Books › A Practical Guide to Violin-Playing, 1913 › scan 30
Scan 30
A Practical Guide to Violin-Playing, 1913
18 lines. Read by computer on 3 September 2026. Printed page 12. See the scan on archive.org.
1CHAPTER III.
3POSITION OF LEFT HAND AND FINGERS.
5The Author would like to point out the importance of watching and directing the manner in which the pupil holds his violin and bow, as well as the positions of his hand and fingers. Although the thumb must of necessity find itself in different places (according to the various functions of the fingers) it is best, in the first position, to let the middle of the first joint rest gently on the neck of the instrument.
7Having done this, the fingers can then be placed much more freely on the strings, and thus the first three fingers are enabled to descend vertically (in the same way as the hammers of a piano) and the height will be regulated to the speed at which the notes are to be played. Very different is the case of the fourth and weakest finger. Because of its shortness and weakness, it is all the more influenced by the action of the other fingers, especially the third, and an enormous responsibility rests with the teacher to keep an ever vigilant eye on the "little mischief maker."
9It would be the exception to come across a hand whose little finger falls correctly in its position, therefore the teacher will have to come to the rescue in raising it from a position which cannot be otherwise than a severe handicap to the other members of the hand. However, before concentrating attention on the fourth finger, rigid care must be given to the other three, all of which must first have been made independent of one another. The third finger must also be watched because of the tendency of the upper joint to bend in, this being again a sign of weakness.
11Nor should the paramount superiority of the second finger be lost sight of, for by virtue of its length and strength and on account of its dominance over the other fingers it plays an important part in the restful position and manipulation of the hand.
13The following are examples:—
151.
172.
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