Make scales interesting! Join me for a whole month’s worth of 31 different ways to approach scales | Day 22: The Farthest Reaches (The Tip). What else do we make use of constantly ... yet give so little attention to?
A Month of Scales - Day 21: The Forearm (Middle of the Bow)
Thumb Tension? Don’t Blame Your Thumb!
Every good violin teacher encourages their students to keep a relaxed left thumb, which gently counter-balances the action of the fingers. And every good violin student takes this to heart, trying to keep it relaxed. But what if it won’t give up its grip? What if it takes all of your attention to get it to relax ... but as soon as you focus on something else it clamps down again? The cause might lie elsewhere.
Develop Effortless Technique (and Let Go of Tension)
We all know that great violin playing looks effortless. And in one sense, it is ... at least in that moment. (Putting aside all the work that led to that moment.) Great violinists have eliminated muscle tension and unnecessary work from their technique, either naturally or through careful practice, so all of their effort while playing goes directly into things that pay off in sound or virtuosity. And when your work is refined to just the absolute essentials, it really does become almost effortless. It’s a state we can all work towards.