ViolinMind
ViolinMind (available at violinmind.com) is an adaptation of the acclaimed CelloMind book by celebrated cello pedagogue Hans Jørgen Jensen. It is a method book that has been written to help musicians understand HOW intonation works and, more importantly, WHY it works the way it does. It includes detailed explanation of intonation theory, as well as numerous exercises to train oneself to develop excellent intonation using the three most common tuning methods (Just, Pythagorean, and Equal-tempered), as well as how to choose when each one is appropriate in specific repertoire.
Fast & Furious - Conquering Coordination Through Broken-Rhythm Patterns
Strings Magazine, June 2017.
One of the most common problems encountered by string players in virtuoso pieces is the coordination between the bow strokes and the left-hand fingers in fast running-note passages (passages consisting of mostly the same note values), especially when the majority of notes are played with separate bows or with a few small slurs thrown in. Examples of these types of passages abound—they include sections from the Finale movement of Wieniawski’s Violin Concerto in D minor, several episodes and the entire coda section of Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso by Saint-Saens, the majority of the Allegro movement from Kreisler’s Praeludium and Allegro, and many, many other pieces. Read more…
Left-hand articulation
The Strad, March 2018.
When it comes to left-hand articulation, it is important to separate the finger muscles from the wrist muscles: the wrist shouldn’t ‘help’ the fingers when we play. Effective articulation is about speed and momentum, not strength, so the finger muscles must be free, not ‘tied’ to one another. Our finger movement should come from the base knuckle; but once the finger is on the string, any pressure applied should come only from the middle knuckle. (If we use the base joint, the top joint, nearest the fingertip, will lock. This can affect vibrato and intonation.) Any muscles we don’t need should be inert; fingers that we are not using should be relaxed and hanging over the strings, not tense and sticking out like porcupine spines! Read more…
ViolinChannel - ASK THE PROS
Violin Pedagogue Grigory Kalinovsky – “How to Achieve a Great Left Hand” [ADVICE]
Cultivating a Relaxed Left-Hand: Technique Class with Grigory Kalinovsky
Violinist.com blog by Laurie Niles about technique class given by Grigory Kalinovsky at the Heifetz International Music Institute in August 2015.