precipitately and causethe bow to grind into the string .

The sensitiveness of the fingers must direct the flexibly controlledand balanced wrist , so that the desired contact is ma intained throughout the operation .

It can not be too clearly recognized that , though the ear ha s a grea tdeal to do with fine tone-production , its function is purely criticalnot operative .

Let us add one la s t word with rega rd to the cha nge of bow . Greatpa tience is necessa ry in practising it . And it is only by perfect coordination of the vital parts of the whole opera tion that full controla nd beauty of tone can be a ssured .

The welding of the changes of bow into the stroke is best a ccom

plished in three sta ges , the directions for which apply equally to thetwo halves of the bow and to the whole bow .

In the first stage , the player makes the stroke , taking ca re that thehand is always at right angles to the stick . Then , after a halt , he performs the cha nge , again halting before the stroke in the Oppositedirection .

Fig . 17 shows this graphica lly . The two horizontal lines are theup

-bow and the down-bow strokes . The arrow-hea ds give the dirce

1 Their logic will proba bly seemmore urgent now tha t we a re dea ling with theheel. In themiddle , the pla yerma y ea sily delude himself into the belief tha t no pa rtof the weight of the bow is rest ing on the strings. But tha t delusion ca n not be so

rea dily indulged in a t the heel, when the ha nd is compelled to ha ve hold of the bow inorder to lift it from the string.

Pla te 23



4. Pa ssage from one string to a nother in the course of the stroke,a nd then back to the first string at the time when the stroke is changed .

5 . Passage across three or four strings , as in arpeggio-playing .

The practice in changing strings is to raise or depress the knucklessufficiently to transfer the bow , the wrist being then brought up or

down to the normal position .

In the exercises tha t involve only two strings it is best to beginthe practice with only such a movement of the bow a s is produced bythe action of changing the bow . It is easier so to control the necessarypositional changes of the wrist than it would be if the wrist were inlongitudinal motion . Of course , in actual playing , the hand will directthe use of as much bow as is needed to carry out the musical intention .

‘

In passing from one string to another , and then back again , thewrist retains it s normal position : the knuckles alone rise and fall .In arpeggio-playing the hand does not operate in a series of steps

from string to string , but the knuckles rise and fall about as much asthey do in going from one string to another . The movement is even ,

a nd ,when Spread over three or four strings , comparatively slow . The

diff erence in elevation is made by the arm ,which rises and sinks underthe direction of the hand .

There are two kinds of attack , the selection of which depends on thesort of expression that is required by the music .

In the first , the bow is placed in contact with the string , a nd thestroke is begun from that position .

In the second , the knuckles are ra ised so tha t the bow is off thestring , while the fingers and the thumb are bent . At starting , theknuckles are quickly lowered , and the thumb and fingers are straightened until the hair is in contact with the string . Then the stroke properbegins .

Pla te 27


CHAPTER VI

GENERAL POSITION . CARE‘

OF THE VIOLIN

EVERY soloist ha s to consider carefully the question of his generalposition when playing . He ha s to do this for his own artistic welfare ,and for the sake of the hundreds of eyes that a re sure to be fixed onhim during his performance . We need not , then , think any the worseof him , if we find him giving some attention to this subject .

‘

Let it be conf essed that a violinist , seen from the back of a concerthall , is not a beautiful object . All the exquisite muscular movementsthat make his a rt what it is are there ’quite invisible . The ear aloneis enchanted . The eye is continually faced with the struggling blacksilhouette on the platform . Sometimes it stands grimly glued to thefloor, as if foredoomed to instant destruction should it move a singlepace to left or right . Sometimes it is an inverted %

V” that sways

to-a nd-fro , battling with the. music a s a young pine-tree battles withthe ga le . But always it is a black unsubstantial silhouette , that holdsa tiny toy in its ha nds , and is ca pped with a vague oval of pinkey-white .

The truth of these facts—by no mea ns new, but little dwelt-ou bypress-agents and concert-managers—ca n be tested by a few visits toany concert-hall in the world .

The soloist , then , has to face some disabilities in trying to appea rthe romantic fellow that , of course , he alwa ys is . But , luckily formusic , there is the other a nd more sincere side of his art . And it is onthat side that we ma y approach him with confidence .

There is really only one object in adopting a % position and thatobject is to secure the greatest bodily freedom a nd comfort in playing .

Most of the %

rules that have been laid down on this ma tter are asone-sided a s some of the players that are produced by them .

For example , there are very few students who have not been told ,a t some time or other, that the whole weight of the body should bethrown on the left-leg . This solemn pronouncement is generally a ccom

pa nied by the expla nation tha t% by doing so, the right-side is freed .

”

But this provokes the still more solemn a nd quite una nswera ble,question , Then , wha t happens to the left-side ?

51


Students have been told , with great seriousness , that the jaw shoulda lwa ys be placed on the violin , and not the chin . And this maxim ofprudence ha s been enforced by reference to a well-known engravingof Joseph Joachim in his later years . But there are many portraits ofJoa chim in existence which Show

,

him with his chin clearly placed onhis instrument . Also , it is a well-known fact that he sa w very badly ;and , a s he grew old , ha rdly a t all with his right eye .

These are samples of the rules tha t are carefully bama cled ontothe beginner ’s little skiff by the pedant . But the only rule that isworth a snap is the rule to know your principles , a nd then to suit yourself . What is good for you in ordinary life is good for you as a violinist .Don ’t raise either of your shoulders . Don ’t push your stomach forward . Don ’t rest the weight of the thorax on the pelvis . Don ’t prearra nge one pose , as if you had a ta ste for cataleptic fits . Be easy , and

you will be graceful .In particular , remember that , if you over-tire one part of your body ,

you will soon feel its eff ects elsewhere , in loss of attention and muscula rcontrol . To put it more precisely : loca lized bodily fatigue is quicklyconverted into genera l bodily fatigue .

To these purely physical points one small point of psychology maybe added . A big audience , throbbing and glowing with the ecstasy ofa G-string melody (let us sa y), is inclined to regard musical emotiona s a purely persona l matter . The violinist , from their point of view ,

is telling them all about his joys and sorrows , his present and pastlove-a ff airs , his worldly and celestial aspirations .But a big a udience is not therefore a discerning audience . Indeed ,

it is quite certain that its discernment decrea ses in inverse ratio withits size . After the 5000-limit has been passed , it becomes almost ananimal—Plato ’s big brute ,

”in fact , the brute that may be teachable ,

but is at present untaught .

Let the violinist , then , face this fact fairly and squarely : that ,whatever influence life itself has on a n artist , a musical compositionis not a record of a composer ’s individual experiences , and thereforea ssuredly not that of a player ’s .The sincere artist should not a ntagonize his a udience either by

holding himself aloof , or by acting every pa ssa ge that he plays . Andhe may be quite sure that , the more he divests his art of all suggestionof personal reminiscence in its emotional expression , the more profoundly will he touch the hearts of those whose hea rts are worthtouching .



like putting your chin on the chin-rest , do so . The next moment youmay feel like putting the jaw there. And presently you may wish toleave the violin entirely free. Nobody will issue a summons aga instyou as a criminal for any of these acts. And you yourself know by nowt hat the important thing is to keep the shoulder loose at a ll times.Do not hold the violin too f a r either to the side or in front . A

middle-posit ior is more comfortable and better-looking. If you pointyour instrument earthwards , or skywards like an astronomer

’s telescope

, you are only increasing your difficulties. For the bow is sure towork in the opposite direction , towa rds or away from the bridge.

Breathe freely and regularly. %eep the throat a lways relaxed andopen . And if the length of your neck

‘ causes anxiety, place a sma llround pad on the collar-bone, where its ridge is evident through theabsence of muscle-fa s tenings.Do not stand with your eyes glued to those very vague a nd imper

fect sound-symbols , commonly known a s the music. The pra ctisingof pure technique will compel you to stand stock-still. Otherwise,your mind would wander. But , between the bouts of technique, letyour feet wander a little . Move about the room ; take a look at theview from your windows ; become less technical for the moment , andmore human .

Abandon the printed page at the first possible opportunity. If youdo, your memory will be benefited . You will not go sta le by consta ntplaying in the same room or into the same corner of one room. And

,

when you are away from the desk, you will get a much better idea ofwhat your playing-position is , and of how your playing is likely tosound at a distance.

One of the greatest difficulties of all teachers is to get their pupilsto listen to their own playing. A pupil will produce sounds that wouldhorrify him if they came from another player—a nd will then turncalmly to his teacher for approbation and applause. It is obvious thathe ha s heard nothing of his own playing. His mind ha s been com

pletely absorbed by his intention. The result has been inaudible tohim. This matter, so vitally important in teaching, is one that canonly be mentioned here . Its daily enforcement by means of neverending stoppages and compa risons must be left to those teachers whohave the necessa ry patience and devotion.

The tuning of the violin can be done quietly a nd quickly. It ra relyis. The point to notice is that heavy slow bowing a ctually cha nges thepitch of the strings. A light modera tely quick bow-stroke is all that

GENERAL POSITION. CARE OF THE VIOLIN 55

is necessary. And when once the fifths are correct , further tuning is asymptom of idiocy. The flight of ea sy harmonics , with which thetuning-rite is concluded , should a lwa ys be omitted.

The violin , like the human body , needs keeping clea n . Indeed,it

needs it more than the human body. For it ha s no automatic apparatus , by means of which it can throw off the finely divided pa rticles ofrosin-dust . And free-vibration is its very life and breath .

