This ebook, An Alexander Technique Approach to Violin Technique, is published on this website in a PDF format. It is very detailed and practical, and it will give you the physical tools you need to take the limits off of your ability to create the accurate violin technique you want without sacrificing your body.
This ebook is also for sale on all AMAZON websites in a KINDLE format.
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Why is playing the violin consistently very softly through a passage difficult for many violinists? Is playing the violin pianissimo INHERENTLY difficult, and there is nothing you can do about it?
First, I’m going to describe what violinists do that makes playing the violin very softly for sustained periods hard. Second, I’m going to describe the remedy, so that playing the violin pianissimo for long passages can be effortless. It should be effortless, shouldn’t it?
A prevalent belief among violinists is that to play very softly, they need to KEEP themselves from playing too loudly. So, by definition, it is easier to play at a moderately loud volume than it is to play very softly. IT TAKES ABOUT THE SAME AMOUNT OF MUSCULAR INVOLVEMENT TO PLAY THE VIOLIN SOFTLY AS IT DOES TO PLAY IT LOUDLY.
Many violinists are used to playing moderately loud. So, why is playing pianissimo harder than playing mezzo forte? Because, many violinists believe playing very softly is about pulling back on the reins with effort. They believe they have to muscle the right arm to play pianissimo.
Think about it. If you believe you have to KEEP your right arm from playing the violin too loud, then you are using muscle to keep yourself from using too much muscle. This is crazy. Is there a better solution? YES!
Why not use the least amount of muscle to play softer. You gain conscious control over the musculature of your arm by using minimally more muscle when you play mezzo forte. You do this by lovingly ordering your body to do the same work to play pianissimo, by not FORCING the shoulder musculature to tense to support the bow lightly on the strings to play pianissimo.
There are two reasons that playing pianissimo on the violin is experienced as more work than playing at a mezzo forte. First, it does take minimally more shoulder muscle, the deltoid, to support the bow lightly on the strings. But as I said, this work is minimal, especially if you visualize/experience the arm being held up for you with a free shoulder.
The second reason is the main reason that playing the violin very softly is experienced as hard work. When it is your intention to play a passage consistently pianissimo, then invariably many violinists tense the shoulder, arm, and hand to control the pianissimo. This tensing is doing two contradictory things at the same time – immobilizing the arm and moving the arm to play softly. This is very hard on the arm and shoulder.
The solution is to experience your arm floating and to trust your intention to play the passage effortlessly soft, using the least amount of arm and shoulder musculature. What I mean by trusting your intention is this: If you hear the performance you want in your head and trust your body to produce it using the least amount of muscle, then your body will give you what you want with minimal work, when your faith in your intentions and your body demonstrates that getting what you want out of the violin is about trust, not tension.
One last point: What determines how softly you can play? Is it your technique or the violin? It is the violin. If you use the least amount of muscle, then it is the violin that will determine how softly you can play. Simply, at a certain point the violin will not produce a sound, with the bow’s lighter and lighter contact on the strings, combined with the speed of the bow.
