Principles of Left Hand and Finger Action (1970s)

[Music] thank you [Music] this film shows the preparation of the left hand and fingers and their placement on the fingerboard there is order and form in the hand of the Artist as he plays he shapes his left hand to the fingerboard and brings his fingers into convenient playing range his left hand is well balanced in relation to the fingerboard the left hand is neither too low nor too high the left hand is located so the fingers have good leverage and freedom of movement the elevation of the hand is correct foreign [Music] the thumb of the artist is applied in various ways but it is always flexible and sensitive [Music] the angle of the fingers on the string is such that the strings can be pressed down against the fingerboard with maximum efficiency [Music] when the left hand is well balanced all four fingers can reach their respective notes without undue effort do [Music] the hand is not in Balance when the fourth finger is held too far from the strings holding the wrist back favors the first and second fingers but puts the fourth at a disadvantage there is much strain in the fourth finger as it tries to reach its tone now the wrist is brought forward and the hand is better balanced the same action is viewed from the thumb side the first finger works well but there is strain in the fourth finger now the hand is better balanced and each finger is within good playing range the forward position of the wrist helps the fourth finger to function well but it may impair the action of the first finger because of strain in the base joint the action is now viewed from the thumb side the fourth finger is favored but the first fingers placement is too steep when a compromise is made between the first and fourth fingers the hand is better balanced and the first finger can play with less effort holding the violin neck in the Palm may be comfortable but it is Impractical the fingers fall too flat on the string and the base joints are over bent impairing the finger action the player May temporarily favor the lower or upper fingers by Shifting the balance of his left hand [Music] this is particularly true for players with small hands lack of adjustment causes tension and stiffness here the hand is balanced in favor of the lower fingers then shifted upward to favor the fourth finger now the player favors the fourth finger then the balance of the hand is shifted back to the first finger much of the time especially in fast playing a medium position permits instantaneous use of all four fingers the left hand is then balanced and all four fingers compromise slightly giving up their maximum comfort for the good of all fingers in demonstrating the various possibilities in using the left hand we see that individuals adapt their hands to the fingerboard in various ways here is Mr Robert gurla concert violinist and recording artist if gurla plays with a somewhat low elevation of the hand the base of his first finger Falls below the fingerboard this lower placement is generally suitable for individuals with broad hands [Music] baby this is Leonard Sorkin first violence for the Fine Arts quartet [Music] Mr sorkin's left hand is in a relatively High position most of the time the fingers are well curved their tips strike the strings each artist has found the best placement for his hand [Music] the higher placement is generally preferable for players with long fingers and thumbs foreign placement is more suitable for individuals with broad hands [Music] many artists use both positions as they play the position is often determined by requirements of the music [Music] here we see that an artist's player may change the elevation of the left hand while playing this elevation is unduly high here is another over elevated hand these exaggerated positions restrict the finger's reach and cause the fingers to strike the strings with their extreme tips this is better the hand now has an increased span the thumb Finds Its best position the elevation of the hand is now too low the fingers have poor leverage they fall on the string with the soft flesh behind the fingertip the player is unable to articulate his tones clearly the thumb is stiff now the position of the hand is corrected the elevation of the hand is higher also the fingers have better Leverage the role of the left thumb is to counteract the pressure of the fingers on the string whether the thumb is placed high or low or forward or back on the neck is a matter of individual choice when the thumb is forward on the neck it is usually opposite to the second finger when it is low on the neck it is usually opposite or slightly behind the first finger Mr Sorkin often plays with the thumb in a high and forward position [Music] foreign [Music] [Applause] Mr gerla prefers a lower position of the thumb placing it Opposite or even slightly behind the first finger this position is usually preferred by individuals with broad hand and fingers [Music] mm-hmm [Music] changing of the thumb placement while playing is demonstrated by Mr Sorkin many artist players constantly change the placement of the left thumb as they play depending upon the needs of the moment [Music] [Applause] [Music] excessive thumb pressure and rigidity of the thumb are major faults extremes of low or high placement should be avoided the thumb should be flexible and sensitive in providing just enough support to the fingers squeezing the neck between the thumb and the first finger is common among students this major fault impairs vibrato and causes jerky shifting here is the same fault viewed from the scroll after releasing excessive tension the vibrato improves and shifting becomes smoother the fingers of the left hand may be placed at various angles here the fingers contact the strings at a good angle and the string is efficiently pressed against the fingerboard now the fingers fall at the wrong angle and they interfere with the string on the right side this is the opposite fault the finger angle is too acute the finger is slatted so much that the fingertip partly misses the string and wastes its pressure against the fingerboard this is correct the string is squarely pressed against the fingerboard the finger angle is controlled mainly by the placement of the elbow under the violin this elbow position is wrong the elbow is too far out now the elbow is forced too far under the violin causing needless effort two slanted finger angles and resulting in a tiny tone and slipping fingers on the E string when the elbow is adjusted the angle of the fingers is corrected the performance of these artists exemplifies the principles demonstrated their left hands are balanced so their fingers May reach the notes easily their fingers have sufficient leverage for Action because the elevation of their hands is neither too low nor too high foreign [Music] the artist avoids excessive gripping and his thumb is flexible and sensitive the thumb's best position on the neck is where it can support the finger pressure most conveniently the thumb is neither too high nor too low and avoids clutching the neck [Music] foreign [Music] a good angle of the fingers leads to good articulation and efficient finger action good [Music] [Applause] [Music] thank you