My Lavender Violin

Published: Jul. 4, 2007 at 7:08 AM
Playing without the shoulder rest for about a week now, I played pretty intently for about three hours tonight, working towards more etudes, scales and arpeggios, as well as continuing my sketch of the rest of Suzuki III, and contemplating Emily and Pauline throwing Lavender bras. What a world we live in.

Though my hand is 'a little tender', it is far from and nothing like before. I feel I could continue indefinitely rather than that sense of 'throbbing' as before. That, is a difference.

This lightness of hold, I achieved on and off I guess, or the tenderness would not be there; but, much more than less, I was there with and often returned to that balanced rest with light chin; and, was able to focus on much less gripping. The lightness is successively freeing my vibrato, allowing me to focus much better on a straight wrist and improving my tonality noticeably when several things come together.

Though I continue to search for my ideal placement on the shoulder, I don't think I'll need a pad; but I will cover the chin rest for my neck's sake. And I also continue to get my feet on the ground in the changes in balancing for actually bowing--though this is coming online as well.

Bowing has been not terrible, but a challenge without the shoulder rest. Several squeaks, re-finding how to glide back into the double stop and stop pinging other strings, those types of things should clear up over the next few weeks I think/hope.

Though I had messed around with no shoulder rest a few times, I never really persisted. I wish I had. 'Small stocky men should use their compactness, in creating a very efficient light violin approach that capitalizes on their low center of gravity; and, a self-contained spatial peripheral system of machines in a physiological sense has advantages as well.'

For whatever reason, at the same time I'm playing around with bow speed and pressure positively it feels. Tonight for example I was into playing a few notes with speed, then finding the pressure to try and get the same effect. I think I'll expand on this a little over the next couple days. My instinct tells me this may be really useful.

Primarily with speed/pressure, I find that either I, or my violin is, causing me to use more speed to get her singing than pressure; which in turn means I'm also using alot more energy. I don't mind the work, but if I can start using pressure more effectively I may be able to get better at other bowing(s).

Soooo this shoulder-rest(less) thing feels great--really great. I can envision a day when I might ('way' down the road) try playing with a rest again, if I can migrate the lightness just to further efficiency. But the lightness 'must' come first.

I think the best way to describe the tonal changes, is there is some sort of more resonant projection happening beyond the thing being more in direct line with my ear. And after I get at some of the issues above (string crossings etc),
I expect this projection to improve consistency over the next month as well--or so I hope.

Finally, I'm becoming more convinced that where possible, one might benefit from at least learning without a shoulder rest first, particularly old krachity stiff folk as myself. I know the newness of finding a lot less tension is compelling of itself, but it's as much about the sound, thus the music. I'm painting my violin lavender. ;)