Books › Essentials of music / 2 The American history and encyclopedia of music / W.L. Hubbard, ed, 1910 › scan 61
Scan 61
Essentials of music / 2 The American history and encyclopedia of music / W.L. Hubbard, ed, 1910
8 lines. Read by computer on 11 September 2026. Printed page 35. See the scan on archive.org.
1in this way the beginner's attention can be centered on some of the vitally important functions of the right arm and hand. The pupil is then taught the hand and finger positions, the application of the fingers to the fingerboard and the elementary principles of the trill.
3Here, it is well to point out the old truths that first impressions are the strongest and therefore the most difficult to remove, that habits and faults acquired while learning these first steps will always crop out again as stumbling-blocks in the future development of the student, and that, on the other hand, the fundamental principles of correct hand and finger disposition, of natural and free finger action, followed by natural relaxation, will be helpful adjuncts in the rapid acquisition of what is commonly styled technic, but which is only the most natural and effective carrying out of what the mind prompts.
5The fingers should be treated as independent units, that is, the motion should come only from the hand joints. The finger about to be used should hang reasonably near the string and should confine its movement to dropping directly on the desired spot. The palm of the hand should be neither rigid nor affected by the movements of the fingers. It is well to call attention to the fact that all great technicians avoid an extreme raising of the fingers while playing.
7The stopping by the fingers should be accurate, in tune, and should not be done with too much exertion. The finger strength necessary to create sufficient body of tone must develop gradually through careful and effective practise and not through a great exertion of force in dropping the fingers. It is not objectionable for the thumb to press rather firmly against the neck of the violin while in one position, providing the proper relaxation occurs later, through correct shifting. After these preliminary principles are established there remains but the other left hand problem, that of shifting: the ability to move the hand from position to position either by step, one position at a time, or by a leap connecting tones
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