How To Get Your Hands Together
I was asked recently how to deal with the problem of coordinating the two hands, particularly in fast passages. ‘Tis a problem most of us face, from time to time.
The factors resulting in a lack of coordination can be myriad. Fortunately the solution is relatively simple and arrived at by focusing on what you want.
Your goal is to arrive at a point where the mechanics of each note you play are identical and supremely efficient.
This means the following.
1. You want your bow moving horizontally across the string in a straight line parallel to the bridge covering the minimum amount of distance necessary to produce a clear sound.
2. You want the fingers of the left hand depressing the string with the minimum amount of force necessary to produce a clear tone.
3. You want every other muscle in your body, except the one between your ears to be relaxed and at rest.
Now, this is how you practice.
1. Whether or not you intend to ‘bounce’ at tempo, you practice with it on the string.
2. You play slowly, you count, you breathe, and you image as per my practice method.
3. You use the absolute minimum of bow possible, in the middle or upper half; you use ONLY forearm and, if your arms are short, a small amount of upper arm. No wrist, No fingers. You focus, and this is important, on the small horizontal travel of each bow stroke.
4. You keep the fingers of the left hand close to the strings yet relaxed when not being used. You do not vibrate on any note. You allow the violin to rest in cleft formed between the thumb and base of the index finger, to the extent possible. You leave fingers on the string where possible.
5. As you change pitches and strings you do it precisely with the change in bow direction.
OK, there you have it. I don’t usually like to teach as much as this in an email but am making an exception today. In any case, you practice this way until you’re really in touch mentally with all I have suggested.
When you increase the tempo you MUST feel/image the horizontal movement of the bow on each note. If you have vertical movement during a note – usually as an artifact of a string crossing – you’re going to undermine the final result.
Last point, if you’re still having with a passage after doing this, look to your fingerings.
All the best,
Clayton Haslop
P.S. They say a picture is worth a thousand words. It’s true. Watching my bow arm as I do the slow and ‘at tempo’ performances of the early Kreutzer Etudes is invaluable to achieving mastery of hand coordination. If you don’t have it, get it. Dollar for dollar it’s the best investment you can make in your playing.