The possession of a beautiful silk handkerchief, initialled in one

comer , will not ensure this cleanliness. It may be—a nd often is—a

symbol of love . But a s a talisman against dirt it has little value.Remove your pegs, then , at lea st every two weeks . Take them out ,

one by one , and smear them , first with soap , next with chalk, andfina lly with graphite . The graphite can ea sily be obtained from a

lead-pencil.See that your bridge leans Slightly ba ckwa rds. The tendency of

the strings, and particula rly of the E-string, is to draw it forward.

This Should be corrected daily.

After playing, clean the whole violin thoroughly. In doing this,do not overlook the neck. The strings too must be cleaned , not onlya bove the finger-board , but in the bow-space. You need not fear thatyou will fray them if you rub them in only one direction . But everytime this cleaning is omitted , a thicker crust of rosin will collect onthem. This means robbing the gut of its peculia r lightness and ela s.

t icity , and so spoiling the tone.

To makepertain that your strings are correct , take a piece of stoutpaper, a nd ma rk on it the distance between the nut a nd the bridge.Then fold the paper between the two marks, and transfer the new halfway mark to the finger-board. This will give you the exact spot wherethe octave should be . Next , stop the string at this mark with yournail. If the note is higher or lower than the true octave , discard thestring and try another.

%eep a particula rly wary eye on the bridge , when you are drawingup a new E-string. The bridge always tilts forward. Also , if there ismuch changing of E ’

s , the top-string groove will quickly be worn toodeep. The best way to obviate this is to make a special groove , outside the ordinary groove , for use when you are pulling the string up topitch .

The finger-board , too , needs constant watching, both for groovesmade by the contact of the strings, and for a possible straightening.

When new , the finger-board is slightly hollowed from end to end to


prevent ra ttling nea r the stopping-%pla ce. Changes in clima te oftenca use it to warp , a nd so to stra ighten . And the finger-boa rd, thusstraightened , ha s to be pla ned ba ck to its proper curve. To test thispoint , st0p the string nea r the nut with the na il , while theright

-handdoes the same at the end of the finger-boa rd. The string should ringclea r, when plucked.

Chea p repa irs , like cheap strings, a re a n a bomina tion. Yet thehonest fiddle-doctor—who, of course, cha rges his price—is in a wa y abenef a ctor to the race of musicia ns. For, unlike the ordina ry doctorof huma n bodies , he ca n keep the vita l spa rk glowing for centuries inhis patients . The number of such wiza rds in the whole world canprobably be counted on the fingers of two ha nds. And if we werefurther to restrict the list to those whose honesty would compel themto pronounce the verdict dea d ” on a violin that is dead , we fear thatthe fingers of one ha nd would bemore tha n enough.

However , these honest wizards do exist . And , a s we ha ve testifiedto their existence , wema y be forgiven for a dding a few words of ca utionto the young violinist . Never buy a n old instrument tha t is pa tchedunder the sound-post

'

. Nomatter wha t you a re told , youwill be layingup trouble for yourself . The patch may indica te only wea kness . On

the other hand , it may be concealing an a ctua l crack . Every changein the wea ther a ffects a violin thus pa tched . And from da y to dayyou will never know whether it will be in playing-condition or hoarse ,shrill , a nd scratchy .

If you ca n pa y for Cremona or Brescia in good preserva tion , by allmea ns pa y for it , and live ha ppily ever a fterwards . But , whether youca n or can not pay , it is fa r better for your temper and your musicalhealth to play on a good modern violin that is intact , tha n to be a t themercy of a decrepit old bi-centenaria n tha t is cracked a nd lined , toneless from age , and (for your purposes) a musical pa ralytic .

When you choose a bow, do not dema nd too much ela sticity . It isgenera lly found only a t the cost of strength . Reject a ny bow thatgives sidewa ys .

The idea that a bow is of vast importance is nonsense . Any onetha t is strong a nd rea sona bly elastic is good enough to playwith . Theplayer is responsible for wha t comes out of the violin—not the bow .

Yet it is a common sight , at a violin dea ler’s , to see players trying

dozens of bows before ma king up their minds to purcha se one . Sometimes they swish them through the air , a s ii they were jockeys , andmea nt to use them for horse-racing. At other times they bounce them


CHAPTER VII

THE HIGHER POSITIONS . SHIFTING

THE theory of the left-hand technique for the first position wa slaid down in Cha pter II . This theory holds good for all the other positions . In the higher positions , the outwa rd appearance of the hand ischa nged ; but from the first to the third position there is not even anyoutward change . The student ma y therefore practise in the secondand third positions without any further addition to his first positiontechnique .

It is generally taught tha t the base of the hand should rest againstthe body of the violin in the third position . And the la me explanationis usually given that , by so doing, the player

% knows where he is and% feels secure .

But let us see wha t this amounts to . An inexperienced Alpineclimber finds himself on a ridge six-feet Square , with a drop of a thousand feet on either side of him . He a lso % knows where he is .

” Andif he will only ta ke the precaution of sitting down , will

% feel secure .

But he ca n ’t remain there for ever . His object , like the violinist’s

,is to

get somewhere . And his troubles , again like the violinist’s , are likely

to begin when he starts climbing aga in .

There is , indeed , no reason a t all why the base of the hand shouldever touch the body of the violin . And there are at lea st six goodreasons why it should not .

1 . Touching the ba se of the hand to the violin lowers the knuckleout of the striking-plane .

2 . It makes the proper arm-vibrato impossible . (This alone isenough to condemn it .)

3 . It destroys the proper balance of the playing-finger, and alsothe relaxation of the rest of the hand . (This is inevita ble , because thepla yer immedia tely senses his hand , not a s four separate fingers , but a sa solid wall .)

4. It robs the thumb of its true function , beca use the violin is thensupported on the ba se of the hand .

5. The difficulty of getting out of such a position to resume thetechnique in a lower position is great .

6. The violin does not need the ba se of the ha nd for its support .The thumb ca n quite well do the supporting .

58


THE HIGHER POSITIONS . SHIFTING 59

Now, let us first state quite clea rly tha t we have to use positionshigher than the third : a nd that , in those positions , the body of thev iolin does prevent the hand from functioning in exactly its formerposition .

But this fact does not mea n tha t we must disca rd the principlesthat we ha ve already lea rned . They a re certa inly not vitia ted by thephysica l fa ct tha t the body of the instrument juts out sidewa ys fromthe neck. The knuckle must still be kept in the striking-pla ne : thethumb must continue to support the violin . But , for the higher positions , we must arrange the hand so that it pa sses round the body of theinstrument .Let us first take the positions , and then go into the matter of

shifting from one to another .There is a prelimina ry observation to be made here . Within the

limits of each position there is one series of available notes . And thestudent is earnestly desired to make a study of what these notes are inall the positions , so that he may never be a t a loss to know the fingeringof any note in any position .

If this study is underta ken—a nd it ca n quite well be made awayfrom the instrument—he will gain an instinctive apprecia tion of thelocation of all the notes tha t a re across the strings , but in the sa meposition . He will have , in fact , a sort of group-perception for eachposition .

As an example : he will instantly sense the fact that , after havingplayed E-fla t with the third finger on the G-string in the third position

,

thenote D-fla t on the E-string is played by the fourth finger very closeto the pla ce where the third finger would lie if it were moved straightover to the E-string .

A second example will bring home to him the importa nce of trainingthe fingers to move straight across the finger-board , without gettingt oo high or too low . Thus , if he plays the four notes E-fla t , B-fla t , F , C ,

on the four strings with one finger, it is essentia l that the tip of thatfinger should , in each ca se , be at exa ctly the same dista nce from thebridge .

We now have to investigate the method by which the knuckle iskept in the striking-plane while passing through the her positions .Pla te 29 shows the hand posed for the first thr msPla te 30 Shows the knuckle still in the

wrist ha s been dra wn ba ck from the knucof the violin .


Pla te 3 1 shows the wrist dra wn ba ck . But , a s the action ha spivoted round the finger-tip instea d of round the knuckle , the latter ismoved completely out of the striking-pla ne.One of the bad consequences of this false position is that the finger

tips descend to the string nail-first . The result is so much discomf orta nd inconvenience , that the third joint is frequently stra ightened inorder to sea t the finger—eu uncomfortable position that is shown inPla te 32 .

The studentma y very profitably pose the left-elbow on a table ; and ,ta king Pla tes 29 a nd 30 for his models , practise moving the left-wristbackwards a nd forwards , until the movement ca n readily be madefrom the knuckle , without disturbing the finger ormoving the knuckleout of the striking-pla ne .

The hand mounts from position to position . And , after the third

position ha s been passed , the thumb is drawn round the neck ; until ,in the very highest positions , that part of it which lies between thethird joint and the extreme tip supports the instrument .At present the student need go no further with the thumb-tech

nique . But he should now experiment with the higher positions,bear

ing in mind the fact that , notwithstanding the changed position of

thumb and wrist , the violin still rests on the thumb . Thus , there iscomplete freedom for it s a djustment to the rest of the hand .

1

At this sta ge some experimenting must be made with the higherpositions . This is necessa ry before we face the added complication ofshifting smoothly from one position to a nother. But it must be remembered that a knowledge of the positions practically mea ns for us aknowledge of the extent to which the wrist is drawn back and thethumb drawn under .

It is therefore best , now that the student is familiar with the firstthree positions , to begin—not with the fourth , in which the diff erenceis very slight—but with a higher posit ion , such a s the seventh , the one

in which the first finger rests upon the octave of the string . Thedifference in the wrist and thumb positions is here sufficiently great tobe easily appreciated . And from this position the student may workdown to the third a nd up to the highest .

