Community
You must be a member to respond to discussions.
Discussion | |
Dianne |
I am posting a series of videos and pictures for your review... Dianne 12 Responses Posted: October 8, 2018 Last Comment: October 10, 2018 |
Replies | |
Dianne Posted: October 10, 2018 |
Hand Height & String Contact Well this was a pretty incredible experience. I added the bow hand with bow pressure and I suddenly gained time. It feels slower now at 88 on the detaché. The hands are out of sync, but I can use the practice strategies to fix this. Having a higher hand height puts a lot of relaxation into the hand. The bow feels more efficient and sounds clearer. Schradieck is still on the list, but this gets me over the hurdle of my current repertoire needs on this one. I will work through the extended passages of detaché in the other pieces next.. |
Dianne Posted: October 10, 2018 |
Thank you, Beth!! Raising the left hand really made a difference. I thought it would take a while to get used to the new finger angle, but it's going well. I don't know why I always revert to a low hand position, and I didn't even think about the extra height needed in a fast passage. Your mention of reminding the fingers to get high is also very helpful. It is not automatic. And I think I understand the implications of all that bow hand flexibility - time! Later today, I'll try using more bow weight. Keeping the left hand from reacting to changes in bow pressure might be a challenge, and I hope to gain the time I need for hand coordination. Looking forward to trying this. |
Beth Blackerby Posted: October 10, 2018 |
Sorry something happened when I was typing. I'll fix my post later. |
Beth Blackerby Posted: October 10, 2018 |
Great brain storming here. Dianne, my attentions going to the mechanical action of your left hand. For these fast passages a higher hand position to bring the 3rd and 4th fingers closer to the strings will help with making the movements more efficient. Watch the first videos with reduced speed. Notice how relatively long the journey is for the pinky especially. When I have passages like this, I have to have a review session with my fingers (yes,I talk to my fingers) and ask them if they can find a comfortable position in whic Also, even though your right hand is gloriously relaxed, add more pressure to make the contact with the strings stickier. It will reduce the finger motion which is needed for these fast passages. I can hear the the hair is losing contact because in this case, the fingers are too flexible! |
Dianne Posted: October 9, 2018 |
Bow Line & Schradieck I've discovered something huge. Elke, you were right about the string crossing. It is almost imperceptible in the video (I think), but after the string crossing, there is a bit of tension in the arm, then when followed by the 4th finger to 2nd finger bit, more tension creeps in, and the whole shoulder then becomes involved. This throws off the timing with the right hand. I had to watch it about a hundred times to see it. Then I remembered feeling it! So I think I need to do 2 things. #1, as you said, stick with the bowline, and not only the 2 measures, but the three measures coming in, as they are tricky as well, and probably set up their own tension in the bow arm. #2 Bring the left hand in a little more toward the fingerboard so that the 4th finger does not have to 'reach' at all, even as little as it does, because at this tempo, it is disastrous for the timing with the bow hand. For this, yes, I need to play the Schradieck for strengthening of the 4th finger, and strengthening of the hand frame itself. So #2 will take weeks. <Sigh>. But worth it! |
Dianne Posted: October 8, 2018 |
This discussion includes members-only video content Playing At the Balance Point Tiny Bows Thank you Elke & Christiane for taking the time to look at the videos. You have given me many good points to consider. Elke, your mention of the fingers and the bow getting out of sync w/a third finger that goes down too fast is a huge consideration @ this tempo. It might be giving me that out-of-sync sound I am hearing. I have NOT been doing Schradieck and will try that. And yes, that string crossing over to the G# for one note and back is hard to keep a minimum bow level change. I tried the bow line for that string crossing and it did not feel economized yet. Christiane, I have made a video of my arm. Am I at the right part of the bow? The balance point in the bow causes my arm to be just above square. At the square of the arm, I am a couple of inches above the balance point. I tend to play at the balance point. My teacher askes me to go that couple of inches up, but I seem to feel more comfortable at the balance point. Do you know the implications of this if any? Also, am I using the right amount of bow? Thank you both! I just went in and made this video after food shopping. No excuse, I know, but boy was this not that great! But this does show what I am naturally capable of on a moment's notice, and does show the arm, which I think is the focus of this new video. :) |
Christiane Posted: October 8, 2018 |
Yes, I discovered the same with Shradiek slurred notes - they can be shockingly 'not' rhythmical, which will impact on coordination with the bow.. So back to lower speeds and finger exercises. I also use the Shradiek exercises for 'speed training', and yes, i have to admit, it is a VERY slow, barely noticeable process. Dianne, the video doesn't show your bowing arm, and as Elke pointed out already, it's the coordination between bow and fingers, that determines what speed. It's very obvious, and I'm also very familiar with it, when bow and fingers 'loose' each other, and then there is a frustrating mess. The only way is going back to lower speeds and starting all over. And yes, you are right, less bow, and using the right place of your bow, will help tremendously. Flexible bow hold also comes into it, and playing softly may be easier than loudly. But without a video that shows your arm, it's hard to comment if there is anything to improve. I know you've done already all the rhythmical speeding exercises, and what Beth suggests for fast playing in the practice course. So it's just repeating that over and over again and tons and tons of patience! There will be minute improvements in time. Some things simply can't be forced! |
Elke Meier Posted: October 8, 2018 |
No real help from my side, Dianne. Just sympathy as - unfortunately - I am very familiar with your problem... Just at much slower speeds. But here are a few observations I made in my own practice:
|
Dianne Posted: October 8, 2018 |
This discussion includes members-only video content Coming Into The 2 Measures Before K |
Dianne Posted: October 8, 2018 |
This discussion includes members-only video content Warming Up |
Dianne Posted: October 8, 2018 |
Coming Into The Two Measures Before K |
Dianne Posted: October 8, 2018 |
Yes, it looks like Wohlfahrt |