Books › A Practical Guide to Violin-Playing, 1913 › scan 70
Scan 70
A Practical Guide to Violin-Playing, 1913
18 lines. Read by computer on 3 September 2026. Printed page 52. See the scan on archive.org.
1CHAPTER VIII.
3THE THUMB.
5Although the master will not have much difficulty in teaching a beginner how to hold the thumb in the first position, stress must be laid upon the importance of the correct position of the hand. In order to allow all the fingers to spread easily over the G string, the palm of the hand must be almost at a right angle with the neck of the instrument.
7Rapid action in changing from position to position will be largely a matter of taste, study and special attention. Without the aid of an elastic and supple thumb to give free play to the four fingers, be it in the first position, or in shifting quickly from place to place, the simplest run could not be executed evenly. It must therefore be understood that the duty of the thumb is not to grip the neck too firmly; the chin and shoulder serve to hold the violin in position. Experience will prove the best teacher in guiding the pupil as to how far the thumb should be employed in steadying his instrument.
9From the third position upwards the palm of the hand plays a more important part, as is shown in the following example:—
11149.
13Although when finding the F in the third position the palm is touching the rib of the violin, the hand must immediately free itself, for it will be necessary to touch the rib anew when going up to the higher F.
15It will be noticed that the shifting of the thumb to higher positions is a much easier process than it is when the hand is coming to a lower position. In the latter case the thumb must always turn towards the desired position; this point has already been insisted on with regard to the first finger (page 12). The thumb must be held as far back as possible and the upper joint must always touch the neck of the violin. By this means the hand is greatly helped in reaching the position required.
17A downward 'glissando,' or octaves played quickly, will best demonstrate how much mischief the thumb can do when not properly manipulated.
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