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Currently I'm working on Minuet nr 4 (J.S. Bach.) which have a lot of staccato throughout the whole piece. Does anyone have any tips on how to achive a smooth staccato? I usually get a lot of crescendo or diminuendo, especially close to the stoping point.
'Armed with theory, practice becomes meaningful. Through practice, theory becomes fulfilled.' - Egon von Neindorff.
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Hi @HP
I kinda feel like you are much more advanced than me and I am not sure if I can offer a lot of advise.
But here goes... my take on staccato.
There are 3 parts to staccato. The first bite or almost a dig with the bow, then the duration of the note, then the stopping of the staccato. The stop is critical to playing this properly and it is what some novice players can neglect. It also establishes the rhythm of the bowing.
You probably already have the start down pretty well. You should move with a deliberate stroke. Be sure to apply a fair amount of pressure with your forearm. Then also stop the stroke deliberately in a similar manner as the start of the stroke.
Consciously think about the three parts of this bow stroke as you play and be deliberate both in the start and end of the note.
I am not quite certain I understand what you are referring to when you describe staccato as smooth. Are you talking about how to play evenly? Or are you talking about the tone from start to end of the stroke?
Keep in mind the three parts of staccato and practice it that way. You should see some improvement.
I hope this helps.
- Pete -
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@Pete_Violin Thank you for the input. I'll try to practice it more as a three part operation to see if it will improve. By smooth I guess I'm referring the evenness of the tone and the transition between the notes. I'm sorry I didn't explain well enough what I meant.
'Armed with theory, practice becomes meaningful. Through practice, theory becomes fulfilled.' - Egon von Neindorff.
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Oh I see. No problem.
I also forgot to mention that when you play, move your arm at the elbow and avoid much movement at the shoulder. This will also help your tone.
- Pete -
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The crescendo, diminuendo technique is good in combination with the karate chop movement. 
Short strokes are better.
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