Books › Modern Violin-playing, 1920 › scan 77
Scan 77
Modern Violin-playing, 1920
14 lines. Read by computer on 3 September 2026. No printed page number was found. See the scan on archive.org.
1Now, it is entirely unnatural to move the hand sideways in the plane of the long axis of the wrist. It can be done—but only under a very great strain. For the wrist is not normally flexible over a sideways arc of any great length.
3But if the tilt of the hand is taken into consideration, the matter becomes quite simple. For the hand, while moving ever so little sideways, is also raised or lowered (according as the movement is towards or away from the body), and then flexibly restored to its old position. It was this subtle accommodating action of the hand which escaped the observation of many of Joachim's pupils, though the master himself always made it.
5Of course if the hand has no tilt, as in Plates 15 and 16, the raising of the knuckles can have only a perpendicular effect. But when the hand is tilted, as in Plates 17 and 18, the raising of the hand moves the knuckles to the left, and its lowering moves them to the right.
7To make this movement successfully, it must be combined with a slight flexion of the fingers and the thumb, so as to keep the bow in its correct alignment with the bridge. At the same time the forearm rises or drops in contrary motion to that of the knuckles. In this way the bow is only affected by the sideways motion of the knuckles. It may be added that, for anatomical reasons and because of the difficulty of balancing the bow when the arm is raised, the movement has to be greater at the heel than at the point.
9Before ending this chapter, a few words may be spared for a subject that has a historical as well as an artistic interest. Joseph Joachim's name has just been mentioned. And, as the principles enunciated in this chapter are largely based on his playing, and as "the Joachim bowing" has acquired a sort of international glamour, we shall conclude this chapter by dispelling some of the clouds which have gathered round that illustrious subject.
11It is probable that in their essentials all the schools of violin-bowing are much the same. The various methods, as represented by the great players, differ from one another chiefly in externals—that is to say, in details of appearance. The theoretical method which has just been outlined is put forward, not through ignorance of other schools, but because it gives greater scope than any other method for flexible alterations in tone-colour, with greater ease and rapidity of change from one kind of bowing to another.
13Joachim's pedigree as a violinist has often been printed. It is of the most distinguished. Yet he himself made no claim to the founda-
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