The logical course for him is simply to pla y the notes in the seventhposition ,

noting carefully on what part of the thumb the violin may beconveniently supported ; how far back the wrist is projected , a nd

whether the knuckle is in the striking-plane .

During the exercise the violin should be lowered several times , and


Pla te 32



a nd the tenth positions . Before attempting the lower positions , heshould practise a slow glissando , beginning in the eleventh positionwith the fourth finger on the harmonic .

(There is little difference in the pose of the wrist between the thirda nd fourth positions . Yet the diff erence is in many ways important .And , as a clear understanding of its importance must be gained , it isbest to do so—not by an isolated fourth-position-study—but bystudying the fourth position in relation to the positions on either sideof it .)In making the downward glissando , the descent must necessarily

be slow in order to observe the changes of wrist and thumb as thelower positions are reached . After some little familiarity ha s beengained in the glissando , it is well to halt suddenly and essay thevibrato . Other halts may be made to test whether the violin rea llyrests on the thumb . This is done by carefully lifting the finger fromthe string , when it at once becomes evident if the finger has sharedwith the thumb in supporting the instrument . Finally, the glissandoshould be occasionally interrupted in order to play a scale or a passagein one position or another . If this is done , it will at once be appa rentwhetherthe hand is posed comf ortably or not .

So far the practice ha s probably been upon one string . It is nowtime to perf orm t he glissa ndo on the lower strings also . On these , thethumb and wrist positions are slightly exaggerated , of course . One

ha s to reach over to them a little more . But the necessary changesare small , a nd one can make them easily if one is familiar with theprocedure on the t op-string .

We now come to the subject of shif ting, undoubtedly one of the

most important branches of violin-study .

Shif ting is the transposition of the whole hand t o a new positionAnd , naturally , part of the process is the posing of the thumb-supportin the new position , so a s to make the finger-action there easy a nd

secure . Not only do ease , fluency,and correct intonation depend

largely upon skill and accuracy in shifting ; but shifts , judiciously used ,

are a decided factor in musical expression . The different kinds ofshifts are a s follows :

THE HIGHER POSITIONS . SHIFTING 63

%PWARDS

Iy. From a low to a higher finger.2y. With the same finger.

3y . From a high to a lower finger.

DOWNWARDS

I z . From a high to a lower finger.2z . With the same finger.

3z . From a low to a higher finger.

Any one of these kinds may be performed either rapidly a nd clea nly(so tha t no break is hea rd), or slightly slower (so tha t there is a sug

gestion of pOrt amento) . And the portamento will have a diff erentsound , a ccording a s the shif t is made from a low to a higher finger, orfrom a high to a lower finger .

Besides these six kinds of shif t , there is a nother which , though itbelongs to the second Species, can be disposed of at once—the shift ofa half-tone with the same finger a nd within the limits of one position .

It is convenient to deal with this shift here , beca use it is the simmestof all , a nd involves no change of t humb-position .

As a rr-example , let usta ke the Shif t from D to E-fla t with the thirdfinger on the A-string in the first position .

In ma king this shift , the finger , hand , a nd forearm a re pa ssed forwards together, leaving the thumb where it originally wa s . If thethumb really supports the violin , and if the ha nd is rea lly free , therewill be no difficulty in performing this action , which transfers thefinger

-tip from D to E-fla t without removing the knuckle from the

striking-plane .

It is , in other words , a movement , from the elbow of the wholeforea rm a nd hand ; a nd it depends for its success upon mflexibility of

the wrist and knuckle , and independence a s between the hand a nd thethumb .

The moment the arch of the finger is changed , or the finger is movedforwa rd from the wrist , the technique is incorrect , for the two rea sonstha t ( I) the knuckle is no longer in the striking-plane, a nd (2) thefinger-a ction for the rest of the pa ssage is bound to be impa ired .

If , a fter the E-fla t ha s been rea ched , the rest of the pa ssa ge is inthe second position , the thumb is then moved slightly a long the neckto the proper position of comfort . But if , a fter one or two notes , thepassage shifts back to the first position , the thumb is not moved at a ll .


Shifting in the other direction from E-fla t to D is performed simila rly by the forearm and hand from the elbow. And one may addthat this is the universa l method in Shifting with the same finger overhalf-tones .The technique of shifting is broadly twofold :

1 . Between the first a nd third positions .

2 . Between the third a nd higher positions .Each of these two stages embraces the technique of Shifting up

wards a nd downwa rds , and the technique is further subdivided tocover the six kinds of Shifts alrea dy given .

First of all we shall deal with the three kinds of shif ts between thefirst and third positions . These three kinds are , of course , selectedfrom the list of six , given on page 63 . And we need only remark tha tthe technique is similar between the first and second and the seconda nd third .

In shif ting upwards , the movement is always made by carrying thethumb with the forea rm. Care must be taken that the violin reallyrests upon the thumb throughout the Shift .

In ma king the Shift 2y the forea rm a nd thumb are moved , until thefinger-tip is ca rried to the point of

‘

true intonation .

‘ But—let it besa id again—the curve of the finger must not be Changed , a nd the wristmust remain inflexible . Otherwise , the knuckle will leave the strikingplane .

In shif t 3y, we can ta ke for our example the notes D and E-fla t .

The problem is to move from the third finger on D to the second fingeron E-fla t .

The second finger is first pla ced lightly on the string close behindthe third finger. The shift then proceeds exa ctly a s in shif t 2y. Anda s the tip of the third finger is about to rea ch E-fla t , it is raised fromthe string , a nd the second finger immediately behind it is presseddown . The movement is continued until the second finger rea chesE-fla t .

On no account may the finger be raised during the shif t . If it is soraised , the Open string will , of course , be heard .

The Shif t Iy ma y be performed either by Sliding with the fingerwhich is a lrea dy on the string a nd then Cha nging to the new finger , orby cha nging to the new finger a t themoment tha t the slide is begun .

In the first method , the hand a nd a rm a re moved forwa rd until the1 The sense of movement must a lwa ys be centred in the thumb, not in the

finger.



pra ctised with frequent int erruptions for the purpose of trying thevibra to .

In Shifting between the third and higher positions , there are somedifferences of the thumb-technique to be a dded . Let

‘

us thereforedescribe the process of shifting between the third and sixth positions ,a s this shift is representative of all the longer shifts .In shifting upwards, the thumb is first moved ba ckwards , so that it

is brought undernea th the neck , which is then supported by the thirdphala nge , instead of the padded second phalange . The wrist isthereby moved outwards and away from the violin , and then movesforward together with the arm and hand .

The extent to which the thumb must be moved backwards dependsupon two factors : first , upon the structure of the individual hand ; andsecond

,upon what part of the thumb is found necessary for the support

of the violin .

The further the thumb is carried backwards the nearer to the tipwill be its point of contact with the neck . It is here that the valueof the preliminary work becomes evident . For it is precisely by thisglissando and position-study that the student gets an idea of theextent to which the thumb must be drawn round the neck .

In shifting downwards from the sixth to the third position , themovement of the arm a nd hand is begun before a ny change of thumbposition is made . But a s the hand passes through the fifth position ,

the thumb allows the neck to slide downwards along it , until it oncemore rests on the fleshy pad of the second phalange .

There is a Short Shift between the third and fourth positions madefor temporary occupation . Before this shif t is begun , the thumb ismoved

,not backwards but forwards as far as is convenient and

possible .

It remains now to explain how to shif t from one of the first two toany one of the higher positions . The process is really very simple .

As the a rm and hand move forwards through the first three positions ,the thumb is moved backwards , until that part of it which is correctfor the ultimate position is in contact with the neck .

Shif ting downwards from the very high positions to the first orsecond positions is a combination of the downward shifts to and f romthe third position . This is the most difficult shift of all . It involvestwo distinct thumb-actions , a nd ha s to be practised slowly until it isperfectly smooth .

Let us ta ke a s a n example the shift from B with the fourth finger

THE HIGHER POSITIONS . SHIFTINC 67

on the E-string in the eighth position to B with the first finger on theA-string in the first position .

In ma king this shift , the hand and the arm move backwards , untilthe fourth finger is approximately over F . The thumb then allowsthe neck to descend to the pad of the second phalange , and at oncemoves

.

backwards to provide the point of rest for the violin . Mea nwhile , the hand and arm continue to move away from the body untilthe fourth finger reaches B in the first position , when the first finger ispressed down on the A-String and the thumb is brought to a thoroughlycomfortable position , as wa s explained before .

The thumb is of the first importance in shifting . For , unless theviolin rests securely on it , and unless hand and arm are free to Operate ,shifts are difficult and intonation uncertain .

Next in importance is the knuckle . It must be presented un

hesitatingly and without strain in the striking-plane . But of coursethis depends in grea t part upon the position taken by the thumb .

Much patience is necessary in working .out the shif ts . The easya nd useless—wa y is to

% ma ke a stab a t them . But the result of thatwa y is a ma ximum of uncertainty a nd a minimum of confidence .

Among the best exercises for solid study are those numbered 2y and22 . And their value lies in the fact that, in performing them, thefinger acts a s the measuring-agent , not only for their Special shifts ,but for a ll the others .Two words of advice in conclusion .

Do not study shif ting by ea r.

Do not allow the . ear to persuade you that shif ting is more difficultthan it really is .

From the highest B to the B in the first position on the E-stringmea sures less than 6% inches , and that is the longest movement thatthe hand can ever be ca lled on to ma ke . The range of sound repre

sented by these 6% inches is so great that one ea sily forgets how slighta movement is necessary to cover the dista nce . Indeed , the pra cticeof Shifting loses half its terrors if the eye helps the ea r.

