Books › Modern Violin-playing, 1920 › scan 37
Scan 37
Modern Violin-playing, 1920
18 lines. Read by computer on 3 September 2026. No printed page number was found. See the scan on archive.org.
1object is, of course, to give the hand—the playing-medium—complete independence from the thumb.
3In order to find the correct height for the knuckle, one has only to remember that it depends on, and is governed by, the degree of curvature of the finger. A glance at Plates 4 and 5 will make it clear that the flatter the curve of the finger, the lower the position of the knuckle. And this lowering in the position of the knuckles is attained by moving them backwards from the wrist, as the curve of the finger is flattened.¹
5The method of putting this theory into practice is as follows. The neck of the violin rests on the thumb. The finger-tip presses down the string; while the knuckles move backwards from the wrist, until the knuckle of the playing-finger is in the horizontal striking-plane. There should be no difficulty at all in hitting on this exact point. In practice it is recognized almost instinctively. And, once recognized, it is instantly seized, because of the ease, effortless safety, and independent power that it affords.
7The degree of curvature naturally differs as between finger and finger. This is not so much due to the different lengths of the fingers, as to the fact that the knuckles are not disposed straight across the hand, but slant upwards from first to second, and downwards towards the fourth finger. Incidentally it may be remarked that freedom of the hand and independence of the fingers cause a surprising improvement in the playing of those violinists who have a short fourth finger, or one set very low in the hand.
9As soon as the knuckle has been brought into the striking-plane, it is retained there simply by holding the wrist immovable. This puts a wrist-vibrato and a raising of the pitch out of the question. For, if the finger is correctly posed upon the string, it is physically impossible to roll the tip forward. The finger can not be further curved without relaxing the wrist. It can only be straightened at the third joint by moving the forearm back.
11The beginning of the vibrato is therefore always a movement away from the bridge.
13The vibrato itself must be applied by setting the wrist, and then moving the forearm backwards to the full extent allowed by the thumb and forwards to the full extent allowed by the first joint of the finger. The knuckle, of course, must never leave the striking-plane.
15It now only remains for us to say that the old maxim "Let the
17¹ The thumb is held midway between the knuckle and the tip of the second finger.
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