Principles of Violin Playing (X)

Pattern 1.7
Portamento of left hand

Creating sound continuity between two notes in the source and destination positions when left hand position changes and “two different finger numbers” are involved is called portamento. Portamento can be performed on single string or two neighboring strings and with hand moving on fingerboard either upward or downward.
7.1.1. when performing portamento involves moving left hand upward and changing finger from lower number to a higher one, (such as playing the note of G with third finger at fourth position after playing the note of B at first position with first finger of A string) this change must occur by shifting finger of lower number from source position to destination position, and placing finger of lower number on fingerboard quickly. (This example is performed by shifting first finger of E to first finger of B at fourth position and then quickly placing third finger of G at the same position).
7.1.2.when performing portamento involves moving left hand upward and changing finger from higher number to a lower one (such as playing note E with second finger at third position after plying note D with third finger at first position of A string) this change occurs by moving finger of higher number from source position to destination position and then quickly placing finger of lower number on fingerboard. (This example is performed by shifting third finger of D to third finger of F at third position and then quickly placing second finger of E at the same position).
7.1.3. when playing portamento involves moving left hand downward and with changing finger of higher number to finger of lower number (such as playing note A with first finger at first position after playing note C with second finger at second position on G string), this change should occur by shifting finger of higher number from source position to destination position and then quickly placing finger of lower number on fingerboard (this example is performed by shifting second finger of C to second finger of B at first position and then quickly placing first finger of A at the same position).
7.1.4. when playing portamento involves moving left hand downward with changing finger of lower number to finger of higher number (such as playing note C of second finger at first position after playing note D of first finger at third position on A string), this change should occur by shifting finger of lower number from source position to destination position and then quickly placing finger of higher number on fingerboard (this example is performed by shifting first finger of D to first finger of B to first position and then quickly placing second finger of C on the same position).
7.1.5. The general rules of portamento when occurring between two neighboring strings don’t differ from those of portamento occurring on a single string.
Notification 22: during practice, playing portamento begins with heavy tempo and the note of the shifting finger is played like a Ornament.

Post a Comment

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

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.

Bahma Rajabi Passed Away!

Bahman Rajabi, the renowned tonbak (Persian goblet drum) player and educator, passed away at his home at the age of 86 due to a heart condition. He was the founder of a distinctive school of tonbak playing, and his teaching methods have been widely used by instructors of the instrument for decades..

From Past Days…

Transition to Enlightenment: Six Lectures on Mozart’s String Quartets (2)

Innovation and Creativity The Enlightenment era championed innovation, creativity, and the relentless pursuit of knowledge, values that resonate prominently in Mozart’s string quartets. Mozart, a luminary of the Enlightenment, used the quartet form as a playground for his inventive spirit, pushing the boundaries of traditional structures and harmonic progressions. Mozart’s innovative approach is evident in…
Read More »

Transition to Enlightenment: Six Lectures on Mozart’s String Quartets (4)

The collaboration between Mozart and Haydn blossomed during the late 18th century in Vienna, a city that served as the epicenter of musical innovation. Amidst this vibrant cultural milieu, the two composers developed a profound friendship that extended beyond mere professional admiration. This connection is reflected in the six string quartets dedicated by Mozart to Haydn, aptly known as the “Haydn Quartets.”

Last Year under the Light of Music

Almost three months into the new Iranian year (starting March 21), it is still not too late to have a look at the last year and the challenges that the musicians faced. The following article was published on the first day of the New Year in the Persian edition of the HarmonyTalk journal.

From Tradition to Trend: The Evolution of Decorative Arts in Iranian Dafs

Daf is one of the percussion instruments associated with the Kurdistan region of Iran, which has a special place in Iranian music. In the past, animal skin was used for the drum head, but now most of the tambourines in the market are made with artificial skin, which are designed with various decorations.

“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.

HarmonyTalk Celebrates 11th Anniversary

April 6 marks the anniversary of launching HarmonyTalk.com. Back in 2004, HarmonyTalk was rather a blog dedicated to music. Gradually, however, it found its way to becoming a more sophisticated journal with an intensive but not exclusive concentration on classical music.

From the Last Instrumentalist to the First Composer (I)

Music as an art has its own special history; emergence of a singer, of an instrumentalist and then the emergence of the strong character of a composer covers three significant phases of the art of music. With the emergence of composer which was simultaneous with the emergence of the language of music, this art managed to offer a domain for criticism for its composer; a procedure which led to a magnificent variety and evolution in musical production. Even though the conflicts between singers and instrumentalists have not met their end in the Iranian society and while singers can achieve high, instrumentalists have yet to play behind curtains . In a special era, with the efforts of musicians such as Ali Naghi Vaziri (1887-1979) and Rouhollah Khaleghi (1906-1965), glimmers of a composing era started to glow bearing fruit in Khaleghi’s achievement as Iran’s first professional composer. Khaleghi made his reputation as a composer while Vaziri deserved to pioneer this path. By then Vaziri was well-known as a Tar player.

Farhad Poupel’s piece, Road to Bach, performed at Suntory Hall

On June 19, 2021 , young Iranian composer and pianist, Farhad Poupel’s piece, Road to Bach, was performed at the prestigious Suntory Hall by the great Japanese pianist, Kotaro Fukuma. The piece was commissioned by Kotaro Fukuma to have its world premiere in Suntory Hall during a concert by the same name.

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.

Prominent Iranian Musicologist Passes Away in Vienna

Khosrow Djafarzadeh, musicologist and architect, who was also one of the main authors of HarmonyTalk journal passed away on 15 July 2019.