Violin for Beginners: Step by Step illustrated Guide to play the Violin by Lisa Din

Author:Lisa Din [Din , Lisa]
Language: eng
Format: azw3
Published: 2020-09-06T16:00:00+00:00

Tonal Problem 1: Bow Speed vs Bow Pressure

Pressure

It’s important to note that this is one place where our conversation about the role of the right hand being merely to guide the bow’s natural movements rather than dictate them comes up again. It’s only natural to assume that if I want more volume from my violin I should bow harder, and that’s exactly what the average violinist does in that situation. Then he wonders why he’s squeaking and scratching so much.

But we just saw where applying pressure to the strings as we play actually diminishes the instrument’s volume output. We’ll need to keep a light bow, then, as we play.

Pressing down on the string will hamper the natural vibrations that we saw for ourselves earlier because such pressure will limit the string’s freedom to move and thus how far to the left or right it is able to go as you bow. Remember that we saw how the more freedom the string has to do its dance of tension and release against the bow hair, the farther the span of its vibrations and the fuller and more carrying the sound it produces.

I am not saying we will never use more than a feather touch on the strings. It is not only natural but right to want to apply a little bit of pressure as you play to achieve more volume and intensity. I am saying, however, that that little bit of pressure is precisely that—little. It’s very easy to overdo, and the moment you overdo it, the violin will tell you about it without hesitation, like it or not.

So, practice to keep a light bow. It will give you more volume in the end, plus it will eliminate some of that dreadful scratching and squeaking from your playing. Don’t give in to the temptation to press into the strings with the bow as you play. Experiment to find out how much pressure is simply too much.

Speed

The trick is to balance the right amount of bow pressure with the right amount of bow speed. Some people are actually so afraid to produce squeaky, scratchy sounds that they opt to do very slow bow strokes in a bid to avoid it. But then they meet upon the very problem they were trying to avoid precisely because they were so intent on avoiding it!

Remember, the violin is an instrument that thrives on friction. Performing a bow stroke below a certain speed will simply not provide the required amount of friction to properly produce a consistent and pleasant sound from the string, no matter how light your bow stroke. You will get squeaks instead. If you’re getting an inordinate amount of scratches and squeaks when you play, have a look at how fast you’re executing your bow stroke.

Also—and you’ll notice this particularly when you’re playing very slowly—the fluctuation in pressure that naturally occurs in the arm (you’re only human after all) affects the purity of your tone. You may find that at different points of

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