CHAPTER XVIII.
CONTINUATION. STACCATO.
A famous German chamber violinist once remarked to me, “I find that staccato playing is the best exercise for bowing, but I can’t say why.” The reason, however, lies in the fact that, by frequently playing with the end of the bow, or with the staccato-stroke, the muscles of the wrist are put in motion, thus undergoing a gymnastic training by which strength and flexibility are acquired.
It is impossible to perform the staccato-stroke well, unless the muscles of the wrist have become strong and agile; and the reason why the student finds this stroke in most cases so difficult is, that the wrist has not been specially trained and prepared, in consequence of which it remains weak and stiff.
It ought to be remembered that in almost all kinds of handiwork in daily life, the whole arm is active and in motion, and very rarely the wrist alone. With musical instruments, on the contrary, and particularly in playing the violin, it is necessary always to use the wrist, and it is impossible to play well unless the wrist has been rendered strong and elastic. It is, therefore, absolutely indispensable that proper gymnastic exercises should be made with the wrist, in order to prepare it. The wrist, indeed, ought to be accustomed, in other words, to move of itself, and the student ought, as often as possible, to perform all kinds of movements calculated to impart to it pliancy and strength. It will then soon become free and easy, and the student will, in course of time, acquire the strongest, most elegant, and artistic stroke.
No single one of these practical gymnastic exercises ought to be despised on account of its simplicity. Only try them, and they will be found very effective. All sensible artists and teachers will do homage to every improvement, and consider it their duty to welcome any assistance calculated to diminish and render lighter the arduous toil, and shorten the valuable time required for becoming a proficient in music.