CHAPTER VIII

SPICCATO . STACCATO

THE Spiccato is usually divided into two sorts , the heavy and thelight—a division which is not really accurate ; for either sort may beplayed heavily or lightly .

The heavy Spiccato is the musician’s spicca to : the light is the

virtuoso ’s .The former is almost unlimited as to speed , flexibility , and power

of tone-gradation . It works instantaneously and kaleidoscopically .

The latter demands unvarying pace and a one-level-tone . Its objectis merely to glitter and to scintillate .

Of the two sorts , the musician’s favours the lower half of the bow :

the virtuoso ’s , the upper half .Af ter so much comparison , a definition will perhaps be welcome .

Le t it be said , then , that the Spicca to is a series of rapid detached notes ,ea ch one of which is played una ccented with a separa te bow-stroke .

(The fa ct that it is unaccented differentia tes it from the ma rtelébowing .)We shall now take the two sorts , the heavy a nd the light , in tha t

order ; and discuss the technique by which they are produced .

In the hea vy spiccato , success depends la rgely upon the perfectionof the technique in changing the bow . In fa ct , the student is a dvisedto practise it first without ra ising the bow from the strings , a s a

détaché bowing performed from the wrist alone . This exercise ma ybest be begun in the middle of the bow (see page Indeed , owingto the compensa ting movements of the wrist necessa ry to keep thebow in the proper planes , it ca n never be played with any grea t Speed .

However, speed is not the purpose of this exercise . It is intended tofamilia rize him with the changes of bow welded into one , a nd performed without a ny intervening stroke , or any longitudinal movementof the arm .

When this exercise goes smoothly , it may be repea ted at va riouspa rts of the bow. After that , the Spiccato is begun ; but it must firstbe ma de a s a succession of down-strokes or of up-strokes.

68


7o MODERN VIOLIN-PLAYINO

the wrist while moving the fingers up a nd down , and by the necessityof keeping the hair at its best height above the string . Thus , duringthe up-stroke there occurs a tiny movement of the forearm towardsthe floor. And during the down-stroke there should be a similar,but opposite , movement . These movements are not plotted in thearm . They are the natural outcome of the hand-technique when thearm remains flexibly at its disposition .

Should the tone sound woolly , instead of clea r and ringing , it isprobable that the hair is being placed too ca refully in contact with thestring . At the beginning of each stroke , when the hair is descendingto the string , the hand must be swung from the wrist , with its weighthelping to a certain extent . The process may be illustrated by theway in which a pendulum gathers momentum during the downwardpart of its swing .

When the student ha s fully mastered the bowing , as described , heshould go on to a dd a certain amount of arm-movement . Thislengthens the contact of hair and string , and so grea tly augments thetone .

We shall now discuss the technique of producing the light Spiccato .

It diff ers from the heavy spiccato in that the ha nd does not poise thebow above the string between the strokes . The brea k of contact between ha ir and string is caused by the ela sticity of the bow . Andthis

,again , is brought into pla y through the action of the hand.

If we turn back to Plates I7and 18 , we can refresh our minds withtwo important fa cts . The horizontal a xis of the wrist is tilted . And

the effect of this is to raise the knuckles ; and so , not only to ra ise thebow , but to pass it to the left of the player , or upwards . (This alsoholds good in the Opposite direction muta tis muta ndis .)This is the technical procedure in making the light Spiccato ; plus ,

of course , the bending motions of fingers and thumb necessary to keepthe bow moving parallel to the bridge . All compensating movementsof the wrist are omitted . For, were they included , the resulting eff ectwould be either a heavy spiccato or a smooth détaché .

After the hair ha s been placed in contact with the string, a nd theknuckles smartly lowered , the bow is bounced into the air. (Thisbouncing is caused precisely by the omission of the compensatingmovements .) Then , after the bow ha s bounced into the air, advantageis taken of its subsequent fall . The knuckles are raised to move thebow upwards again , and the motion again causes it to leave thestring .

SPICCATO . STACCATO

It is important that the a rm should be held as free a s possible , a ndtha t every precaution Should be taken aga inst ra ising the collar-boneeven though the bowing-action is solely tha t of the hand from the

The best way is to begin the practice of the light spicca to at arather quick tempo , and afterwards , when confidence has been established , to decrease the speed . We have already pointed out tha t it isplayed somewhere between the middle and the point of the bow, but

nea rer the middle than the point . Experiment will Show exactly thebest Spot for ultimate success . The higher the speed , the less the bowis allowed to leave the string . Conversely , at a low Speed the handpermits the bow to leap further into the air .

When it comes to putting the Spiccato to pra ctica l use , it is oftenfound difficult to co-ordinate the actions of the two hands . It istherefore best to begin the tra ining by playing eight Spiccato strokesto each finger of the left-hand ; and later to reduce the number , throughfour and two, to the point of perfect co-ordina tion between the bowa nd the fingers of the left-hand .

Crossing the strings is often difficult , particularly when only one

or two notes a re played on a new string , before returning to the oldone . The Spiccato movements in the Bach Solo Sona ta s abound inthese difficulties . Their study is most ea rnestly recommended .

The technique of crossing the strings is simila r to tha t of crossingthe strings in the déta ché bowing . In other words , to perform it , thehand is lowered or ra ised from the wrist . Then , when the desiredeleva tion ha s been rea ched , the wrist is ra ised or lowered , until thenorma l position ha s been established on the new string.

One last word on the musica l effect of the Spiccato . Alterationsof speed and tone-intensity produce surprising musical diff erences .At a high speed the technique will suggest needle-points . Yet theidentically same technique , when performed at a low Speed , will suggest weight , dignity , and deliberation of uttera nce . If the contactbetween ha ir and string is intense , we may expect almost any degreeof hard brillia nce . If the contact is light , the resulting sound will besoft and feathery . In fact , the variety of the Spiccato is infinite .

AS we ha ve now dealt fully with the two sorts of Spiccato , we ca nturn our attention to an equally importa nt subject—the staccato.

Only it must be premised that that word is not used in exactly thesame sense on the stringed-instruments a s it is on the wind and keyedinstruments . It is not merely the a rt of playing a great number of


short detached notes very ra pidly , but of bracketing them togethera t the same time in one bow.

The usual way of tea ching the stacca to is not exactly a credit tothe musical profession . Yet it is a way that is much in vogue withcertain practitioners , to whom reference was made in our first chapter .It is not a musical method , but rather a conspiracy of two against

the Almighty . In its barest outline—for the subject is not edifyingthe scheme is worked somewhat as follows .

A pupil is given a certain quantity of very black-looking music,much beslurred and bedotted , and is told to practise it

%

a s a stacca toexercise .

” He practises—a nd practises—a nd practises ; with theresult that it sounds dismally rickety , a nd quite unlike the tea cher ’sown stacca to . A few weeks of this sort of study generally reducethe pupil to the point of suicide . And it is then that the teacher liftsup his voice in sa d exaltation , telling him that the art of staccato-bowing is a gift from Hea ven .

”Now, the stern human logic of this state

ment is that , if some have the gift and others have not , it is useless forthe have-nots to waste a ny more time about it . They need pra ctiseit no more , unless they expect to receive a sudden divine illumina tionone fine morning when they a re at their music-desks .But , stra nge a s it may seem , this sort of human logic does not enter

into the professoria l scheme at all . In its place , tea cher and pupil settheir brains to hoodwink the divine intelligence . And the tea cher ’spa rt of the plot is to prescribe more a nd more exercises , more studies ,more concertos , with new key-signatures and new time-signaturesa ll as black a s Styx a nd as hopeless as Hades .The wretched pupil’s part is to Sit in his back-room a nd work

ha r at these exercises . This—to give him his credit—he a lwa ysdoes

,like a Trojan . But the years pass , and the stacca to does not

a ppear. He ha s probably never hea rd that any mecha nical principlesor physiological adjustments enter into the matter. And if he ha s .

he cannot go to his tea cher in search of light on tha t subject . For ,

so long as he is outside the sacred pale of st a cca toists , the tea cher cana lwa ys exculpate himself by a solemn reference to the place where hesupposes the staccato comes from .

Need it be sa id tha t , when such a pupil’s student-da ys are nea ring

their end , a nd he is beginning to think seriously of the orchestra a s a

profession,he too is likely to soothe his wounded vanity by the theory

of The Divine Origin of the Sta cca to .

Let us dra w a veil over this unedifying picture ; a nd a t the same



(And we must not forget that our aim is from twelve to Sixt een strokesper second.)

3 . The obstacles described above a re generated between the bowand the string a t the point where they are in conta ct. In neither ofthe two methods ” could the hand-movements be made at the rate oftwelve per second. Tha t is quite certain . On the other hand , it isequa lly certain tha t , with those

% methods , the band could and wouldmake its movements faster tha n the bow would permit. What wouldbe the result ? In one word , blurring. Two strokes of the ha ndwould be run into one of the bow. And both hand and arm , powerless to overcome the obsta cle, yet fra ntic to do so, would soon peterout in a bad atta ck of cramp.

These evil % methods ” a nd their more evil results are all due to onefundamental misconception : that the notes of a staccato passage ha veto be dug out of the string.

Here a short digression is necessa ry, as it is desira ble to warn thestudent against building any of those connecting-bridges tha t a re oft enimprovised between technique a nd sound.

An experiment will help us.A violinist is a sked to select a passage , a nd to pla y it a t full speed.

