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Violin playing requires years of intensive training
for you to be expert in. The violin is usually
held under the chin and supported by the left
shoulder. The right hand either draws the bow
across one or more of the strings near the bridge,
causing the string to vibrate, or plucks the string.
The left hand regulates the sounding length of
the string by stopping it against the fingerboard
with the fingertips, producing different pitches.
There are two main parts to the technique of violin playing: the left hand and the right hand.
1.Left Hand
- Fingering and Positions
Placement of the left hand fingers on the strings
does not rely on frets; the player must stop
the string at the right spot from skill alone,
or else sound out of tune. To attain good intonation,
violin players practice long hours training
the fingers to land in the right places, learning
to hear when a note is in or out of tune, and
cultivating the ability to correct the pitch
rapidly and automatically as notes are being
played.
Note well: left hand finger placement is a matter
of the ears and hand, not the eyes, that is,
it has strong aural and tactile/kinesthetic
components, with visual references being only
marginally useful. Note also that the spacing
between note positions becomes closer as the
fingers move "up" (in pitch) from
the nut.
The fingers are conventionally numbered 1 (index)
through 4 (little finger). Especially in instructional
editions of violin music, numbers over the notes
may indicate which finger to use, with "O"
indicating "open" string.
- Vibrato
Vibrato is a very common technique used by violinists
which causes the pitch of a note to vary up
and down quickly. This is achieved by moving
the finger pressing on the string slightly forwards
and backwards. There are two main types of vibrato:
The one originating from the arm, and the one
from the wrist. Both these styles produce a
similar sound.
- Open Strings
A special timbre results from playing a note
without touching its string with a finger, thus
sounding the lowest note on that string. Such
a note is said to be played on an open string.
Open string notes (G, D, A, E) have a very distinct
sound resulting from absence of the damping
action of a finger, and from the fact that vibrato
is extremely difficult. Other than low G (which
can be played in no other way), open strings
are usually selected for special effects.
2.Right Hand
The right arm & hand are responsible for tone
quality, rhythm, dynamics, articulation, and certain
(but not all) changes in timbre.
- Bowing Techniques
The bow should be drawn swiftly and smoothly across
the strings, about halfway between the fingerboard
and the bridge. A downbow starts with the hand
close to the strings pulling across the string
from left to right, and is generally used on strong
beats. An upbow goes the opposite way, right to
left, and is used on weaker beats and upbeats.
However with practice downbows and upbows should
be difficult to distinguish.
- Pizzicato
To play pizzicato (often abbreviated to pizz.)
the right thumb should be placed under the fingerboard
and the index finger used to pull the string quickly
upwards and across. For faster passages, the bow
can be held while playing pizzicato, still using
the index finger but without the support of the
thumb. In more complex and advanced pieces, a
small cross above the stave indicates the fingers
of the left hand plucking the strings.
Links
to Other Sources of Violin Playing:
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