Handbook of violin playing

Attitude of the player.

When playing from notes the player places himself opposite the desk a little to the left, so that the violin does not hide the notes from view. The body should be erect, but not stiffly so. The right foot is put outward, the left straight, so that the toes are in a line. The weight of the body must rest chiefly on the left foot.

Holding the violin.

The violin is held with the left hand and rests on the left collar bone. The instrument must be horizontal. To give a firm grip, a small pad is often placed between the violin and the left shoulder. A chin-rest screwed to the ribs, and covering a part of the upper table, is also to be recommended. The chin-rest serves also to protect the varnish.

To prove that the violin is held securely and well, the left hand may be removed.

Position of the left hand and the left arm.

The left hand is placed so that the neck of the violin is held between the lower joint of the thumb and the third of the index finger. The neck must not be gripped, but lightly held[12], and care taken that between the neck and that part of the hand which connects the thumb and first finger, there is an open space. The inner part of the hand is kept away from the fingerboard, so that the fingers may fall upon the strings from above. The position of the left arm must be such as to bring the elbow far enough to the right to place it underneath the middle of the violin. To attain a correct manner of holding, place the first finger on

the second on the 2ⁿᵈ note of the A string,

the third on the D string,

and the fourth on the G string,

so that the fingers lie as follows:

The fingers being lifted simultaneously, and allowed to remain in position over the strings, the position of the hand will be correct.

Holding the bow.

The thumb is placed with its fleshy part close to the projection from the curved part of the nut, taking care that the middle knuckle is not bent inward, but always in an outward direction. The second joint of the index finger must rest against the stick. The middle finger is placed opposite the thumb upon the stick, whereupon the other two fingers follow, close to these. The little finger will then about rest with the lower part of its point on the stick.

Position of the right hand and arm.

The right hand must project somewhat forward, and above the bow, and must be suitably arched. The carriage of the arm must be light, and the elbow not prominently lifted. When playing on the lower strings, the position of the hand and the lower part of the arm will naturally be higher.

Testing the position.

Having succeeded in acquiring a firm hold of the instrument and of the bow, it is best to examine before a looking-glass the attitude of the whole body, which must be natural and unconstrained. The body and head should be held erect, the shoulders somewhat back. When beginning to draw the bow across the strings the manner of holding should be examined and corrected after every stroke before proceeding further.

Bowing.

The bow is placed on the string at the nut, or lower part of the bow, the stick being tilted towards the fingerboard. The bow must be drawn steadily to its point, and exactly parallel with the bridge, whereby the wrist is compelled to move, and at the end of the stroke, on reaching the point of the bow, sinks so that the little finger only rests at its extreme tip upon the stick.

The upper arm is so held that with down strokes the elbow remains below the shoulder, until a third of the bow is left over. If the production of a louder tone is desired, the bowing is made closer to the bridge and in piano passages further away from it. The necessary power for producing louder tone is obtained only from the thumb, index finger, and wrist and the fore-arm is held as independently as possible of the upper arm.

Principal signs used for the left hand
and for the Bowing.

Use of the down and up bows.

As a rule, in every piece beginning with a full bar a down bow is used for the first note, and in a piece beginning with a single stroke on the up-beat (unaccented beat) or an up-beat consisting of several notes bound together, legato, the up bow is used. If the up-beat contains several notes, it must be so arranged that the last of these is played with an up bow. For example:—

Exceptions to the rule of beginning a full bar with a down bow often occur; for instance, if the first bar begins piano, gradually to forte, as in the opening of the Freischütz overture:—

Here one begins with the up bow, because afterwards at the nut end more power can be brought to bear, thus bringing the forte into effect. A further example of exceptional treatment is the beginning of the Euryanthe overture:—

Equally there are exceptions to the rule of beginning up-beats with the up bow:—

The first bowing exercises.

The violin being properly held, and the entire attitude being correct in every particular, the fingers of the left hand are placed on the strings as follows:—

Upon lifting them, let them remain over the strings in the same position.

The open strings are then bowed, and preferably at first the D string.

After each bow, let a pause be observed, to examine every detail of the position, and to revise it. The bowing exercises on the open strings are to be continued until at last notes varying in value from semibreves to crotchets are played with ease and certainty, and an even tone of good quality produced. The first bowing exercises are usually as follows:—

Each of these exercises should also be played upon the other strings. The exercise in minims and crotchets in half strokes and in the middle.

