Principles of Playing Violin (IV)

Pattern No.3/1

Left hand finger Placement:

3/1/1: Landing Fingers on one String:

In preliminary stages of training, an apprentice should pay attention to the principle of keeping fingers while placing them on the fingerboard. Professional violinists pay less attention to this principle.

Novice player’s complying with this principle, in preliminary stages of training, has several advantages: firstly, gaining a more accurate understanding of how to land fingers on different positions in finger placement with different distances; secondly, increasing player’s physical ability in simultaneously keeping fingers on uncommon positions; thirdly, developing the ability to place one single finger on the fingerboard independent of other fingers.

Principle of keeping Fingers on a string:

When finger placement on a string starts from the first finger to the rest, besides keeping the last finger, the player should also keep previously landed fingers on the fingerboard. However, if finger placement is done out of order, there is no more need to simultaneously put previous fingers on the fingerboard.

For example if we have to play notes A to E subsequently on A string in first position, we should not raise its corresponding finger from the fingerboard after playing each note of this series. However, if we have to play note D immediately after playing free string, there is no need to put first and second fingers simultaneously with the third finger and the third finger can be put independently on the fingerboard.

It should be noted that performing this principle on a smaller scale is also the same. For example in subsequent playing of C, D and E on A string we should not pick the second and the third fingers up after performing C and  D notes. In order to play note E immediately after B we should not put the second and the third fingers on the fingerboard. In this state the fourth finger lands on the fingerboard alone.

NB 14: Performing this principle in one position does not depend on the form of musical distances of fingers in the position in relation to each other.

3/1/2: Finger placement:

In order to reach accurate finger placement, it is better to consider the following points simultaneously:

3/1/2/1: When placed on violin fingerboard, fingers should be in a curved shape.

If a finger bends inward in its first joint, which makes a Λ shape, as it is called, instead of a curved shape, it will lead to pain in the finger in the long run. It also decreases player’s skill in finger placement.

3/1/2/2: Strings should always be touched (kept) through finger tips. Nails should not interfere in finger placement. When landed on the fingerboard, fingers should not be in a position in which player’s nail touches strings. In other words, player should not hold the strings with his nail.

In this false position, inward curved shape of fingers is decreased and an excessive pressure is beard by finger tip while finger placing. Also finger placement ability decreases leaving fingers with less independence in relation to each other while playing the instrument.

3/1/2/3: If we imagine that a line, in continuation of the finger length, divides this length into right and left halves, violin player should put left half of his finger tip on the fingerboard.

Because, firstly, considering the less distances between violin strings if a string is held by right half of the finger, the finger will approximately be placed on more bass string at the vicinity of the intended one.

Therefore, if there is a need to play a note with lower finger on a more bass string simultaneously (double-stop performance) or immediately after that, the player encounters a problem.

Secondly, finger placement using the right half of the finger tip will lead to the bending of the left wrist toward right which is not appropriate (See 2/1/3: Wrist).

3/1/2/4: Except when the performance of fifth Musical Interval (De la Quinte), is intended, the above-mentioned points regarding finger placement should be complied with in a manner so as to leave the neighboring high-toned string free.

NB 15: finger placement is done better when article 2/1/2, related to hand twist, is done in the best way possible.

*Therefore, the violinist should keep his nails as short as possible.

Correct style of placing the first finger in a curved shape:

 


Correct style of placing the second finger in a curved shape:

 


False Way of First Finger Placement:


False Position of Nail on String


Accurate Style of Placing the Third Finger in Curved Shape:


Accurate Way of Placing the Fourth Finger in a Curved Shape

viol.ir

Post a Comment

Required fields are marked *
*
*
Your email is never shared.

Whose dream?! Whose reality?!

