Chats To 'Cello Students Part 2

The fingers must be firmly placed on the strings; to allow this, and so that the tips of the fingers are used, the joints must be bent outwards.

This will allow the fingers to fall and rise like little hammers; and also if properly accomplished, will cause the strings to pa.s.s under the centre of the tip of each finger, in an almost parallel line with the tip edge of each finger nail. A very important rule, is to have as many fingers placed on the strings as possible, thus when playing the fourth finger, do not have the other three pointing upwards in as many different directions, they should be placed in semitones on the string, ready for use if a descending pa.s.sage happens to follow. In some cases of vibrato, and always when playing harmonics, the fingers behind the one used must be kept off the strings; even then it is advisable to have them only slightly raised, and bent ready for use. In descending pa.s.sages as previously hinted, the fingers must be placed simultaneously on the strings, the necessary fingers being raised as the pa.s.sage proceeds; the student will find it rather difficult at first to place the fingers in tune behind the one actually played, but constant practice will accomplish this.

CHAPTER V.

GENERAL REMARKS ON BOWING--A USEFUL METHOD OF COMBINING SCALE PRACTICE WITH THE STUDY OF VARIOUS BOWINGS--SMOOTH BOWINGS--CRESCENDO-- DIMINUENDO--THE SLUR.

BOWING.

The student should always strive to produce a beautiful pleasing tone from his instrument. Rapidity of execution can be acquired with downright hard work, but great skill, prompted and controlled by a fine sense of tone quality is necessary to obtain a full tone, without it partaking of a hard, forced quality, or accompanied by sc.r.a.ping so p.r.o.nounced as to be most unpleasant except perhaps to people at a great distance from the player. To acquire this skill, and also in some measure to educate the ear to the various tone-colour effects which are possible on the violoncello, much thoughtful practice is necessary.

The student must not only _know_ the correct movements which the hand and arm are to make in performing any particular style of bowing, but with much practice, he must so develop the muscles of his bow-arm, that they respond instantly to effect the slightest change in the amount of pressure required for the different degrees of sound-volume, or for the various parts of the bow used.

Eventually it will be found that it is possible to produce a complete change in tone-colour, which will prove a great relief to a continued tone of one character. Thus by using a whole length bow, without any pressure for a note of a certain description, the quality of tone produced will be far different to that obtained by using half the length of bow, with pressure applied to make up the sound volume. This and other changes in tone-colour will gradually unfold themselves to the student, if after thoroughly mastering the correct way of holding the bow, he practises the following bowings according to the directions given.

VARIOUS BOWINGS APPLIED TO SCALE PRACTICE.

It is a mistake for a young player to imagine that after he has once "been through" the scales with his teacher, he need never bother himself about them again. When the major and minor scales in three octaves can be played from memory, it will be found to be of great a.s.sistance in keeping the intonation correct in all the keys, to adopt a system of daily scale practice. The number of scales taken each day must depend upon the amount of time which each student has at command; it is advisable, however, to be content with one kind of bowing each week, and even longer may be devoted to bowings which are difficult to master, or in which the student happens to be backward. The advantage of studying the various bowings after this method, is that the attention of the student, not being occupied with reading the music, can be fully directed to the management of the bow.

SMOOTH BOWINGS.

[Ill.u.s.tration: (EX. 1)]

The scales in semibreves, must be played with whole bowings. The student should endeavour to produce a clear, round tone, which must be of _even_ volume throughout the whole bow-stroke. To accomplish this, a correct motion of the arm and wrist is necessary, the first finger must gradually increase the pressure on the bow as the head is reached, being again relaxed as the bow is pushed to the heel; to apply the necessary pressure without causing any inequality in the tone, is the secret of fine legato playing. To change the stroke of the bow requires the a.s.sistance of the wrist and fingers, thus, in the down stroke when the bow is within a couple of inches from the head, the movement of the arm ceases, the hand moved at the wrist continues the stroke, and also reverses the bow for the up-stroke. In the up-bow the rounded position of the wrist when the heel is approached, will not allow of an exactly similar movement; to accomplish a neat change of bow-stroke at the heel, it is necessary to let the fingers _give_ slightly, which allows the bow to be carried forward about an inch, and the stroke reversed after the arm movement ceases. These slight wrist actions are required to prevent a peculiar kind of sc.r.a.pe being heard, this sound, although permissible, and even necessary in certain kinds of bowing, is most objectionable in smooth legato playing. To prevent any harshness in the tone, the pressure on the bow must be nicely regulated at the change of stroke.

[Ill.u.s.tration: (EX. 2)]

To be able to produce a fine crescendo is a grand accomplishment. The bow must be lightly placed on the strings at some distance from the bridge; as the stroke proceeds, more pressure with the first finger is gradually applied, the bow is caused to approach the bridge and at the same time is drawn more rapidly. In performing a crescendo pa.s.sage with the down bow, the strongest possible pressure must be applied as the bow is drawn to the point. The gradual swelling from _piano_ to forte, must be accomplished without any break in the tone being perceptible; a great amount of practice is necessary to give the ability to produce a full round tone at the forte, without a disagreeable hardness in tone-quality.

