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Double Stops - One for the Price of Two
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Crazymotive

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February 19, 2012 - 6:11 pm
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Hello,  On a slightly humourous note I never realized how hard it can be to play two strings. Well, what I mean is when I was a rank beginner and I was trying to play only one string at a time it seems I would always end up playing two (or more) strings at the same time... making my teacher cringe... 

 

Now that I am up here trying to teach myself to play double stops and I want to play two strings at the same time it seems , somewhat ironically, I end up playing one string and it can be a struggle to make both play at the same time. 

 

Now I know the secret of playing one string. When I was a complete beginner I should have always tried to play double stops... then I would have stayed on one string and my teacher would have been smiling rather than cringing....  (just kidding of course). 

 

All kidding aside I know it is proper bow angle and I am focusing on playing simple things so that I can focus on the right hand and working the bow across the strings.  I'll get it eventually but it is harder than I would have once thought. 

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cdennyb
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Here's a similiar thought. Ever change the bridge from a not-so-perfect one you've played on for hours and hours to a luthiers' precision-made-hand-crafted-just-so one?

You get to learn all over where those damn strings are. LOL

 

Double stops!!?? Try to just hit the notes.dazed

"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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Fiddlerman
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February 20, 2012 - 7:07 am
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Crazymotive - It's about angles but also about feeling the double-stops. You can feel them with your hearing too. Constantly hear both notes and feel your angle adjusting over to the weaker sounding of the two. If that makes any sense smile

"The richest person is not the one who has the most,
but the one who needs the least."

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cdennyb
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@ Fiddlerman

The double stop practice I use, (when doing chord practice) is to try an memorize my right arm position when I hit 2 strings. There's a very narrow angular window for each one.

On another post about the bridge replacement or construction, you can see how a different bridge positions the strings in a microscopically different spot and your brain has to re-learn that location all over again.

Ain't it wonderfull how much geometry and math is involved in playing a violin?!

 

Angles, pressures, positions, frequencies, tones, dimensions.....oh and musical notes.

"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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Crazymotive

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February 20, 2012 - 10:30 pm
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Fiddlerman said

Crazymotive - It's about angles but also about feeling the double-stops. You can feel them with your hearing too. Constantly hear both notes and feel your angle adjusting over to the weaker sounding of the two. If that makes any sense smile

Fiddlerman said

Crazymotive - It's about angles but also about feeling the double-stops. You can feel them with your hearing too. Constantly hear both notes and feel your angle adjusting over to the weaker sounding of the two. If that makes any sense smile

Yes, it makes a lot of sense. I notice if I am making both strings sound one will overpower the other if it is not right. Right away my ear will tell me, "yes, this is right" or, "no this is not right" and I try and adjust bow to make it sound right.  But, it is harder for me than I expected. But I know if I keep at it I will eventually get it to come natural. (I hope)...  I find that the longer I practice and I get tired I put the violin away and take a rest and try again the next day and sometimes it is easier after a rest.  Yes, it is not easy but I can see that is what makes learning a rewarding experience. 

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Crazymotive

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February 20, 2012 - 10:33 pm
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cdennyb said

@ Fiddlerman

The double stop practice I use, (when doing chord practice) is to try an memorize my right arm position when I hit 2 strings. There's a very narrow angular window for each one.

On another post about the bridge replacement or construction, you can see how a different bridge positions the strings in a microscopically different spot and your brain has to re-learn that location all over again.

Ain't it wonderfull how much geometry and math is involved in playing a violin?!

 

Angles, pressures, positions, frequencies, tones, dimensions.....oh and musical notes.

I college I majored in math and by profession I am mathematician. Yes, you are correct, music is very mathematical and the violin is literally an adventure in math and physics. Quite fascinating from a math/physics standpoint. And also quite an art as music has such a bearing on feeling, emotion, etc.

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Fiddlerman
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February 21, 2012 - 6:37 am
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I believe that there is a lot of math involved as well, also with rhythm. I always had an easy time with math in school as well. smile

"The richest person is not the one who has the most,
but the one who needs the least."

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Oliver
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February 21, 2012 - 7:32 am
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In your double stop video it appears that the bow hair might be more slack than usual.   Is it?

Even with tilting the bow you seem to hit the doubles with full hair.  Yes?

The bow hold looks pretty extreme.  Does that hold increase sensitivity/feed back with the bow?

Cheers!

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Lost Fiddler
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FMs video on how to play Iron Man is a good exercise for bow angle.

 Plus its cool!  dancing

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Oliver
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Where is that video? 

As usual, my searches don't work.

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Crazymotive

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Fiddlerman said

I believe that there is a lot of math involved as well, also with rhythm. I always had an easy time with math in school as well. smile

Yes, and not just the strings but the vibrating wooden body of the violin and its resonant characteristics.  It's both a fine art and a complex science as well

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Crazymotive

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That said I also am starting to make some sense of the different finger positions. Last night I was practicing a song and instead of jumping from the A to the E string for 1 note I jumped into 3rd position on the A then back to first position on the A and it felt a bit awkward but  worked   I am still a long ways away from mastering third position but, it is a small start.

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Lost Fiddler
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Oliver said

Where is that video? 

As usual, my searches don't work.

coffee2

 

 

 

My mistake, its on sheet music begginers . No video dunno

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Lost Fiddler
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He does play it on one of his Fiddlerman commercials.cheers 

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Oliver
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No IRON MAN expcept PDF.   But I found others on You Tube but I would never care to learn anything from that racket.

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Crazymotive

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If I remember correct Fiddlerman plays "Iron Man" on one of the beginner tutorial videos.  There is also  the Iron Man pdf in the beginners sheet music section. It looks like a nice exercise in double stops.  I have to remind myself to learn to play it sometime soon.

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Oliver
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My parental controls must be blocking IRON MAN.

The PDF is only 4 bars and still no video.

Must be a problem with this rotten MAC laptop.

Shudda bought an MS.

duncecapduncecapduncecap

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cashierjim
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I'm curious about the left finger curvature when doing a double stop at the same "fret" on adjacent strings.  (Yes, I realize that a typical violin does not have frets.)  Does one keep the same left finger curvature used for single notes, and simply try to cover both string by aiming in the middle of those strings?  Or does one flatten the finger out along the fingerboard, like playing a barre chord on a guitar?

Fiddlerman's video would probably answer this for me, but I can't find which video has the Iron Man excerpt, though I do remember seeing it recently.  Time to rewatch all of the beginner videos!

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cashierjim
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As often happens, I find an answer to my own question right after posting the question.  I realized that there is a video "Amazing Grace scrolling music" that has a C-G double stop.  In the video Fiddlerman plays it with a fairly upright left finger, so I guess it should not be necessary to flatten the left finger along the fingerboard.  I notice that the C-G double stop is immediately followed by a C-E double stop, which requires the same finger to only stop one of the strings.  That sounds like a difficult transition, but of course Fiddlerman makes it look effortless.

I'd still be interested in seeing that Iron Man excerpt, if anyone can point me to which video contains it.  It seem that particular piece may still warrant a barre-chord-like technique.

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Fiddlerman
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January 3, 2017 - 1:20 pm
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I think you mean this one.

The sheet music here:
https://fiddlerman.com/studies.....iddlerman/

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but the one who needs the least."

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