| Contents |
Part I. The right grip of the bow, what constitutes it, how to secure it, the thumb, its function and position, the middle finger, the ring finger, the little finger and the index finger, résumé, exercises for gripping the bow and loosening the finger joints -- Psycho-physiological conditions underlying the function of the bow arm, nerve impulses, impulse associations, muscular development in general and in particular, muscular relaxation, two maxims for study -- Physical idiosyncrasies and their influence on the work of the right arm, the importance of the right position (slant and angle to the body) of the violin, two reasons for bad bowing, the chin rest and pad, three fundamental rules for bowing and some sub-rules, the movements of the arm, the function and limitations of the hand, wrist and forearm -- The uselessness of half measures in correcting a faulty bow arm, the necessity of beginning at the beginning, the hand stroke, the bow movement brought under the control of the will, eliminating the participation of the forearm, the fourfold purpose and benefit of hand-stroke exercises, the lengthened hand stroke (forearm stroke), the half and whole bow stroke, the inaudible change of bow, will control over extent (length) of bow movement, bow division, a third kind of control, the light touch, what Tartini meant by the right start of a stroke -- Part II. Three principal families of bowings, smoothly detached strokes or detaché, forearm and hand strokes (extended hand stroke), perfection depends on three features, length of stroke determined by speed and dynamic quality, smooth change of bow, two reasons for a roughish finish, bow pressure, the action of the forefinger, the practical application of the detaché, in triplets, detaché and string crossing -- Legato playing (slurring), two principal rules, slurring over several strings, the mutual relation between hand and forearm in crossing strings, furthering a relatively low position of the elbow, two methods of string transition, combinations of slurs and detached strokes, unaccented and accented -- |
| Contents |
Martelé and staccato bowings, their importance, three attributes, a determining factor in their execution, martelé at different parts of the bow, the right start, the nature of the stroke, variations in tone and variations in pressure, method of practicing martelé, modifications, the dotted eighth and sixteenth rhythm, the Viotti stroke, other modifications -- The firm (tied) staccato, two kinds, method of study, the activity of the forefinger, the forearm, with a stiffened arm, the staccato with the down bow -- Springing bowings, general principles governing their execution, two groups, with aided elasticity of the bow stick, the slow (moderate) spiccato or thrown stroke, modifications, combinations of the slow spiccato and slurs, etc., the staccato volant, method of practice -- Springing bowings continued, automatic rebounding, the fast spiccato or sautillé (light skipping bow), experimental method of study, sautillé in connection with rapid fingering, across strings, the staccato à ricochet, springing bow arpeggio, method of study, over double strings, the tremolo -- Bowing styles not mentioned in the foregoing chapters, the accented detaché, skipping strings, martelé and skipping strings, the grand martelé, the sustained stroke with martelé start, the staccato porté, syncopated slurs, the parlando, a style of rarer occurrence -- The playing of chords, double strings, non-sustained chords, rules for sounding them, short chords over four strings, short chords with the upstroke, sustained chords, some modifications -- The problem of a beautiful tone, psychic aspect, the technical side, tone production, tone shading, accentuation, the vibrato -- Part III. Concluding remarks on the study of the bowing styles in the musical supplement and bowing practice in general. |
| General note | Supplemented by "Right arm gymnastics", a volume of selected and annotated bowing styles for daily study (published separately). |
| General note | Intended as a supplement to the author's book "The art of violin bowing." |
| LCCN | 20017093 |