(A review of the “So Faraway” album; Tar and Tonbak duet; Siavash Imani, Pedram Khavarzmini)

Transition to Enlightenment: Six Lectures on Mozart’s String Quartets (1)

Transition to Enlightenment: Six Lectures on Mozart’s String Quartets* Basic Ideas and General Structure The Enlightenment, an epoch of intellectual fervor marked by reason, individualism, and cultural evolution, indelibly left its imprint on the arts. Mozart, a luminary of this transformative era, intricately wove these ideals into his compositions, particularly his string quartets. This article…
Read More »

From Past Days…

Ruggero Chiesa’s Legacy

Written by Peyman Shirali Translated by Mahta Mottaghi Since many years ago, I had the intention of writing an article on the Italian maestro Ruggero Chiesa and his musical life; but his ingenuity and the immense legacy, which is impressive for not only me, but also almost everyone who knows him properly, made it hard for me…
Read More »

The Role of Arts in Development of Societies

Mr. Mohsen Ghanebasiri, author and critic in the field of economy, culture and arts, as the next speaker, highlighted the role of arts, specially the music, in development of societies: “As far as the individual upbringing is concerned, a newborn baby is absolutely dependent. The relation between the baby and the parents is based on orders. There is lots of relativity in these orders; therefore, they are political orders. In the economy, however, the relations are mutual and based on common logic; hence, the formation of the concepts of democracy and individuality.

A Persian Nocturne for Piano

A Night in a Persian Garden is the name of a Nocturne composed by the Persian (Iranian) contemporary composer Behzad Ranjbaran. This Nocturne, published recently by the Theodore Presser Company in the US, was performed for the first time in 2002 in New York City by the young Persian pianist Soheil Nasseri and has enjoyed many performances by other pianists.

Polyphony in Iranian Music (V)

In addition to the above-mentioned, polyphony can be also formed when a melody is performed by several singers in different ambiances or different sound registers according to their physiologic abilities. An example of this has been performed in rituals of Khanqah of Ghaderi darawish of Mahabad[i].

“Guitar Memories” Released

The album “Guitar Memories” consists of the performance of baroque to recent era masterpieces, by Mehrdad Mahdavi, and is published by Tanin-e Honar Publication.

In this album there are pieces composed and arranged by artists such as: Sylvius Leopold Weiss, Johann Anton Logy, Fernando Sor, Yuquijiro Yocoh, Leo Brouwer.

Davoud Pirnia (1900 - 1971)

About Davoud Pirnia, the founder of “Golha” radio program

Davoud Pirnia, writer and musicologist was the founder of “Golha” (Flowers of Persian Song and Music) programs on Tehran Radio (1956-1966). He received his early education from his father, Hassan Pirnia (Moshir al-Douleh), and several tutors of the time (Taraghi, interview, July 1989) and continued his studies at Saint Louis School in Tehran and then in Switzerland and graduated in law. While studying law, Pirnia got acquainted with European classical music. Upon returning to Iran, he was employed by the Ministry of Justice and founded the Lawyers’ Guild. Then he was transferred to the Ministry of Finance and established the Department of Statistics in this ministry. Later, he became the head of the state inspection office at the Prime Ministry; he was, then, promoted to the position of the Deputy Prime Minister (Navab Safa, interview, August 1999)

Principles of Violin Playing (III)

Violin players should always pay attention to the proper position of the left thumb and other points related to it and to its joining point to the palm.

“Symphonic Poems from Persia” Released in Germany

While the name “Persia” (Western historical name of Iran) has attracted tens of thousands of people from around the world to London’s British Museum to visit ancient Persian artifacts, the Nuremberg-based music company, Colosseum, invites Europeans to listen to eight masterpieces of Persian symphonic music.

“Pledge of Love”

The “Pledge of Love” is the first album in a series composed based on the tasnifs by the renowned Iranian tasnif-maker Mohammad Ali Amir Jahed and recorded by Sahba Kohan Ensemble with Ramin Bahiraie as signer.

Polyphony in Iranian Music (I)

Despite the fact that Iranian folk music (regional music of Iran), like the Radif of Iranian traditional music, is monophonic and follows heterophony in principal, we experience polyphonic forms, albeit, majorly unconscious.