Just as you can get a headache or run a fever when you catch a cold, your instrument or bow can show symptoms of maladjustment or malfunction. Playing such instruments not only impedes the playerfs ability and progress but can have a serious adverse effect on the player himself. Especially when playing Western music where chords play an important part, such instruments will not harmonize well with other instruments and will give a bad overall impression of the performance to the audience. Here are some examples of the symptoms your instrument or bow can show:
Violin, viola or violoncello.
1. The instrument, especially the lower part, feels heavy.
2. The neck feels awkward to the hand. When shaken, is dry and rattly.
3. The instrument doesnft fit the player; the player finds it difficult to keep the correct posture.
4. During the performance the neck tends to hang down,
and too much pressure is applied by the right hand.
5. The strings feel hard and painful to the fingers.
6. The fifth tends to fall flat when tuning.
7. The resonance and the pitch lack focus.
8. The notes of the higher positions, especially on the D-string, are muffled.
9. The notes are indistinct and get blurred when playing quick passages.
10. The chords do not quite harmonize, especially those of the higher positions on the A- and [-strings. Consequent-ly Bachfs Chacorine and such works are not performed well.
11. The instrument responds badly and it is difficult to play arpeggios.
12. The sound is rough and rusty, and lacks intensity and focus.
13. The sound is too varied, not centred enough,echoes too much, and does not penetrate sufficiently.
14. The sound does not \-ibrate over the whole instrument.
15. The sound does not ring well. When the sound is produced forte, it tends to diffuse, or crack under the strain.
16. There is no brightness of clarity in the timbre. The tone is clouded and blurred.
17. The sound becomes hoarse when a pianissimo note or a flaqeolet-tone is played.
18. There is no transparency or clarity in the sound, the tone lacks sweetness, and is unattractive.
19. There is little overtone, and the tone lacks depth and range
20. The balance between the four strings is had, resulting in unevenness of sound and a bad case of the wolf.
21. The sound is hard and lacks mellowness. Long hours of practice result in stiff shoulders and fatigue.
An instrument which has any of the above-mentioned characteristics can be adjusted, and made to function remarkably better if equipped with a bridge of good quality(one which has been left to dry for more than 70 years) and a sound post made of good European spruce (left to dry for more than 300 years). For example, a violin originally worth $1,000 can be made into an instrument worth $3,000! The roles the bridge and the sound post play in instruments of the violin family exceed imagination. The bridge acts as an entrance for the sound, while the sound post acts as a kind of central nervous system, controlling the sound of the whole instrument.
Before you think of buying another instrument, come and
have your old one examined!
Bow.
1. The bow hangs heavy.
2. The tip of the bow does not respond to the hand, and feels longer.
3. The bow does not balance well, and does not feel quite right when held, but feels stiff, like a stick.
4. The frog wobbles, and is awkward to hold and play with.
5. The tip is too light and does not rest firmly on the strings.
6. Too much pressure tends to be applied to the bow.
7. The bow does not rest steadily on the strings, and does not respond readily.
8. The bow lacks elasticity, and does not bounce when playing spiccato or arpeggio.
9. When playing fast tunes, the bow becomes wobbly and unsteady.
10. The sounds are uneven when playing long staccato or long tone.
11. The sound is raw, and lacks intensity.
12. The sound is clouded and muffled. There, is no brightness or clarity in the sound.
13. There is no transparency or brilliance in the tone.
14. The sound becomes hoarse when a pianissimo note or a flageolet-tone is played.
15. The bow is wobbly and lacks tension.
16. The hair snaps and stretches easily.
A bow like this can be improved marvellously if it is re-strung in a certain way, with good-quality horse-hair. A heavy bow will become light, will rest on the strings more easily, and will bounce better at
Since Erancois Tourte, it has been thought that the quality of a bow depended solely and definitely on the quality of the stick, and that the hair was merely a subsidiary part ,not affecting the basic function of the bow itself. My recent researches prove, however, that it is possible to make a bow function several times better by re-stringing it.
If you are in any way dissatisfied with your bow, do try
bringing it here!
Chang Heryern Jin JIN VIOLIN WORKSHOP
Winner, 5 gold medals, American 2-37 MIDORIGAOKA CHOFU-SHI
International Violin, Viola & Cello TOKYO JAPAN
Makersf Competition, 1976 TEL Workshop Tokyo 3308-5550
Home 3307-5541