Stuck in a scale rut? Join me for a whole month’s worth of 31 different ways to approach scales. New posts go up every day in January 2023. Start from Day 1 here.
Today, the tour of the Big Three bow factors continues. This scale is all about weight. Specifically, it’s about trying to control the amount of weight independently of bow speed. The idea for this scale came from Kurt Sassmannshaus’s website, violinmasterclass.com. It’s a great resource for understanding, practicing, and teaching violin technique. And it’s where I saw the exercise that’s the basis for this scale. (scroll down to watch a video explaining the original exercise)
The idea is to add and remove weight during one bow stroke, while keeping the bow speed the same. If you’ve never tried to control them independently, it’s surprisingly difficult! It’s natural to use extra weight to reinforce the effect of using more bow, and vice versa. But if you can separate them, you open up the door to an even greater variety of sounds and to more precise control of the sounds you do get.
The Details
As with many scales already this month, I’ve done it in three levels of difficulty. Only go as far as you can do well (well controlled, with a good sound, and good intonation).
⚠️ Weight goes into the bow through the index finger. But the index finger alone is too weak to sustain that for very long. If you try to do that, you can really hurt yourself! So be sure to use forearm rotation. That way the strength comes from your forearm, and your index finger is just a conduit for that strength.
In the first level, you add weight during half of the bow, then release it for the other half. Do one cycle of heavy-light on each pitch.
Keep your bow speed steady. It’s tempting to move faster while adding weight, and slower when not adding weight. Avoid that temptation!
Try to make a clear separation between very heavy and very light.
In the second level, keep the same tempo as in Level 1, but do two cycles of heavy-light on each bow.
For the third level, do four cycles on each bow. At this point, the effect may be more like a pulsing sound – something like portato. Start by keeping your focus on the technique behind it, but if you have attention to spare you can start to listen to the pulsing sound. Making a connection between the sound and the technique is how you’ll be able to incorporate this (new) skill into your music-making.
If you’ve tried today’s scales, I’d love to know what your experience was like! Just post a comment below.
Do this in any key, with your usual fingerings.
Here’s a video of Kurt Sassmannshaus’s original exercise, the basis for today’s scales:
tomorrow:
Day 26: Sounding Point
I’m a violinist and private teacher in the Chicago area, and in a previous musical life I was in a professional string quartet. Teaching violin and chamber music are dear to my heart. Send me a note or leave a comment on a post — I’d love to hear from you.
If you’ve tried today’s scales, I’d love to know what your experience was like! Just post a comment below.