Placing the fingers.

The first exercise consists in setting the first finger on all the strings in succession, then the second in conjunction with the first, the third in conjunction with the other two, and finally the fourth is added.

In the same manner on the other strings. If one desires to remain in the key of C[13], the first finger when on the E string must be drawn back a semitone to stop F, and on the G string, the 2ⁿᵈ finger must be put forward a semitone to play the note B. The remaining notes are stopped alike on all the strings. It is better at first not to adhere to the scale, but to stop the notes of the other strings as shown above on the D string; thus producing the following tones:—

Next must be practised the putting back of the first, and the advancing of the second fingers on all the strings, then the advancing and withdrawal of all the fingers. Example:—

The fingers must so descend upon the strings that the first joint stands perpendicularly upon them. The pressure of the fingers upon the strings must always be in excess of the pressure of the bow. According to one’s playing, whether forcible or light, so the pressure of the finger is increased or decreased. In slow movements and long notes only that finger is pressed down which has to play the note. The others are lifted, yet so that each one is suspended exactly over its proper place. In ascending scale passages in quick time, the fingers are allowed to remain; in descending passages, one finger is lifted at a time. The observance of this rule greatly facilitates true intonation in descending scale passages, as, each finger being already in its place upon the note to be played, these places have not again to be separately found. There are, however, exceptions which will come under notice later. After the setting back of the first finger and the putting forward of the second finger have been successfully practised, the “free”[14] setting of the 2ⁿᵈ, 3ʳᵈ, and 4ᵗʰ fingers follows.

All the notes in regular order from the open G on the G string to B on the E string must now be played.

To attain certainty of fingering in the lower position, one of these two methods must next be adopted. Either intervals—thirds, fourths, fifths, sixths, sevenths, and octaves from each note on each string, in C major, must now be practised, or all the major and minor scales may next be played, with the practice of the intervals in all the keys. Choice must be made as to which method of study be next pursued, according to the individuality and intelligence of the learner.

Practice of intervals in C major:

Here great care must be taken to distinguish between the differences that exist in these intervals, whether the 3ʳᵈ is minor or major; the fifth perfect or imperfect, etc.

Simultaneously with the practice of intervals for the left hand, bowing exercises for the passing of the bow from one string to another must be taken, also skipping over a string as in sevenths and octaves. The scales, and, later, intervals and chords, must likewise be studied with various bowings and also legato. First, two notes should be taken to one bow, then gradually more, also with single notes and bound notes mixed. The practice of intervals may now be extended to the following.

Chord exercises in arpeggio form.

Stretching the little finger.

To reach the C in the second octave with the little finger,—whose natural position on the E string is on the note B,—it must be stretched, care being taken to avoid moving the wrist and altering the whole position of the hand.

The various kinds of bowing.

These are best classified into “primary” bowings (Grund-Bogenstriche) of which there are six different examples, and “secondary” bowings (Neben-Bogenstriche).

Primary bowings.

1. The rapid detached stroke with the whole bow (Grand detaché). This is executed in such a manner that the bow moves quickly from its nut to its point, and back again in the same line,—parallel to the bridge. Between each stroke there must be a pause, but during it the bow must not leave the string. It must be so quickly executed that a crotchet is made to sound like a semiquaver.

Rendering:—

The stick must be firmly held between the thumb and the first and second fingers. The elbow, at the commencement of the down stroke must rest close to the body, and, on reaching the point of the bow, not be raised above the stick. Especial care is needed in order to make the up strokes equal in power to the down strokes.

2. The “singing” stroke. Also executed with the whole bow. The first contact must be delicate, and the single tones must follow each other without interruption. The player, drawing the bow quite parallel with the bridge, must press more and more as the point is reached. At the change of stroke, the wrist makes a slight movement, and the elbow assumes the same positions as in the previous grand detaché bowing.

3. The detached hammered (martellato) bowing. This stroke is chiefly made at the point of the bow, which must not leave the string. With every note the stick is pressed or pushed by the thumb in the direction of the index finger, so that each tone is sharply cut out, but with a musical quality. The up strokes must receive a stronger pressure.

