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String Clinic

my experience this stage is a turningpoint for many students. As theylearn to shift positions easily and pro-duce a beautiful sound with good in-tonation, they are motivated to con-tinue studying. lf frustrarion over-whelms all efforts to make the instru-ment sing, they are more likely toabandon lessons.\fhile teaching correct violin andbow positions, many teachers over-look the physical tension that leads torigid muscles and locked joints. Thisproblem hinders progress and leads totendonitis. Teachers should watchthat students do not develop faultyhabits.Teachers should introduce vibratowhen a student has the hand strength,coordination, and motivation to learnthis skill. Most teachers wait until achild has a well-shaped left-hand posi-tion, good intonation in the first posi-tion, and can play in third position.String methods usually introduce37 THETNSTRUMENTALTsT/ MAY 1994

ln the first half of the 18th centurythe great Baroque performers en-hanced the expressive qualities ofcompositions by using vibrato as anornament. In the early part of thiscentury, Jascha Heifetz used a steady'rapid vibrato. More recently lsaacStern and ltzhak Perlman vary thespeed and width of the vibrato for awider palette of tone colors. Too oftenstudents use vibrato to mask intona-tion problems instead of for artisticpurposes. Some students develop aneven vibrato and use it without everexploring the different tones and tim'bres that can range from lusciouswarmth to shimmering lustre.\Vhen asked to describe how vibra-to should affect a pitch, the majorityof young violinists incorrectly replythat it ought to move above and be-low the pitch. The ear will invariablypick the highest pitch in a vibratocycle, so if tone goes both above andbelow the pitch, listeners will perceive

the note as sharp. A correct vibratoshould go from the pitch to below andback up. With lower strings and lowerpitches, a wider vibrato is appropri-ate; higher pitches should have a nar-rower and faster motion becausepitches are closer together in thehigher registers. Many students havenot discovered these nuances andtend to sound sharp.Vibrato entails coordination ofhand, arm, and finger. Studentsshould master and combine all threeto produce different moods, usingslower technique {or dolce passages'and increasing speed and width tobuild excitement.Players should learn hand vibratofirst because it is the most relaxed,with an impulse from the back of thehand. Students can begin by settingthe hand in third position with theheel placed against the ribs of the in-strument so the wrist cannot moveback and forth. Then they shouldwave the left hand toward the facewithout touching the strings. Thethumb should remain stationary withthe fingers loose and relaxed. Makesure that the base of the first fingermoves freely along the neck ratherthan clamping to it in opposition tothumb pressure. Clutching the instru'ment between the thumb and base ofthe first finger commonly prevents thedevelopment of a beautiful vibrato.

A reflexive, cyclical motion pro'duces good vibrato. Students canbegin by simply waving the handslowly; when fingers are placed on thestring, slow-motion practice will trainmuscles correctly. The fingertipshould roll evenly and consistentlyalong the length of the string without

Devoloping Violin Vibratoll intermediate string stu-dents should develop a beau-tiful vibrato. Through teach-er demonstrations and listening toperformances by great artists, young-sters will develop a concept of goodsound. Violists and violinists oftenstruggle to learn vibrato although in

Eflby Jerrie Lucktenberg

third position by the third book. Allthings considered, it is better to beginvibrato training too soon than too1ate. The left hand should remain flex-ible, particularly in the joints nearestthe nails. Flexibility combined withstrength at the knuckles is the basisfor a well-controlled vibrato.

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turning or rotating the hand. Becausegood vibrato begins and ends on thedesired pitch, the striking fingershould land on the note in a curvedposition and ro11 backward, flatteningthe joint nearest the nail and return-ing to the curved position.

Long fingernails make good vibratotechnique nearly impossible. Give stu-dents the choice of clipping the nailsimmediately or returning for a lessonwhen the left hand nails are as shortas possible.To strengthen muscles and build vibrato speed, students should beginwith the index finger in third positionon D with the finger curved ar bothjoints, indicated by a[, and Cf withthe finger rolled back into a flattened-joint p-sition, indicated by u N. . Th"other fingers should be in a relaxedplaying position. I use rhythms to de-velop control and to provide repeti-tion with variety.

times before stopping naturally. Ppai-tice with the bow after a few initial ex-periments. Coordinate the vibratowith the start of the bow stroke, anddo not force a continuing vibrato. En-courage players to feel a quick andeasy vibrato impulse. A sustained vi-brato will develop as a series of theseimpulses. Some students begin or endvibrato with a spastic, jerky motionbut can conquer this problem by us-ing a simple etude played with a mea-sured vibrato on alternating notes.Wohl fahrt , Op. 43 No. 3l

D1

t\33

DNA faster vibrato can be based on atriplet rhythm.

n\33

After establishing the correct mo-tion of the index finger, studentsshould practice this rhythmic routineon each finger, even the pinky, begin-ning with the more comfortablestrings. ln crossing to the lowerstrings, the left elbow should movefurther to the left and under the in-strument; the opposite occurs on thehigher srrings. This elbow motion isimportant in maintaining a balancedhand and can only happen if there ismobility in the left shoulder, ratherthan a tight grip between shoulderand jaw. The motion of the left elbowwhen changing strings parallels thelifting and lowering of the rightelbow, which should keep the rightupper arm on a plane with the bow.The right arm should move higher forthe lower strings and relax nearer tothe body when approaching the Estring. \Vhen students are proficienton this exercise, they should increasethe vibrato speed.

