Another session with a possible encore selection- Paganini’s Caprice no. 16! Deceptively simple, but actually quite a handful for coordination and highlighting the rhythmic contours of the caprice, as indicated by the forte emphases.
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A balanced left hand frame coupled with minimal finger pressure I find is key - I’m experimenting around with nearly horizontal finger placement, rather than the common diagonal placement. The finger pad indentations made by the string almost look like one line running laterally across...! This helps with more efficient finger movement and mobility in certain extensions.
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Practicing in triplets repetitions per note also helps train the left hand to be led with the bow- during this version/exercise (2nd clip), the left hand is slower than the right hand, whilst the latter hand still follows the down and up bow pattern per note.
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As for intonation, I find it helpful to practice very softly, with each finger of the left hand easing (or rather, even at times gliding!) into its corresponding note. Imagining a small semi-semi tone slide into the actual note helps realize this easing in movement. After all, intonation is all about instantaneous micro adjustments.
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And... Here I am again with another piece of practice wear from @twosetapparel- basically, the T-shirt quips, “Don’t practice. Geniuses are born, not created”. **Disclaimer: it isn’t quite true.
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Updated: Dec 28, 2020
Variation 8 of Paganini’s Caprice no. 24 is a great study for swift chords! Playing quick triple stops involves the challenge of moving the bow in swift arcs, rather than vertical hits (much like on the piano) and horizontal lines.
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Some main takeaways: 1) Playing near the frog, with full hair- since a triple stop requires bow weight three times the amount for a single note at a constant dynamic, playing near the frog allows one to leverage the natural heaviness of this part of the bow. To counteract the tendency to hack the bow on the string because of the heaviness, one plays with full hair. This allows the fingers to extend rather than collapse into the bow stick, in turn lessening the weight of the hand transferred onto the stick. One focuses in on the contact between the finger pads and the side of the bow instead of the inside creases of the fingers and the top of the bow stick.
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2) Playing in swift arcs rather than lines- unless there’s an accent, playing in “~” arcs (convex curve plus an upward arc like a sideways “s”) on down-bow chords and concave arcs on up-bow encourages the hand / arm to engage in a free rotational movement. This creates space for momentum before the bow actually lands on the string for each note.
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3) Sensitivity to soundpoint - with the ability to play with full hair at the frog, it is often necessary to play somewhere between the middle and the bridge! Helps us achieve the robust, thick sound that we need at times.
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4) Left hand maintains softness - when the right hand is tasked to increase the bow weight for triple stops, the left hand often reactively tense up. Cushioned finger pad placement, minimal finger pressure, and a balanced hand frame in favor of the weaker fingers allow the left hand to facilitate the right hand.
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...it’s still a work in progress for me - realized that in the slow motion video, there are moments here and there where I can ease up and adjust the LH fingers more nimbly 🪱
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Updated: Dec 28, 2020
*Slow-Motion*! Collé magnet exercises 🧲 - colle, which means glue, is a critical physical motion of the hand that serves as the basis of many articulation strokes! The morion allows sound to be articulated in varying degrees and gives it its consonance and speaking qualities. In my opinion, there are two types of colle movements that align with these qualities- the first type helps one produce a more consonant, crisp, and percussive sound. How articulated depends on what stroke is at play- martele requires more vertical and sustained articulation, spiccato less sustained, ricochet even less- so on so forth. The second type of colle is used for the parlando technique, which gives sound a more speaking quality. Both types demand a quick change in finger joint movements and impulses. Equally as important, both involve passive and active movements.
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In this session, I’m exploring the first type of colle- it is the basis of martele, or an accented stroke that remains on the string. In this percussive colle, two motions are at play- 1) the passive extension of the fingers, and 2) the active retracting / flexion of the fingers. 1): Extending the fingers is passive since the natural, with-gravity movement of throwing the hand from the wrist is utilized- the hand remains somewhat neutral. This motion allows the bow to cling onto (‘glue’) the string, providing that vertical force needed to produce an accented, impactful start to the sound. The bow hair and the strings are like magnets, unequivocally attracted to each other. 2): Flexing the fingers and taking the bow away from the string is an active motion, against gravity. One learns to quickly pry the bow away from the string without the bow slipping by tuning into the exact contact points between finger and bow- when the hand flexes, the top of the bow stick is in contact with the inside creases of the fingers!
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Here I am practicing a series of down and up strokes, trying to effortlessly glue the bow onto the string, actively lift the bow with the fingers, and immediately catch the string again smoothly with extended fingers- the cycle is repeated!
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