This bowing can also be played at the nut end, and of course entirely with the wrist, which must be held lightly over the strings. The elbow must be tolerably close to the body. The martelé bowing is an excellent preparatory study for staccato, which is really only one out of a number of martelé notes taken in one bow.

Rendering:—

4. Detached stroke with the fore-arm. As indicated by its name, is executed by the fore-arm and the wrist, and from the middle to the point of the bow. The upper arm must remain quite still. In this bowing no pause must be made between the notes, but they must be connected easily and agreeably together.

5. The “skipping” stroke. This stroke is made at the middle of the bow, which must be lightly held between the fingers and controlled by the wrist. The stick is made to vibrate strongly, whereby the bow is caused to move up and down. It is difficult to attain an agreement between the placing of the fingers and the skipping movement of the stick, for which reason this bowing must first be practised on one note:—

Afterwards several notes may be taken on one string, then on the different strings.

6. The rebounding or springing (sautillé) bow. This bowing differs from the foregoing in that the bow rebounds from the string after each note, and is then permitted to fall upon it again from above. In order to avoid too great dryness or hardness in the tone, the bow when falling on the string must be gently controlled.

Rendering:—

Secondary bowings.

1. The bound, or legato bowing. In this, as many notes are played at one stroke as may be found connected by the curved legato sign, or as necessitated by the phrasing. In passing from one string to another the wrist will require special watchfulness.

2. The staccato stroke. This is, as already stated, a series of martelé notes taken in one bow, and must first be slowly practised with the up bow, to the point, and with a free wrist; the thumb only exerting a slight pressure upon the stick. The staccato is also executed with the down bow, beginning near the nut.

3. The springing staccato stroke. This consists of a series of rebounding notes (“Primary bowing” No. 6) taken in one bow, and can be rendered both by the up and the down bows.[15]

4. The Tremolo is a succession of quick notes in very short strokes, and is executed with a loose wrist, the upper half of the bow lying upon the strings.

Another species of Tremolo is the following:—

Here two notes are included in one bow, thus causing it to resemble the skipping stroke. Only the upper half of the bow is used, and it is held lightly with the thumb and first two fingers.

5. The Ponticello. This is executed with the bow lying quite close to the bridge, whereby the tone becomes somewhat nasal. When so produced by the whole string orchestra it often makes a fine effect.

6. Flautando. Also with the bow resting on the string, but, unlike the foregoing bowing, it is executed just over the fingerboard. The notes so played yield a delicate flute-like quality of tone.

Arpeggi.

By arpeggi is meant the intervals of a chord in quick succession. These may be extended over three or four strings with the most varied bowings and rhythms. Particular care must be taken to keep the wrist flexible.[16]

The Vibrato or close shake

is a trembling similar to the vibrato of a vocalist. Employed occasionally and with discretion it is of good effect. On the violin it is produced by setting the finger in tremulous movement upon the string, so that the pitch slightly rises and falls. Only the thumb and the finger in use must participate in the holding of the instrument. There is no special sign for the close shake in general use, its employment depending upon the player’s taste. Sometimes it is indicated by the word vibrato.[17]

The Trill.

The trill is an even alternation,—usually quick,—of two adjacent notes and may be executed on all the notes of the violin. The note played alternately with the principal note may be either a tone or a half tone distant. The trill is made both with and without a turn at the end. The turn is played in one bow with the shake, and at the same speed. Exceptions exist in shakes ending with a full close. In a series of shakes the turn is reserved for the last:—

Various kinds of turns:—

Usually the lower note of the two constituting the trill is taken first. If it is intended that the upper note should begin the trill, it will be indicated by a small note before the principal note:—

The upper note of the trill is always understood to be in accordance with the key. If it is meant to be raised or lowered a semitone, a sharp or flat will be placed over the shake.

To execute the trill evenly, it must first be practised slowly. The finger making the trill must be lifted high, falling upon the string with firmness and elasticity, so that it is again lifted high. The bow meantime passes lightly over the string. The trill is studied upon every note in both tones and semitones.

The Mordent (Pralltriller).

The mordent is a single alternation of two notes preceding the principal note, and is generally indicated by the following sign:—

or:

The double trill.

To this species of shake, difficult of execution, applies all that has been said about the single trill. The player’s chief care will consist in making both fingers fall quite simultaneously upon the strings.