He is then requested to play it again ; but this time under the magnifying-gla ss. In other words, he is to play it at a bout one-fourth theprevious tempo, but it is to be the same passage in a ll its proportions .What will be the result ?

Nine times out of ten it will be a s follows : Every detached not e,whether staccato or not , will be played just a s short a s before . Only ,

the divisions between the notes will be lengthened , so a s to fill out tys. .

time . Every sustained note , instead of being played four times a sslowly with the same amount of bow , will merely be pla yed with aboutfour times as much bow as before.

There will not be the slightest effect of a magnifying-gla ss. Everything will be out of focus , a s in a distorting-mirror.The deduction is pla in . Almost all students, teachers , and players

form their conception of technical action solely from the sounds tha tcome to their ears as a result of that technical a ction . And, conversely, the varying effect produced by the same a ction , when performed a t different speeds , is (if noted at all) a scribed to a diff erenceof technique.Now , the sound of the staccato-bowing is that of a succession of

notes , a ll short , crisp , firm, a nd sha rply defined. It is therefore argued

SPICCATO . STACCATO 75

that, to produce this crispness and sharpness of definition , the bowmust dig the notes out of the string.

In reality , all that is necessa ry to produce the desired sound-eff ectin the sta cca to-bowing is to start and stop the bow in innumerabletiny strokes . It is the speed with which they follow one another thatma kes all the diff erence in sound between the stacca to and a successionof slow detached notes.

This , then, is the first maxim for successThe contact between hair and string must remain constant , and

all vibration of the stick must be eliminated.

When this is done , the only question left is how to sta rt and stopthe bow. Perhaps the appended Figs . 20 and 2 1 will help the studentto understa nd the diff erence between digging out the notes a nd simplypa ssing the bow a long with a certa in consta nt degree of contact , va rying with the amount of tone desired .

Fig. 20

Fig. 2 1

Of course, the moment this understanding is reached , it becomesapparent that any hand or finger-action that is employed a lternatelyto depress and release the stick must be discarded a s the root of all theevil .Let the student place the bow in contact with the string, and draw

it slowly from end to end. Then let him reflect that this is actua llythe procedure of the staccato-bowing , minus the a ction which breaksup the continuous stroke into many short detached parts . In fact,the technique of the stacca to combines two entirely distinct functions :

I . Tone-production .

2 . The action by which the stroke is broken up into many pa rts.The least tendency to confuse or to merge these two functions is

bound to result in failure. And the proximate reason why the fa lsesystem (illustrated by Fig. 20) can lead nowhere is that it asks of theha nd an impossibility—the production of the tone for each strokeseparately , and with the same mechanism.

Tone-production we are a lrea dy acquainted with . It consists ofdownwa rd pressure with the whole hand from thewrist , with the object


of establishing a certain quality of contact between the ha ir of the bowa nd the string. (The downward pressure is , of course , merely transmit ted through the fingers .)The action of brea king up the stroke is not performed by the fingers ,

nor by the hand , for the rea son that either of these methods wouldinterfere with the tone-production . It is simply that of rotating theforea rm with a very slight reciprocating motion . The sensation, itmay be added

,is located at the outer end of the a rm next the wrist .

The following exercise will give the student an exact idea of theaction , and will train him to perform it .For the up-bow staccato , the hand and forea rm are placed in posi

tion a s though to play the piano . The fingers are bent and are helda bove the edge of a table a s though very Slightly ra ised from the keys .

Mea nwhile , the thumb rests lightly on the table . The forearm is thenquickly rotated , so that the fourth finger strikes the softest possibleblow on the table ; while the thumb is momentarily raised, and thenreturned to its origina l position.

For the down-bow sta ccato the exercise is performed with thefourth finger rested on the table and the a rm rotated so a s to ca use thethumb to strike .

The rota tion of the forearm must be done with the greatest possibleSpeed and lightness, a nd a pause must be made before its repetition .

The utmost care must be taken not to make the movement either withthe fingers and thumb or with the hand from the wrist . The ha nda nd fingers must be immovable, and the action must be made by theforearm alone . It is on this point tha t the student is most likely to gowrong . But the whole success of the bowing depends on the separation of this a ction from the hand and fingers .The down-bow staccato is no more difficult than the up-bow, nor

a re either of them more difficult at the heel than a t the point . Thatpopular falla cy is ca used by the popular habit of resting the weightof the bow on the string . If the bow is held in proper control by thehand , it ca n make no difference at what point the staccato is executed .

The only small point of exception to this last definite statement is inthe degree of conta ct . And that is concerned only with the increa sedstiffness of the ha ir towards the heel of the bow.

If , when the student comes to execute the bowing on the violin , heis not successful ; or if some of the notes a re clear and others a re blurred ;or if the progress of the bow seems to be in a ny way hampered ; or,

1 If desired , the exercise ma y be done a t a pia no.


CHAPTER IX

HARMONICS . PIZZICATO . TRILLS

As we a re about to undertake the study of the harmonic (or fla g

eolet sounds on the violin , it will be as well first to answer thequestion : What is. a harmonic ?A violin-string (when set in vibra tion) vibra tes , not only as a whole ,

but also in segments (or no’

des), such as halves , thirds , quarters , andso on . The points at which it naturally breaks up into these sub

sidia ry vibrations are called% nodal points .

” And if the string islightly touched at any one of these nodal points, the action of the

finger destroys the vibration of the complete string-length , a nd com

pels it to vibrate segmenta lly .

The sounds , so produced , are called natural harmonics .

Now , it is quite immaterial whether, in producing these naturalharmonics , we measure off our segment-length from the bridge-end orfrom the nut-end of the violin . The octave-harmonic , of course, liesexactly midway between the two points . But the sixteenth-harmonic

,

for instance—tha t is to say, the quarter-length of the string—ca n bemeasured from either end . This scientific fact ha s important musicalresults . For it enables us to produce on the violin a completely newseries of ha rmonics , all made by stopping the string with the firstfinger to shorten it (and so raise its pitch), a nd then lightly touchinga nodal point of the shortened string

'

with the third or fourth finger.The sounds, so produced , are known a s artificia l harmonics .

”

It is to the study of this double series of harmonics—the naturala nd the a rtificia l—tha t we must now address ourselves . And we Shalldivide the study into two parts : first , the technique of producing theharmonics

,and next , the technique of moving from one to a nother .

With regard to the na tural harmonics , we need only sa y here tha tthey exist theoretically on each string as a regularly diminishing set ofintervals from the open string upwards—a n octave , a perfect fifth , aperfect fourth

,a major third , a nd a minor third .

1 Full pa rt icula rs of this serieSa nd of the va rious methods by which the notes a reto be obt a ined on the violin ca n be found on pa ges 328

—34 of Orchestra tion

(Forsyth). Other references , in the same volume , a t pa ges 305, 388-89, 406—9,423

-241 443-

45

HARMONICS . PIZZICATO . TRILLS 79

The artificial harmonics , however, demand a good dea l more attention . And we shall first describe the three kinds that form the ba sisof the artificia l harmonic technique .

A . The fourth finger lightly touches the nodal point a perfectfourth above the first finger. (Resulting harmonic sound : two octavesabove the first finger or new fundamental .)B . The fourth finger l ightly touches the nodal point a perfect fifth

above the first finger. (Resulting harmonic sound : a twelf th above thefirst finger or new fundamental .)C . The third finger lightly touches the nodal point a major third

above the first finger. (Resulting ha rmonic sound : two octaves anda major third above the first finger or new fundamental .)When one plays an octave with the first and fourth fingers on two

strings , the stretch of the fingers is a s far as can be made with entirecomfort . When , instead of an octave , a ninth is played , a distincteffort is needed to extend the fourth finger. Now , the harmoniccombinations lettered % A ”

a nd B above involve the placing of thefingers a s though for an octave and a ninth , but on one string insteadof two . The hand , of course , is inclined diagonally to the neck of theviolin . So that the apparent difficulty of the stretch is increased .

This difficulty , however, can be overcome to a great extent by propertechnique .

It must be clearly recognized tha t the artificial ha rmonics are notdouble-stops , for in double-stopping both fingers have similar functions.

Here they are entirely dissimila r . And unless this fact is grasped ,failure is bound to follow.

In the production of artificial ha rmonics , the most important fingeris the first . The harmonic ma y sound if the fourth finger, in error,touches the string on either Side of the nodal point , instead of directlyupon it . But no possible manipulation of the fourth finger will produce a clear ha rmonic if the first finger is functioning improperly.

The study of the harmonic technique should therefore begin a s follows .Place the first finger, properly posed , on the string, a s though with

the sole intention of playing a stopped note, and then sound the resultwith the bow. But , while so doing, bring the fourt h finger slowlydown , until it rests a s lightly a s possible on the string , a perfect fourthabove the first finger. Then raise it slowly from the string, judgingfrom the sound of the first finger (now again heard) whether its posewa s in a ny way modified by the action of the fourth finger.It is best to begin with the perfect fourth (

% A in the above list)


beca use the ~ha nd is then in its most unstra ined position. The fourthfinger must be brought down from the knuckle. It will lie almost flatupon the string, beca use it is extended.

‘ Our technical aim here is tooperate the fourth finger without disturbing the pose of the first finger.Naturally, the bringing of the fourth knuckle near to the neck of theviolin would tend to do this. And , a s an additional bad result , themuscles and tendons that hold together the finger-shafts in the handwould be tightened . If the fourth finger is operated without forcefrom the knuckle, as far a s is necessa ry to place the flat tip uponthe string, the ha nd will be left free , a nd the first finger will beundisturbed.

This technique of the fourth finger is peculia r to harmonic-playing.

