Principles of Playing Violin (IV)

2 August 2016 – 12:03 am Posted in Instrument & Playing

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

This entry was written by Ali Nourbakhsh
Tagged: violin.

Farhad Poupel: The Voice of the Shahnameh in the Orchestras Around the World

In an era when almost no trace of contemporary Iranian music can be heard in international concert halls, except (so-called!) avant-garde works that owe their existence solely to the fashionable slogans of the “pseudo-intellectual” crowd who have seized the already meager resources for performing classical music from the true artists of the field, the numerous performances of Farhad Poupel’s works shine as a ray of hope for lovers of sincere musical art. Without resorting to trendy slogans, he has kept the flame of Iranian classical music alive purely through the power of his artistry.

Five Major Myths About Mozart’s Life

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, the renowned Austrian composer, is undoubtedly one of the greatest geniuses in the history of classical music. However, his life is surrounded by numerous myths and legends, some of which are not based on facts. This article explores five of the most common misconceptions about Mozart’s life.

Latest posts

From Past Days…

Interview with the Makers of the New Qeychak (II)

Regarding the classification of a new instrument in an instrument family, one can point to a number of fundamental issues, one of the most obvious of which is the instrument’s visual features. If we look at how the new instrument has changed compared to its historical versions, the set of visual elements that link the instrument to the Qeychak family becomes apparent. But other characteristics such as the geometric dimensions of the instrument, characteristics of the instrument’s various parts and how they relate to each other, its systematic performance, its sound range (compared to modern versions), the material and color of the sound, the way it is played and the like, can be considered in order to classify the instrument in the Qeychak family.

Gholam Reza Khan Minbashian: a pioneer in Iranian music (I)

Gholam Reza Khan Minbashian, a.k.a Salar-Mo’azez, was a pioneer in several domains in the history of the Iranian music. He is recognized as the first Iranian musician who was educated in classical music. He is also the first Iranian the score of whose works were published in Europe. He is the first Iranian to have launched courses on Western classical music and was also the first Iranian teacher of classical music. Moreover, he is the first founder of a string orchestra in Iran, the first author of the Iranian Radif which was available in oral form. Minbashian is also the first Iranian who studied music in Europe.

Ali Rahbari & Recording Iranian Symphonic Compositions

In the few days prior to the New Iranian year (March 2015), the news of the revival of Tehran Symphony Orchestra under Ali (Alexander) Rahbari’s conductorship was announced. Ali Rahbari, who served as assistant to Herbert von Karajan in Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra at a very young age, was also invited to conduct Tehran Symphony Orchestra in 2005; however, the election of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s government put an end to his collaboration with this Orchestra. Recently, it was announced that Rahbari is invited to conduct an orchestra in the U.S.

Lilly Afshar, Iranian Guitar Legend, passed away

The text you are reading is about Hamed Fathi, a guitarist and one of Lilly Afshar’s students, which was previously published on the Persian website HarmonyTalk.com:

The Mystery of Messiah

Antonio Stradivari (1644 – 18 December 1737) was an Italian luthier and is considered the most significant and greatest artisan in this field.

The 4th Iranian Festival of Music Websites and Weblogs

The 4th Iranian Festival of Music Websites and Weblogs was held in Niavaran Cultural Center, in Tehran, Iran on Feb. 28th, 2015. The initiator of the festival was Sajjad Pourghanad, Iranian music writer, researcher, founder of the festival and Persian setar and tar player.

History’s Impact on Evaluating a Work of Art

With this description, we have automatically included a criterion called “History”, Until we know the time of the creation of a work of art, we cannot judge whether it has been easy to create or not. Suppose that, in a historical study, we find a musical work that is similar in compositional techniques (including form, melody, context, and orchestration) to a minor work of the nineteenth century; however, our research proves that, this work dates back to 200 years prior to that date. Can we still consider this work insignificant? Definitely not! So this is where the first use of history-based judgment comes into play.

A year without Mohsen Ghanebasiri

The year 1396 (21 March 2017-20 March 2018) was the most sorrowful year for HarmonyTalk journal. One month after holding HarmonyTalk’s 13th establishment anniversary in Mohsen Ghanebasiri’s house in Tehran in April 2017, he untimely passed away. Mohsen Ghanebasiri was the prominent HarmonyTalk author.

Ashoura Opera

Ashura Opera was composed by Behzad Abdi, the Iranian composer, in 2008 based on librettos compiled by Behrouz Gharib. The main source for the libretto is poems by Mohtasham Kashani, a sixteenth century Iranian poet.

A Look at Ali Tajvidi’s Manifold Musical Activities (II)

Tajvidi thought of studying harmony and orchestration with Houshang Ostvar (who was eight years younger than him) at a time when he had gained a reputation among musicians. His humbleness, making him willing to kneel before the scholars at any age and position, became the key to his scientific success. After this period, Tajvidi made some of his works polyphonic, the most prominent of which is “Burn” set to a poem by Abdullah Ulfat. However, his ability to make his works polyphonic was not so great to make him self-sufficient; so he depended on musicians such as Farhad Fakhreddini, Fereydoun Naseri, Kambiz Roshanravan, Fereydoun Shahbazian and Morteza Hananeh for the arrangement of his compositions.