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I
am frequently contacted by string players needing help with tonal issues
in their search for an instrument. Many string players have trouble
sorting out what tonal criteria are important in the process of selecting
an instrument. Problems arise most often
when string players attempt to objectify issues of tone. A player’s
interface with an instrument is largely a subjective matter, and as such
it is best dealt with using subjective criteria.
One client wrote:
“I like a wide, sweet sound which also cuts through. It seems that fast notes sound clearer on some violins,
while they sound fuzzy on others. If that is dependent on the violin, then I
obviously would prefer a violin that easily sounds clear. My testing procedure
so far has involved this:
Playing a high F sharp and surrounding notes at different dynamics. All
notes should sound powerful and even.
Playing fast scales in first position, checking for “fuzziness”
in between the notes.
First few notes of the second movement of Brahms' third sonata. It
should feel and sound very wide, fat, settled, comfortable.
Loud heavy notes at the frog and across the range of the G string. The
violin should sound loud and even a bit edgy, not 'crushed'.”
This client has missed the boat. Violins, like people, each have unique
attributes and drawbacks that must be factored into the development of a
relationship with the instrument.
As an analogy consider that some people
go about the process of identifying a romantic match by subjecting every
potential mate to a rigid and extensive set of criteria. Any potential
mate is cast aside who does not conform. Usually this strict culling
process results in a sample of zero.
When considering people who sift the sample of potential mates in this way, but
complain about a lack of success with the search, one wonders if they really
want to find a realistic match, or are actually just not quite ready to
settle down. If they do happen to find someone that strictly meets all of
the criteria, there may be no chemistry between them after all, and in
any case they will have missed the chance to learn about themselves from having
had to adapt to another.
Similarly, musicians operating this way in the selection of a
string instrument, could easily be missing the opportunity to learn about
their own playing, through learning how to extract the best out of any
instrument, and to adapt to many different instruments. A more subjective and adaptive
approach to a search will often actually cause players to modify their
criteria and substantially improve their playing.
Specifically, I recommend that players abandon any so-called
“objective” testing procedure altogether, in favor of the method
detailed below, which I developed for myself, based on my years of
experience playing on many different
instruments:
-
With each new instrument just
practice as you normally would,
exploring
what changes you must make in your playing to find your voice on the
instrument. In effect see how quickly you can FORGET what you are playing
on and feel comfortable in the playing itself.
-
Don't look to isolate problems with the instrument; rather, try to find what works well for
you with the instrument
and what gives you trouble. After a while you will
have a sense of the balance between attributes and drawbacks with the
instrument as you relate to it. Over time you should be able to
intuitively adapt to the instrument. If, after a couple of hours of scales
and normal practice you are frustrated, the violin may be in poor
adjustment (a frequent problem), or the violin may simply not be for you.
-
If you try violins in this manner from a major shop where most things are
set up well, and the available inventory is excellent and plentiful, and
you come up with no instruments that you can feel comfortable playing on,
you should work on your ability to
adapt
to different instruments before
setting out to find a violin to purchase.
- Once an instrument has passed the personal test and you have become
nominally comfortable with your own voice on it, the most important part
of the process can start.
Play in ensemble
with people to see how it feels
to actually make music with others while playing on the instrument.
- Play
in the settings for which you will actually use the instrument. If you are
not a touring soloist, you don't need to have a violin that will project
well for the Brahms Concerto. If you mostly play in orchestra, definitely
try the violin in orchestra to be sure that you are comfortable and can
hear yourself and your colleagues when playing in this setting. For me the
sonata and chamber music test is the most important one as I normally play
in these settings. I want to feel good touching my colleagues' sounds with
my sound, on whatever instrument I am playing.
- Avoid taking too much advice from others about how you sound on an
instrument. Do not be too comfortable with anyone deciding for you what
your voice should sound like. The main things you need to know about the
tone of an instrument are:
- Do you feel comfortable in your voice and
able to sing on the instrument?
-
Can you be heard by others to the
extent you need to be in the contexts in which you will use the
instrument?
All other issues or concerns are
irrelevant to the process of establishing your tonal connection with an
instrument and dialogue around such issues is to be avoided. ###
Stefan
Hersh
Stefan Hersh is
a violinist, owner of Hersh Consulting, and serves on the faculties of De Paul University and the Chicago
College of the Performing Arts
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