Here its function is , not to stop the string, but to touch the nodalpoint. The technique should therefore be practised slowly and re

pea tedly, until the difierence is clearly established in the student’

s

mind,and until the two fingers a re able to fill their respective roles

instantly.

The harmonics played with the first a nd third fingers C in theabove list) may be studied next. Their study involves no new difficulty. In the combination , however, where the fourth finger touchesthe nodal point a perfect fifth above the first finger B in the abovelist), there is a new difliculty—that of extending the fourth finger without binding the hand. The first finger must aga in ma inta in its poseundisturbed , and the fourth finger must be brought down with thegreatest care not to disturb that pose. If the action takes place exclusively from the knuckle—the finger being entirely flattened in orderto extend it a s f a r a s possible —there is little likelihood of failure.%eep in mind the fact that the pose of the fourth finger is insignificant.The important thing is its Operation from the knuckle, so that the firstfinger may be undisturbed , and yet so that the nodal point may bereached.

The correct production of these harmonics should be pra ctised on

all four strings throughout the first four positions , but the first finger

pose should always be assumed to begin with . After that , the de

pressing and raising of the high finger ca n be attended to.

The technique of moving from one ha rmonic to another may bedivided into two stages. The first involves movement from naturalto artificial harmonics : the second , a succession of artificial harmonicsplayed by moving from position to position.

Almost every pa ssage of any length in ha rmonics ma kes frequent



the first ; but the movement is very slight , and readily dictated by the

The technique of double harmonics does not diff er from that ofsingle ha rmonics . The former have acquired for themselves an undeserved reputation forcolossa l difficulty . But they are not nea rly a sformidable a s they look on paper. There must be no clutching of thelow fingers . If there is , the hand will tighten , and so prevent theproper placing of the upper fingers . Tha t is the only shield of preca ution with which to attack the new citadel .Before closing this short account of the harmonic-technique , a

word of caution must be uttered with rega rd to the use of the bow .

It is obvious that if , instead of a harmonic , a stopped note of thesame pitch were played on the same string, the contact of the hair withthe string would be much more delica te . The two notes are , sa y, acouple of octaves apart . And with the stopped note , the fingerswould be very near the bridge , and consequently the string would bemuch stiff er.The eff ect of this on the player is curious . %nless the grea test care

is ta ken to avoid it , the association of a high sound with delicacy of

bowing-contact is sure to cause a miscalculation in the bowing of harmonios . The pitch is no guide at all . And a s the left-hand production is nea rer the nut than the bridge , the bowing should preserveexa ctly the same quality of contact a s though the first finger wereOperating alone .

This point ma y be studied a nd tested in the exercise given on page8 1 . When the (lightly stopping) fourth finger is lifted , the tone ofthe first finger note should sing out clea rly , without any re arrangementof the bow-contact .We cannot begin our study of the pizzicato better than by quoting

the late Dr . Richter’s classic admonition to his London orchestra :% You shall blay mehr mit ze meat , and not zo mosh mit die horns .

”

This a dvice , though given many years ago on one of his first visitsto England , deserves to be held in permanent remembrance in allconcert-ha lls . For the pizzicato-playing of some of the best orchestrasand chamber-music societies is still painfully horny. At times almostno musical sound proceeds , at a ny rate from the upper stringedinstruments . The players ’ nails go plick-plock, plickety-plock with a n

explosive violence that is genuinely alarming to the musical sense .

All this is bad enough in the orchestra . But it is infinitely worsein chamber-music , where the pizzica to-passage ma y ha ve the chara c


teristics of a solo , with all that is implied thereby in the matter ofexpression and tone-shading . The H a rp-Qua rtet of Beethoven maybe cited as an example .

The truth is that most string players class the pizzicato with theba njo . Both are unmusical , and so elemental a s to be sca rcely worthpractice . Yet it must be allowed that there is a great deal of pizzicatopla ying in orchestral music . And as composers seem to use it with aserious intention , its proper execution should be made the subject ofan equally serious study .

Fingers a re of all kinds : thin , thick , Short , and long . And any oneof these ma y be finished off with half-a -dozen sorts of finger

-nail .Then there is the nature of the finger-tip itself . It is easy to producea fine pizzicato-tone without any practice at a ll if the finger-tips ha ppen to be large , soft , a nd well-padded . Short , shallow nails , too , countfor much with the born pizzica toist .

%nfortunately very few violinists ’ fingers combine these a dva n

tages . The most usual type of finger is thin at the extremity , ratherthan padded , with the nail growing to the end of the finger . A fingerof this sort needs training . If it is untrained , the thin finger-tip iscompressed to hardness between the string and the nail . And eventhough the nail may not actually come into contact with the string,a dry audible click accompa nies its relea se .

Our first object , in studying the pizzicato , will be to eliminate thisclick. Our second , to a cquire the fa culty of ra pid execution withoutexhausting the right-ha nd . Our third , to face and conquer the lefthand pizzicato .

The right-hand pizzicato is executed primarily with the forefinger . The tip of the thumb is placed against the corner of the fingerboard to steady the hand and to obtain purcha se . This applies

genera lly to the Single-note pizzicato . In playing chords , the fingeris swept across the strings . It functions as part of the hand , and isnot Operated from the knuckle .

The click, which is often heard when the string is released 18 causedby the fault of turning the hand towards the scroll of the vrolin . If,instead

,the ha nd is turned towards the body , the string lies diagonally ,

a nd not directly ,across the finger . The relea se then takes effect

towards the Side of the finger, which is always padded , a nd nevercovered in its entire width by the nail . Consequently the click

va nishes .Pla yers turn their hand towards the scroll fearing tha t otherwise


the bow will come into contact with the hea d,

or face . But thisdepends upon the way in which the bow is held in the hand whileexecuting the pizzicato . The pizzicato should first be practised without the bow until the correct finger-position ha s become ea sy toa ssume . And only then should the bow be held in the hand .

The three Plates 33 , 34, a nd 35 explain themselves . Plate 33 showsthe right method of holding the bow in the ha nd . Plate 34 Shows thefinger properly presented to the string , while the ha nd holds the bow so

a s to clea r all obstructions . Plate 35 shows the wrong wa y of doinga ll this .

So much for the click.

The second subject for study is the execution of long ra pid passageswithout fatigue . Such passa ges a re usually played with a Singlefinger. And at the end of the journey , the hand is always in a sta teof complete exhaustion , while the number of notes dropped en route

is an open secret to all who have ea rs to hea r .

The remedy is very simple . Let the player use his .first and secondfingers alternately during a passage of any length a nd complexity . Alittle practice on one note to begin with will enable him to develope ahigh-Speed pizzicato without the lea st fatigue .

In the left-hand pizzicato, the first and highest note on any stringis played by striking the string with the bow near the point , and thereafter the finger stopping the note that has just been sounded serves a sthe plectrum to sound the next in order.It is undoubtedly difficult to hold the stopping-finger firmly down ,

while operating the plucking-finger. Rapid passa ges often soundwoolly . Many notes even refuse to sound at a ll. The pluckingfinger is so close to the stopping-finger that it cannot get hold of thestring—so close is it to the finger-board . For this rea son the type ofleft-hand pizzicato that occurs in Sa ra sa te ’

s Za pa tea do is seldom hea rdclea rly . And Should the other type , found in Paganini

’

s 24th Ca price ,be heard without a note omitted , a chorus of a dmiration Sha kes theconcert-hall .The compositions of the late Senor Sa ra sa te contain a bewildering

va riety of pizzicato passages , all of which he played with astoundingea se . Though his delivery of these passa ges wa s clear, rapid , andringing, he was always able to throw them off with a certa inty tha tseemed to be almost noncha lant .An a doring public , lay and professional , a cclaimed his power as a

sort of mira culous gift . But though Sa ra sa te himself had a ll the



brillia nt side of the artist ’s na ture developed to perfection , he had onestill more precious gif t , the gift of understa nding . And a s his artwa s free from a ny element of Chance or trick-work , so he had a stronga pprehension of the exa ct technical execution of the pizzica to , imposedby the structure of the ha nd and the disposition of the strings to thefinger-board .

It may be as well , then , to state precisely what his technica l methodwa s . And it is only necessa ry to add tha t this informa tion , as set downhere , came direct from the distinguished artist

’s own lips .On every string but the first , the fourth finger (after having had

its note sounded by the bow) Opera tes to sound the next lowest fingerby plucking . This plucking , however, is not done with an upwardlift

,but a cross the finger-board . The fourth finger comes to a rest

upon the string a bove the one plucked . The rema ining fingers arethen able to Opera te with ea se and cleamess , by reason of the supportgiven to the outer side of the hand .

If the third finger is the highest to be sounded , the fourth finger issimultaneously placed on the string above .

If the second finger IS the highest to be s’

ounded , the third finger Issimultaneously placed on the string a bove .

The student should experiment to convince himself of the technica lsoundness of this action , and should then pra ctise it systema ticallya long its two indicated paths . The first of these is to pluck with thefourth finger

,halting it on the string above . And the second is to

lower either the third (plus the fourth), the second (plus the third),or the first (plus the second) to the string , and then immedia tely toexercise it in the pizzicato .

It is obviously impossible to adapt this action to the E-String .

But it is a lso unnecessa ry . For on tha t string , the fingers are able topull Slightly downwa rds , and have no Special difliculty to contendwith .

We now come to the subject of trills . A bea utiful trill—which isnot necessarily an extremely Speedy trill— is a n embellishment of highes thetic value . Yet it is a n embellishment tha t is seldom well done .