As the vibrato gets faster, it will covera smaller range, perhaps only a quar-ter tone below D before returning tothe pitch.\uhen students master these mo-tions with all fingers and strings, they

are ready for another approach to thereflexive vibrato. Starting with thefingertip touching the string withoutpressure, they should depress thestring to initiate vibrato. Allow thefinger to rock back and forth a few

11

33Students should learn to changebow direction without stopping thevibrato and maintain a continuousflowing vibrato while switching fin-gers. A helpful exercise is to repeateach note of a scale, slurring to thenext note, and listening carefully forcontinuity in the vibrato. Keeping thenext finger close to the string helps

solve difficulties when moving to thenext pitch.

\I

::J E g- DN

!N !\ !\ trN

trN

34 THE INSTRUMENTALTsT / MAY 1994

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ought to be well-balanced in"reiatiorito th" thumb so that the hand andarm can swing smoothlY. Even minoradjustments in left elbow position cansignificantly alter hand balance. Placethe elbow where the relationship be-tween the finger and thumb allows forthe most relaxed movement of the fin-gertips. It may be necessary for some,trrd".ttt to abandon vibrato entirelyto practice some corrective exercises'Ultimately, achieving a beautiful vi-brato is a challenge for violinists andviolists, particularly because these in-struments demand an unnatural play-ing position. However, the laborious"uily ,t"pt will produce great stridestolvards advanced PlaYing and maYgive students the motivation to con'iinue their studies. n

Students should learn to transferthese skills to first position and thento al1 positions. 'When moving thehand to the first Position, PlaYersrelinquish contact with the body ofthe instrument and use the thumb asa pivot point from which the handswings like a pendulum.

At this point students should addarm movement to the hand vibrato'This technique involves a slight pushof the forearm from the eibow to coin-cide with the forward roll of the fin-gertip to add intensity to the sound'tnir is essential for high-positionplaying, where the thumb and finger-iip ut" often the only contact points'Another less common factor in vi-brato is pressing the stiing to the fin-gerboard and releasing the pressurewithout losing contact with the string.The base of the finger should notJerrie Lucktenberg, professor of uiolin atthelJniuersity of Southern Mississrppi, isa graduate of The Curtis Institute of Mu-sil and tlrc L/niuersities of lllinois andSouth Carolina. In 1992 slrc receit'ed acitation for exceptional Leadersl'tip andmerit from the American StringTeachersAssociation. Her manual and companionvideotaPe, The Joy of Shifting andDouble Stops, are publish'edby tlrclJni-u er sitl of 'W isconsin-Madison.

touch the neck of the instrument dur-ing this practice. The downward pres-sure should coincide with the forwardro11 of the finger, and the slight releaseshould coincide with the backwardmotion and flattening of the joint.When combined with hand-and-armvibrato, this motion enhances thesound without applying great pres-sure. The alternating pressure and re-lease should not squeeze the string un-necessarily, and the slight release ofpressure coincides with the backwardrolling motion and the flattening ofthe joint.The part of the fingertip that landson the string also affects timbre. Atthe fingertips skin tends to be thin,with little flesh between it and thebone. Calluses are likely to form therein direct relation to the time spentpracticing. A vibrato produced at thatpoint may have a brilliant but thinsound; vibrato on the fleshY Part ofthe finger tends to have a warmer'richer quality.Some students deveiop a good vi-brato simply by imitating the teacher'yet others fall into bad habits becausethey do not observe the techniquesinvolved. A student once had somevibrato problems that were explainedby the way he iearned to play with vi-brato. His high school orchestra di-rector had simply told him to Put afinger on the string and shake it.Many vibrato problems stem fromexcessive tension. ln addressing thesedifficulties teachers should identifythe sources of tension. The finger

Sight,Reading BookArdsley House Publishers releasedLearning to Sight'Read Jazz, Rock,Latin, and Classical Sryles by \7i11ie L'Hill and Bob MontgomerY. The bookaddresses concepts of subdivision,awareness of time in measures, antici-pation of correct stylistic articulation,u.rd a..rl.ut" placement of notes andrhythm.New ViolinMeisel Stringed lnstruments addeda new student violin, model 6107, toits line. This violin features a flamedmaple back, closely grained sprucetop, and ebony hardware. The stu-dent outfit, available in 1/B to fullsize, includes a Glasser bow and ther-moplastic case with valance.Violin CompetitionThe Foundation of Lower SaxonY ispresenting the Second Hannover ln-iernational Competition, October 30to November 12' 1994. The comPeti-tion is dedicated to Joseph Joachim,concertmaster and concert director inHannover from 1853 to 1866. FortYartists, ages 16 to 30, will compete forcash awards totaling 140,00 Germanmarks. The first prize winner will re-ceive 50,000 marks, a C.D. Produc-tion, and concert appearances in Ger'many and abroad. The first threerounds of competition will be held atthe Hannover AcademY of Music andTheater Arts with the final round atthe Lower Saxony Broadcasting Cen-ter of the North German Broadcast-ing Corporation in Hannover' A 30-member international honors com-mittee, including Claudio Abbado,Daniel Barenboim' Yehudi Menuhin,and Pinchas Zukerman, advises thecompetition.