[Ill.u.s.tration: (EX. 3)]

In a decrescendo the reverse action takes place. The bow is placed very firmly on the strings near the bridge, great pressure being applied. As the stroke proceeds the pressure is gradually withdrawn, the bow moves more slowly, and approaches the fingerboard.

[Ill.u.s.tration: (EX. 4)]

The effect of Ex. 4 is a combination in one bow of the crescendo and decrescendo effects given in bowings 2 and 3. The bow must be used very sparingly at the crescendo, so that sufficient may be left to sustain a bold forte, for the middle of the semibreve, and also to allow the tone to be gradually diminished. The student cannot devote too much time to the study of this difficult bowing; if properly mastered, great command of the bow, in a slow bow-stroke, will have been obtained.

[Ill.u.s.tration: (EX. 5)]

Scales played with two minims slurred (Ex. 5) should have whole smooth bow-strokes. In approaching an open string, care should be taken to prevent any break in the bow-stroke, or any roughness being perceptible.

The open string should first be caused to vibrate with the friction of the bow, the pressure then being applied. Equal divisions of the bow are necessary for each minim, the bow being lightly placed at the heel, with slightly increasing pressure, as the point is neared; this is required to keep the tone-volume equal with that produced at the heel.

[Ill.u.s.tration: (EX. 6)]

Four crotchets slurred, are to be played with the same kind of bowing as Ex. 5, but here there are four notes to one bow-stroke. Each crotchet should have its full time value allowed, and the stroke should be equally divided, so that each note gets about a fourth of the bow.

Equality of tone, and smoothness are the chief characteristics of a good performance of this and all similar slurred bowings. There should not be the slightest break between each crotchet, one note only being left off as the next is sounded.

[Ill.u.s.tration: (EX. 7)]

Smooth detached crotchets may be played with the upper half of the bow.

In this style of detached bowing, each note must be approached and left without any roughness, a clear division of the notes being suggested rather than any decided break made. When moving from one position to another, no gliding is allowed, each note separate, but smooth.

[Ill.u.s.tration: (EX. 8)]

In Ex. 8 the whole octave is played with one bow stroke. In scale practice, it will be advisable for the student at first to repeat the tonic, so that a proper sense of the correct phrasing is felt, thus--

[Ill.u.s.tration: (EX. 8_a_)]

[Ill.u.s.tration: (EX. 9)]

Various divisions of slurred quavers may be practised, where each group contains the same quant.i.ty of notes, the same length of bow-stroke must be given each slur. Ex. 9 should be played with the upper third of the bow. The student should not acquire the habit of making the second quaver shorter than the first; each note must have equal duration. This bowing may also be practised with the middle third of the bow.

[Ill.u.s.tration: (EX. 10)]

Where one group contains more notes than another, it is not always advisable to use the same amount of bow for the smaller slur. To preserve the same tone-quality throughout in Ex. 10, it should be bowed as follows:--Place the bow on the strings near the heel; for the first three quavers, draw it just beyond the middle, then give the two tied quavers an up-stroke, using about a third of bow; for the remaining three quavers, draw the bow quite to the point. The octave higher commences with an up-bow, the action being exactly reversed until the heel is reached.

[Ill.u.s.tration: (EX. 11)]

In playing two octaves slurred, besides observing all that has been written concerning smooth slurred bowings, the student must be careful to adopt a proper system of phrasing. It is perhaps advisable in scale practice to suggest in the phrasing, the commencement of another octave.

This may be accomplished by dwelling slightly on the leading-note (in this case B), or by accenting the tonic of the upper octave.

Whatever method is adopted, must not be such as to seriously disturb the even run of the semiquavers.

[Ill.u.s.tration: (EX. 12)]

Detached quavers should be practised with the upper third of the bow, in the same manner as the crotchets in Ex. 7. The wrist is a.s.sisted by the fore-arm.

[Ill.u.s.tration: (EX. 13)]

Smooth detached semiquavers should be played with the point of the bow, using the wrist only. They may also be played with the middle eighth of the bow, but if a very smooth performance is desired, it is better to keep near the point. This prevents the bow from getting a springing movement, and causes the notes to be "rubbed" out of the instrument.

Much practice is necessary, to get the fingers of the left hand to work in sympathy with the movements of the bow. The fingers must be pressed firmly on the strings, at first the student must exert himself to put forth the necessary pressure, afterwards, when the muscles of the fingers are fully developed, this will be done unconsciously. When playing in the middle of the bow, care must be taken to prevent any sc.r.a.ping sound being produced by too much pressure on the bow, or by not regulating the pressure when reversing the bow-stroke.

CHAPTER VI.

BOWING CONTINUED--MARTELe--DETACHED STROKE--MIXED BOWINGS--THE VARIOUS DIVISIONS OF THE BOW.

STRUCK DETACHED BOWINGS.

[Ill.u.s.tration: (EX. 14)]

This style of bowing (Ex. 14) is known as _martele. It consists of a smart heavy stroke, with the upper third of the bow. The bow is stopped suddenly at the end of each stroke, without allowing the pressure of the first finger to relax; the bow stroke being suddenly checked, causes the abrupt stoppage of the smartly vibrating string, and allows a short pause to be made between each note. The effect might be represented thus: