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So I am a fan of this violin blog website which has a wealth of information if you take the time to "pan for the gold". This was very interesting to me at my stage of learning. http://www.violinist.com/blog/.....116/12403/
My favorite nugget that I panned for you "For example, another innate condition in the hand is the fact that the muscle in the thumb rings around the hand and attaches to the pinkie. Thus, "the more relaxed our thumb can be, the more movement we can have in our pinkie,"
Julie said. One way to tell if you are holding tension or squeezing unnecessarily is to stick your left thumb into the palm of your right hand, then put your fingers on the back of your hand. Try lifting and setting down the fingers, as if you are playing. Do you feel a squeeze? If so, you may be tensing too much with the thumb
I was reading a post here on FM about slides and pulling the violin from the neck and such, or a question about shifting. Relax the thumb. This has helped me so much in my quest to use the pinky more in my own playing. I think the term Relax as it relates to the entire mechanics of playing in general is apro po or however you spell it. Anywho, just thought Id share. The PickledFish, Rob.
"Please play some wrong notes, so that we know that you are human" - said to Jascha Heifetz.
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simply laying the neck on your laid back thumb print and not pushing the neck into your hand promotes a very relaxed attitude for your fingers. It helps to get a good angle on the strings as well for such things as vibrato, which we don't trry until we've had lots of lessons and played for a year or more. [wink, wink.]
"If you practice with your hands you must practice all day. Practice with your mind and you can accomplish the same amount in minutes." Nathan Milstein
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Its interesting the mechanical relationship between the thumb and pinky which usually tends to be weak, but its weak at a time in our learning life when our hands are typically clenching. Interesting paradox and as our pinky strengthens we tend to learn to relax. So you could say the two go....... wait for it.............hand in hand! I thought the streching and strength training tips were neat too, since you dont associate physical fitness with playing and more importantly preventing strains and injury. D Garrett says he works out alot and it helps him be more relaxed. You cant do a 2 1/2 hour show and not be athletic according to him. I read alot and this site just has a bunch of info.
"Please play some wrong notes, so that we know that you are human" - said to Jascha Heifetz.
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Hey Robert, I'd agree with you (as do some others here), the Violinist is a quality site with some good info, as you said, if you go digging for it. I just find the site boring and not anywhere close to as informative, friendly, or daily useful as this site,,, but it's still a good resource.
Regarding the thumb/pinky interaction, just place your left hand palm down on a table/desk, with your thumb, index, middle, & ring fingers relaxed, and then move your pinky up and down at varying speeds, then quickly press your thumb onto the table top and you'll notice considerably more stiffness, less fluidity of your pinky movement.
If you don't see the change, try this,,, pick up a 16 oz. container of your favorite fluid, then without squeezing the handle to that container, tap your pinky on the side of that container, careful not to spill any of the valuable fluid,,, then squeeze the handle of the container and notice how much more difficult it is to tap your pinky. It isn't until AFTER you've emptied the fluid from the container several times that the looseness comes back to your pinky.
That muscle/nerve interaction/impedance occurs throughout your body with other combinations too.
Stretching and relaxation (yoga) is the key to a prolific life!
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I agree a thousand times over, this site is like a playground for me. But that site is like a research library. I like the artist interviews and the ladys style of blogging.
"Please play some wrong notes, so that we know that you are human" - said to Jascha Heifetz.
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