The idea l trill consists of two clea rly-hea rd notes in ra pid alternation . In contra distinction to a ny form of vibra to it is entirely unaccented . Thus it acts a s a bea utifying ornament . It relea ses the earfrom a ny impression of basic-tone , and a s one may learn from a ny

song-bird,it provides an encha nting puzzle in the da zzling proxirnities

of its two distinct‘

notes .


This is the idea l trill . And on most instruments , from force of circumst a nce , it rema ins this and nothing more . But the violin off ersits devotees so many Opportunities of what ma y be called experi

mental misbehaviour,” that a t least two sorts of spurious trill are to

be hea rd quite frequently in our concert-rooms .

The first sort is the whirring dra gonfly trill , a kind of tremblingflutter of sound , that is often indistinguishable from a violent vibratoof the incorrect type . It is performed by holding the rigid trill-fingera s near the string a s possible , and then (by a kind of nervous impulse)causing it to vibrate and touch the string lightly at each downwardflicker .

The second sort is rather worse . In executing this trill , the playerholds the knuckle of the trill-finger three-quarters rigid . Thus , everyattempt on his part to bring the finger-tip down on the string drawsthe stationary finger forward with a rolling movement onto its tip .

The painful oscillations of the lower tone that result produce the kindof sound that one associates with a na nny-goa t in distress .Besides these two zoologica l indiscretions , there is a third sort of

degraded trill that may j ust be mentioned—the trill over a minorthird . This perversity, though drea dful enough to listen to,

is lessfrequently hea rd , a nd is by no means employed only by violinists .

A great deal might be written on the subject Of these disfigurements . But one need only sa y that they a re not really trills at all

,

but cramping a nd blemishing affectations , that harm both the ea r andthe musical sense .

As a n antidote to them , let it be added that , with a correct trillingtechnique, there will be neither cramp , nor movement of the lowfinger. The trill-finger will operate so easily and will stop the stringso definitely that clearly-alternating notes will be the sole audibleresult . In fact , we Shall have attained our ideal of all that is beautifuland effective in a trill .A beginner, a s a rule, ha s certain misconceptions with regard to

the trill . He is frightened by the sound of the rapid alternation ofnotes. He is also inclined to overestimate its speed woefully. Hethinks of it a s a low tone surmounted by a flutter. (This is , perhaps ,his subconscious reduplication of the wavy printed trill-Sign. ) Hence ,he falls into the error of considering it s practical execution to be conducted solely by the trill-finger. He almost ignores the low finger.Now, while it is quite true tha t the eff ect of the trill is that of two

distinct alternating notes , the ma in prop of the trill is the stationary



finger, alternately permitted to speak and cut-off from spea king by theactive finger. This stationary finger, though necessarily inactive , isequally effective with the active upper finger. In fact , the activity ofthe upper finger bears a proportion to the audible result of exactlyone-half.Perhaps the best way of bringing this home to the student ’s mind

is to a sk him to perform a moderately rapid piano-trill (or two-fingertrill) with his right-hand on a table, and simultaneously to performa violin-trill (or one-finger trill) with his left-hand. Of course, twoblows from the right-hand will be heard for one from the left.Let there be no mental confusion caused by the actual sound .

The left-hand active finger ha s precisely the same speed and frequencyas either finger of the right . And unless he understands this factfully, the violinist (finding one finger inactive) will whip up his trillfinger into a frenzy, SO a s to make it do double duty. On the otherhand , when once the fact has been thoroughly grasped , it becomes evident that the blows of the active finger recur at intervals so f a r apart ,that they can be ea sily struck , even in a high-speed trill .The important elements in the trining-technique , then , are : (1)

Immobility of the low finger, (2) Complete freedom in the opera tionOf the active finger.Here two questions arise.

1 . Two fingers are employed upon the same string in trilling.

E ither the knuckle of the stationary finger or tha t of the active fingerma y be held in the striking-plane. Which is it to be ?

2 . The trill-action is a succession of light blows with the activefinger . The knuckle will therefore tend to rise (see pa ges 14

H ow is this to be prevented ?

In answering these questions we have to recognize tha t nothingmust be allowed to hamper the freedom or action of the trill-finger.

We may therefore sa y, in answer t o our first question , that the knuckleof the active finger is the one that must be held in the striking-pla ne ;and in answer to our second , tha t the tendency of the active knucklet o rise must be counteracted , in some way, from the stationary finger.It follows therefore that the knuckle of the stationary finger will

not be held in the striking-plane , but a trifle below or above. But , itwill be asked immediately, is not this a n eva sion of our fundamentalprinciples ?

The answer seems plain . It is not . During a trill , there can beno question of using the vibrato, a nd therefore no thought of treating


the stationary finger otherwise than a s immobile . It is clear too thatcertain fine artists of the present day recognize these facts. For theybegin every trill with it s upper note—a h obvious precaution to ensurethe proper placing of the active knuckle. However, the latter practiceis to be condemned from a musical point of view. Indeed , it is unnecessary

, for the corréct pose may be assumed through the agency of thelower finger.We have therefore four things to attend to in trilling

I . The pose of the stationary finger .2 . The pose of the active knuckle.

3 . The immobility of the stationary knuckle .

4. The freedom of the whole outer side of the hand.

If the outer side of the hand is stiff ened , it is impossible t o movethe trill-finger freely. The hand must therefore be held so muchrelaxed that, when the second is the striking-finger, the third a nd

fourth will limply imitate its action.

We have already explained in Chapter II . that , unless the knuckleof the striking-finger is held in the striking-plane , the tip will mee t thestring either sooner or later tha n it expects . If sooner, there will bea delay ; for the motor-centre of the brain will be unprepared to directthe raising of the finger. If la ter, the impulse t o raise it at the ex

pected moment is in conflict with the una chieved desire to establishcontact with the string. Again there is a gap in the action ; whichagain ends in confused intentions and cramped muscles.

Our first act therefore will be to pose the stationary finger so a s tobring the active knuckle into the striking-plane . Our next, to maintain the pose of the stationary finger, upon whose immobility theactive finger depends. And we do this Simply by setting the wrista fter the stationary finger ha s been posed . It will then be impossiblefor the knuckle to rise.

It is a mistaken idea tha t great strength is needed in trilling. Noris it true that muscular power has to be developed by constant practice.Any normally developed hand has sufficient strength to execute trills.The cramp that is usually blamed on % lack of strength ” is always

due to improper technique. And the explanation is pretty sure tofall under one of the three following heads :

I . The pose of the stationary finger mainta ined by the wrist isaff ecting the freedom of the hand.

2 . The side of the hand is not free.

3 . The knuckle of the striking-finger is out of position.



The best method of pra ctising the trill is to assume the proper posewith the low finger, and then—with the rest of the ha nd rela xed—tostrike a single blow with the trill-finger, pa using therea f ter to makesure tha t neither its descent nor its a scent ha s in a ny way a ff ected theimmobile pose of the low finger, a nd a lso that the a ction of ra ising thetrill-finger ha s not aff ected the rela xa tion of the outer fingers .Next , two ormore blows with the trill-fingerma y be struck in ra pid

succession . Then a second pause should be made for an examina tionof the low finger a nd the outer side of the ha nd .

When once confidence ha s been established , very little pra ctice isneeded to keep the trill in fine condition . But that pra ctice must beslow. And its object must be the correct application of fundamenta lprinciples.

CHAPTER X

DO%BLE-STOPS . CHORDS . IMPROVISATION

THE technique of playing double-stops does not diff er in a ny wa y

from the simple left-hand technique expounded in Chapter II . It ismore complex in practice because two fingers Operate a t a time ,whereas before there was only one . Nevertheless , double-stopssometimes appear to present added difficulties out of all proportion-tothe fair ratio of two-to-one . Failures occur . And , among the mostprobable causes of failure , the following may be suggested to the youngdouble-stopper

1 . He is % plunging in the dark with both fingers , instea d of determining his whereabouts with one finger , while gauging the intonationof the double-stop with the other .

2 . In placing his fingers , he ignores the relative longitudinal positions of the notes across the strings .

3 . He takes needless alarm and clutches the neck of the violin ,thereby rendering the vibrato impossible a nd stiffening the wholehand

,SO that the two fingers next in order are placed only by dint of

exertion .

4. He does not hold the playing knuckles in the striking-planes .

5. He does not hold the free fingers relaxed .

6. He does not rest the neck of the violin on the thumb .

These matters have all been discussed several times in previouschapters . Still , it may be a s well here to point their moral in relationto the specific technique of double-stop playing .

Let us suppose the third a nd first fingers to be placed on G a nd-B

on the third and second strings in the first position . The position issettled primarily by

‘

the first finger on B , from which the interval of aminor third is estimated , and the third finger placed a ccordingly .

If the fingers are now reversed so that the first is on E on the Dstring and the third is on D on the A-string , the intonation must besettled (before the final decision of the ca r can be made) by a ga inplacing the third finger a minor third from the first , even though theyare upon different strings .



When pa ssa ges in double-stops a re played , it may be neces sa ry tocarry the hand through several positions. The possible shifts a re

I . Shif ts ma de with the same two fingers (WX-WX).2 . Shif ts ma de with one finger changed (WX-WY, orWX-YX).

3 . Shifts ma de with two new fingers (WX—YZ).