Scale practice.

Scale practice demands diligent application. By its means we attain certainty of intonation, power and flexibility of tone, as well as familiarity with the various kinds of bowing.

The beginner must now practise all the major and minor scales, in the first position, first in moderate tempo, with whole bows:

Then with short detached strokes in the middle of the bow, at the point, and also at the nut, and with the foregoing “primary” bowings,—

all with the utmost possible tone, and afterwards with varying nuances:—

The scales are then practised with varying bowings and rhythms, legato and staccato, for example:—

Fingering of the scales.

To each note in the first position belongs its own finger, whether the note is raised or lowered a semitone, the same finger being used. As a rule in ascending passages the open string is used; downwards, the 4ᵗʰ finger is preferred in its stead. If the notes of the open strings are raised a semitone, usually the 4ᵗʰ finger plays it on the string below.

If the scale begins with such a note, the first finger will be used twice in succession; for example:—

The chromatic scales.

In the chromatic scales, the 1ˢᵗ, 2ⁿᵈ and 3ʳᵈ fingers will each be used twice in succession, and of course must be pushed forward (or backward) with firmness to the next note. The 4ᵗʰ has one note only on each string assigned to it. The fingering will be the same, whether the scale is expressed by sharps or flats:—

Another system of fingering, utilizing the open strings, is as follows:—

The Positions.

The various places for the left hand, up and down the neck, are known as the positions, and each is determined by the place reached by the first finger. If the hand is so placed that the first finger is ready to press down these notes

it will be termed the first position. If the first finger is upon these

it will be the second position.

The ball of the thumb must not touch the neck. As in the first position the first finger remains upon the strings as guide. The thumb also, lies opposite the first and second fingers.

III. Position.

In this position the ball of the hand comes in contact with the ribs of the violin.

IV. Position.

From this position upward the thumb is withdrawn further and further underneath the neck of the instrument.

V. Position.

VI. Position.

VII. Position.

Besides these there is the half position (nut-position, or back-shift)

which, when enharmonically changed to

belongs to the first position.

The positions retain their names when the notes are sharpened or flattened a semitone, only one must frequently change the finger in enharmonic passages, or the position.

Changing the position.

Sliding from one position to another must be executed with ease and certainty, and it is especially necessary to grip the violin between the chin and the collar bone, in order to give the hand free play. Particular care must be bestowed upon

Sliding the fingers whilst
changing positions.

If in passing to a higher or lower position, the last note of the position just left, and the first of the position aimed at, have to be played by the same finger, it must slide over the string firmly, and without leaving it, whether the notes in question are legato or not.

If the first note, when ascending to a position, is to be played by a finger following that used in the lower position, the first must slide with it, remaining until the position of the hand is again changed, or until released by an advancing finger. The first note must be played firmly by the finger assigned to it, without causing the slide to be heard.

In the following examples, the accompanying fingers are indicated by small notes.

If the notes of the different positions are to be taken upon two strings, the finger goes with it to the higher position, but without necessarily remaining on the string.

In proceeding downward to another position, the finger on the last note slides with that which is proceeding in advance so far as to find its place in the lower position, but with the understanding that in case the note that follows is not to be played with the same finger, it must not remain down.

If the first note of higher position is to be played by a finger which is not the last used in the lower position, it must slide with it until the proper place in the higher position is reached, but must be lifted as soon as the finger which has to play the first note is put on the string.

If the first note in a lower position is to be played with a finger that in the upper position is ultimately replaced by the finger following, the finger in question must slide from the upper position to its place in the lower. But ere it has reached it, the first note in this position must be gripped.

If the notes of the different positions are not bound together by means of legato signs, this sliding of the finger must take place so quickly that no notes are heard between. If the notes are bound together to be played in one bow, then the portamento or slide will be audible. The player must beware lest the portamento from one tone to another becomes exaggerated, or perhaps the entire enharmonic scale lying between the notes will be produced. All “whining” must be avoided, and the note next that to which the finger is sliding should not be heard.

The violinist must know the major and minor scales in all the positions, above all acquiring certainty in the various positions. On this account stress must be laid on the study of the same with the greatest possible diligence.

Double stops.

The violin is capable of producing a great variety of double notes or double stops. In conjunction with an open string, all the intervals may be given.

Unisons: