Books › Modern Violin-playing, 1920 › scan 86
Scan 86
Modern Violin-playing, 1920
16 lines. Read by computer on 3 September 2026. No printed page number was found. See the scan on archive.org.
1As in the left-hand technique, it is best to begin this study on the A-string. And a mirror may be recommended as a candid friend. With its help the player can watch his hand and note his daily progress. He should stand sideways to it, so that only the top of the bridge meets his eye. In this way he will be able to tell whether the bow is being drawn straight across the strings, and also to watch the movements of his hand during a change of bow.
3However, the mirror should not be turned into a fetish. It has no magical virtue. And as its use takes the attention off the playing, it should be employed as little as possible. Bow and hand must eventually be judged by musical results. And, when the fine tone comes, the appearance of the hand will be quite satisfactory.
5A young player's first bow-stroke is generally as daring an adventure as a young swimmer's first dive into deep water. There is hesitation and embarrassment, both of which affect the bow-stroke. A good deal of the embarrassment is caused merely by inflexibility of the shoulder. The point for the beginner to keep steadily in mind is that "consciousness centres in the hand" (page 38). In other words, he must always think of his hand as the master, controlling the bow. When the hand descends to place the bow in the playing position, the arm must give way before it—must, indeed, accommodate itself, through its various joints, to whatever movements the hand is pleased to make.
7This "counsel of perfection" is, of course, very easy to put on paper. Its execution is a harder matter. And the best way to set about it is to undertake a sort of bow-drill, or violin-salute.
9Hold the violin in position and the bow in the right-hand. Drop the right-hand at the side; and then, with the arm straight, move it outwards and away from the body, till it is over the head.
11From this position lower it, guiding the bow until it touches the string at a point previously decided on. The bow throughout its length must accompany the hand in its descent, and must not be allowed to move radially towards the string from the hand as a centre. When it engages the string, there must be no stuttering.
13When first practising this bow-drill, it will be wise to keep within the limits of the point and the middle. Later on it can be performed with the lower half of the bow.¹
15¹ By "middle" the student must always understand that point of the bow which touches the string when the forearm is parallel to the ground, not that point which is found by dividing the bow equally into two parts.
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