It cannot be too often repeated that the mind is to be concentra tedonly upon one of the fingers in a ctually ma king the shif t , and that theintonation of the double-stop is a matter of adjustment between thetwo fingers.Thus , in the shift WX-WX , although both fingers are kept upon

the string, that finger is selected to perform the shift which moves overa n interval tha t is ea s iest and surest for the hand to execute and forthe ea r to judge. The intonation of the other finger is a s sured by atechnical and a ura l estimate of its dista nce from the shifting-finger,precisely a s wa s expla ined a bove.In the shift WX-WY (orWX-YX), there is a change of one of the

two fingers. The unchanged finger is therefore the one that directsthe shift . The new finger comes into pla y a t the moment when thenew true-pitch of the shifting-finger ha s been reached.

Thus, in a shift from E a nd C-Sharp in the first position (first a ndsecond fingers on the D and A-Strings) to C-sha rp and E in the thirdposition (fourth and Second fingers on the D and A-strings) the secondfinger on C-sha rp directs the Shift. It is moved along the string untilE is reached. The fourth finger is then placed on the D-string a t a ninterval of a ma jor third from the second finger, a nd the first finger israised.

In the Shift WX-YZ , one of the two old fingers ha s , of course, to beselected to direct the shift . The choice fa lls by preference on thefinger nearest to which one of the new fingers will ultimately rest.Thus, in Shifting from A a nd C-sha rp in the first position (fourth

a nd second fingers on the D and A-strings) to B and D in the thirdposition (third a nd first fingers on the D a nd A-strings) the secondfinger directs the shift . The first is placed close behind it , and isOperated a s is usual in a Shift of that kind. %ltimately the thirdfinger is placed on B , not with reference to the fourth finger, but withreference to the first finger a s it arrives at D.

In playing double-stops, the contact of the bow must be equallysensitive on both strings. It is true that there ha s to be a certain

DO%BLE-STOPS . CHORDS . IMPROVISATION 93

commomise in this matter. The intima cy between hair and string isperf ect for neither string. But it does not fall far short of perfection.

The norma l stretch between the first a nd fourth fingers is only a n

octave. So that , a s a rule, the diff erences due to the momentaryemployment of strings of grea tly unequal length a re small.The vita l point , however, is that these diff erences must be sensed .

And to do that , the player must always be completely conscious of thedouble contact . He must not centre his mind on one string andallow the other to be dragged along in it s tra in . The contact va rieswith each double-stop , a nd it may vary with each note of ea ch doublestop. Consider for a moment the exquisite diff erences of contact thata re implied in these three simple chords , even when we leave out ofa ccount the prima ry diff erences between the two strings in the matterof thickness and tension .

In the first chord , the two strings s10pe down from the bridge a nd

meet the finger-board a t exa ctly the same angle. In the second , the

lower (D-string) note is nearer the bridge than the upper (A-string)note. The a ngle of incidence of the two strings is therefore diff erent ,a nd the contact is subtly altered . In the third chord , the position isreversed. The upper (A-string) note is now nearer the bridge tha nthe lower (D-string) note. And aga in there is a small, but quitea pprecia blea cha

nge in the contact .The ma in lesson, therefore , that ha s to be learned is that there is

a lways a double contact . And perhaps the ea siest wa y to acquirethe sense of this double contact is to practise delica tely and sensitivelyon the three pa irs of open strings . The mind will soon acquire thesense through the hand: And , once a cquired , it must never be lost .The finger-technique of three-part and four-part chords is simila r

to that of ordinary double-stopping in so far a s one finger is selectedto establish the pitch , and then the intonation of the others is arrangedfrom that finger. These chords , however, are all pla yed with thedown-bow. There is, therefore , a slight break between each pair, dueto the return of the bow to the heel . So that it is no longer essentialto keep all the fingers on the string while passing to a new position .

1 Pa ssa ges in which a lower string is used a s a peda l to a subject on the next -higherstring a re so ra re nowa da ys a s to be ha rdly worth considering.


One finger is selected to make the shift to the new position. Thisfinger establishes the pitch, a nd the other fingers are a rra nged in relation to it . As usual , great ca re must be ta ken not to grip the neck ofthe violin , but to allow it to rest on the thumb.

The bow Should be in motion at the moment when contact withthe string is established. (See what was sa id in Chapter V on the sub

ject of attack”

) Pressure on the strings is to be ca reful ly avoided.

Tone , in chord-playing, depends on the degree of intensity of thecontact between ha ir. a nd string, and on the speed with which thebow is drawn. The degree of contact a nd the speed are, of course,matters of choice. But whenonce they have been chosen, they Shouldnot be va ried . Only in this way will a round satisfying tone beobta ined.

Chords on three strings are played by bowing, first on the lowerpair of strings , and then (a fter pivoting on the middle-string) on theupper pair.Chords on four strings a re played by bowing first on the lower pair ,

and then on the upper pa ir. But the player must strive, after establishing the rifle by practice, to weld the two divisions of the stroketogether , so a s to avoid the wea k eff ect

‘

of a sprinkled chord.

The functions of the two hands must be entirely separated in themind of the player. First the left-hand must be adjusted , and thenentire attention must be centred on the right-hand. The latter mustnot operate until the a rrangement of the former is completed. Fur

thermore , the left-ha nd must not strain sympathetically with thesweep of the right-hand.

After the chord ha s been sounded , the right-hand is'

returned a s

quickly and lightly a s possible. The bow is in the air just above thestring, and the player is ready for the next stroke.

The study of improvisation has already been heartily commendedin these pages . Its value is twofold . In the first pla ce, it opens outfor the student untrodden paths of musical interest , or, at any rate,paths that have not been trodden by his own feet . Then , again, itacts a s a sort of artistic thermometer by means of which he cantruthfully read his own temperature.The first point that will be forced on his attention, when he starts

out to make himself a troubadour, or finder of things , is that thingsare very difficult to find , but remarkably easy to remember.Incidentally, this will teach him a lesson in humility. Now

humility is, both e tymologically and actually, only the knowledge of



So much for the purely musical side of improvisat ion. We mentioned a nother side , by comparing its value to tha t of an a rtistic thermometer. This is less a matter of music a nd more a matter of thething tha t music pre supposes—life.In the first chapter of this book we sa id something about the bitter

ness and impa tience that too often cloud the student ’s mind in hisea rly yea rs. This disease , though it has never received a Latin name,is well-known a nd much-drea ded in all musical a ca demies a nd colleges.

It begins with what Shakespeare calls a tingling of the blood .

” Andthe tingling is generally caused by the fa ct that the student ’s emotionalarteries , so to speak, are over-distended.

The teacher knows this. He knows too tha t this sta te of simmerand-bubble comes only from youth, a nd does not necessa rily boil overinto a rt. He distrusts it because it is temporary. He dislikes itbecause it is violent. To him a rt a t its best is only a n awkwa rd humanmeans of escaping from humanity.

What, then , is his duty to his pupil ? What is the duty of themanwho knows to thema n who feels but does not know ?Superficia lly, one might sa y tha t , unless he is a man of infinite ta ct ,

he will have to spend a la rge part of his time in preventing his pupilknowing that he does know. But tha t a ttitude, except for some momenta ry purpose , is one of the worst possible. It ma y not be a s bada s the brutality of some mas ters , whose pupils a lwa ys % come out rawa f ter their hour ’s conflict with him. But it is not , at bottom,

honestor helpful .The only honest a nd helpful wa y—and it is by nomeans certainof

success—is for the tea cher to descend from his own bra nch to the

ground-level where his pupil is. This, it is true, he can do only intermit tently a nd, a s it were , fugitively. He must then first secure thesympathy of his pupil a s a friend. And that sympathy, once se cured.must never be viola ted by a ny seeming doubt on his pa rt a s to therea lity , or even the poigna ncy , of the student

’s emotions.

But he must try—v-and try his very best—to bring them into betterfocus with their mea ns of expression. He must show his pupil,pa tiently a nd a s opportunity occurs, how the blind forces tha t ra ckhim, though perha ps unintelligible a nd therefore valueless to the worlda t present ,ma y bema de va lua ble , na y priceless beyond words, if onlytheir expression is perfected . But , let it be repea ted , he must neverquestion the emotion itself . For tha t is the pre supposition of the a rt .

And , a f ter all , the student is ha ppy a s well a s unhappy in having it .

DO%BLE-STOPS. CHORDS. IMPROVISATION 97

It is just here tha t the hea ling study of improvisa tion should berecommended by the tea cher. For if he ca n induce the pupil to ta keit up seriously, he is a t once putting into his ha nds a n a rtistic thermometer by which he ca n mea sure his own temperature . And it isfa r better tha t these mea surements and compa risons a nd reconcilements should be made by the pupil himself than by a nyone else .

Ma ny na tures become callous and almost dea d to consta nt technica lcriticism. But they a re a t once ma rvellously quickened if they a re

encouraged to step into a more ample Space , and there to judge theirown a ttainments on purely musical grounds . Such people neverslacken their technical eff orts . The pressure is far too persistent fortha t to happen . But their na tures grow . And they are then the morerea dy to Climb the technica l hill , because they know tha t the viewfrom its summit is enclosed by a musical horizon that is ever widening .

There is a n old Hindoo fancy that emotion is the centre of the universe . But it is a n emotion tha t does nothing. It neither aspiresnor struggles . It exists only . And all life (in this fa ncy) becomesless divine a s its emotion becomes more a ctive . This is fa r away froma ll western philosophies : far away also from our own a rt . But in itsvery loftiness , it ma y serve to light the paths of our wandering souls ;a nd , like a cold dista nt sta r, to Show us our goa l—bea uty.

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MODERN VIOLIN PL - forgottenbooks.com · MODERN VIOLIN-PLAYING CHAPTER I THE THREE LIN%S THE object of this book is to help violin-players. To help them, that is to sa y, by offering