Never underate this little rotation!

November 5, 2009 at 2:36 PM

Dear v.commers, as I often say, I am maybe a little too obsess with "sound" issues and every technique related to it. I know I shouldn't be because my sound is very "ok" for my situation since I do not earn my life out of music or anything the like but I can't help it : ) Though I do earn my joy out of music so bad sound = not happy!!!

Thus, one of the things I'm very obsessed with is vibrato (maybe also because it's not the easiest thing for toothpick sized fingers). I agree that the bow is the articulation of music and the most important thing but there is no music without rich vibratos either... I happen to love finger and wrist vibratos for their very personnal and smooth "unstiff" sound. But since a while, I was really not happy with mine and with the winter comming up here (cold and humid), I found they got narrower and narrower. I always knew by reading on the net and Buri mentionned it too when we had these controversial posts about the "king" that rotataing lightly the left forarm and wrist was an important skill to aquire in order to vibrate well. But instinctivly, without realizing it, I just went back and forth (without going up the tone) with a very poor rotation... When I foccused on this slight rotation, the sound and all the resonating of my violin immidiately got improoved. (not perfect but much better than with poor rotation). I was shocked to realize that our mind is uncounsciously so focused on this back and forth motion of the finger that we forget all the other important things in vibratos... Then I suppose my bow will take bad habits while I work on my left hand... I'll check this! No, the violin journey is never finish and each time you tell to yourself: how come I didn't realize x and y znd z were bad sooner. But this is violin!

Have a nice day and don't forget this little rotation...

Anne-Marie

Hope I won't do rotation night mares...

From Stephen Brivati
Posted on November 5, 2009 at 10:34 PM

Greetings,

Anne-Marie, as an Oistrakh lover you shoudl use it of course. This was fundamental to his vibrato;)

The thumb has to be an integral part of this movement and if you consult, now what wa sthat book again......oh yes, Basics, ther ewill ne an apprpriate exercise.

Cheers,

buri

From Anne-Marie Proulx
Posted on November 5, 2009 at 10:46 PM

Thanks Buri!

Yes I noticed that Oistrakh does it very well (maybe it is just that it shows more when he plays?) It requires much flexibility but from the result I heard yesterday just by focussing a little more on this... the good use of this really has a potential to give a darker (more golden) sound as I love it. (Talking about golden tone I advise everyone who loves this style to run and get gut strings as Eudoxas, Passiones and Olives if you don't mind tuning at every 5 min. Just my two cents Everyone who told me to try gut strings were RIGHT : )

I am anxious to experience more and I got to get that "Basics" from Simon Fisher... (It's a shame I hadn't have time to check much in these. I agree that even with a good teacher one must look in such books!) I also want to check this "technique of the Soviet masters" or so... Got to find the exact title since it is suppose to be a "must" have! Just that I wonder how I will do my homework with such interesting books to read... : )

Thanks!

Anne-Marie

From Anne-Marie Proulx
Posted on November 5, 2009 at 11:17 PM

I found this title (of the other book I want to have once and for all before the end of 2009...) It's "Technical fundamentals of the Soviet Masters"

Have I already heard an avid member here telling that "it should be on every violinist's shelf..." : ) ???

This is like Oistrakh's melodia CD's that I never had the patience to seek on the net (were so hard to find) but when, by a miracle, I happened to find this and the brillante collections at a music store in Montréal that never has them usually, I bought them all like a real crazy!!! And gee that I didn't regret...

This time, I won't wait for a miracle. They should be easy to find on the net!

Anne-Marie

From Stephen Brivati
Posted on November 6, 2009 at 1:20 AM

Greetings,

techncial fundamental sis a classic but iun tyerms of day to day nuts and bolts if you could choose one I would suggets Basics takes priority.

Cheers,

Buri

From SAM MIHAILOFF
Posted on November 6, 2009 at 12:54 PM

BURI, PLEASE TRANSLATE...

"sis a classic but iun tyerms of"

From Stephen Brivati
Posted on November 7, 2009 at 10:59 AM

"sis a classic but iun tyerms of"