At my lesson yesterday my teacher was showing me a finger placement "technique" that I found pretty much impossible to do and was wondering if this is a "standard" way of fiddling and placing the fingers. Keeping the 1 (index) finger on the C of the A string while bowing the low E note on the E string. She showed me this because the tune jumps back and forth between that low E and the C, (with also a B on the A string included at times). When I asked why to keep the finger on the low E of the E string it was to keep that note (so I'm not playing a different note if my finger is a bit off the next time its played.... so like to keep consistency of that low E note). The big problem I found was my 3 finger being held on the C of the A string ....when I went to play the low E, the sound would be muffled.... My 3 finger was slightly touching the E string. I'm thinking this IS pretty standard fingering but I found it pretty near impossible to not touch the E string while my finger was held on the C (of the A string). Hopefully this all doesn't sound too convoluted. So I guess my question is are there any tips (and I will also ask my teacher) how to keep the one finger held on one note from muffling the sound (keeping it from touching) the neighbor string when you go to play that note? Again, hopefully this is understandable, the way I'm explaining it. Thanks very much.
John
No, I don't understand this at all. The only E on the E string (in first position) is the open string, and its not "low." C on the A string would normally be played with the second finger, not the first or third - you mentioned both.
E on the D string and C on the A string is a common double stop on the fiddle, and usually would be played with first finger for the E and second for the C. Is that what you mean?
In any case, stopping a string without hitting an adjacent string just takes practice. Keeping your fingers vertical helps, but some vey good players manage it with a "pancake" approach.
Thanks for the reply. When I said "low E" I should have probably said low F (maybe).... but placing my index finger more up towards the nut on E string. My error.
And yes, C (on A string) with the 2 finger.
Guess I did screw up the explanation of all that. Sorry.
I see in a video of teacher playing she keeps her finger down on certain notes, as she comes back to play them again in short time. I guess that was the original intent of my post (and how to keep that held finger from hitting neighboring strings when they are played. She did mention this would be helpful when it came time to learn double stringing. She did make note of my "pancaking" approach, something I'm trying to wean myself off from doing. But, I guess it all does take time.
Thanks again for your thoughts, DougD
Your explanation seems confused .... However, if I am understanding it at all, the issue is holding down, or "stopping", one or two strings with one finger, or two fingers(?), while bowing back and forth between strings, and maybe moving another finger. This is quite common, almost obligatory, technique. You just have to work away at it, experimenting with finger placement till it works. And sometimes it is easier NOT to try to keep a finger in place; you've got to find what works for you. And, as always, take it slow.
You can reduce the "footprint" of your fingers by stopping the string with less pressure. That's the point of the comment about mashed fingers. I often play with mashed fingertips. Not always a success story. A useful experiment is to see how little pressure gives you the tone and pitch you're after. It's just an exercise but it's educational and on point, so to speak.
It sounds from your corrected post that you are trying to play C on the 3rd stop, 2nd finger low, on the A string and F on the 1st stop, 1st finger low, on the E string. I haven't tried that. (FYI, that interval is a 4th but it may be better to think of it as an inverted 5th; the chord is probably an F; then the F note is the 1st, and the C is the 5th).
I was playing something with a (non-inverted) 5th interval, E on the 2nd stop of the D string and B on the 2nd stop of the A string. My instructor said to use one finger and keep it down on both strings. I could just barely get my finger to cover both strings.
I tried someone else's fiddle a few times and notice that the neck is definitely a bit narrower on mine. On that fiddle it'd be easier for me to use one finger to cover the same stop on two strings but it would definitely be harder for me to do what you are trying to do, two different stops on adjacent strings.
I don't know anything about how geometry of violin necks vary. That got me thinking. If one has larger fingers, when shopping for a fiddle, would you want want select a fiddle with a wider neck? And the opposite could be true, smaller fingers, narrow neck?
That double stop is a common one. Learning to avoid accidentally touching adjacent strings is just part of the process and it’s very important to learn how to keep fingers down wherever possible to economize motion. There are etudes written just for the purpose of working on this skill, and although it’s tedious practicing that way, doing so pays off later.
You can practice finger independence even without the violin by simply placing your fingers on a flat surface and raising each one independently. It takes a while to build this up in the early stages of playing, as the ligaments that control the fingers are connected and naturally move together.
If you’re finding it hard not to touch the other strings, a few things may be at issue:
1) you may be pressing too hard with the finger tips. Use only enough pressure to stop the string and get a clean sound; if you mash the fingers on the strings, the pads spread out and contact adjacent strings.
2) you may be placing your fingers at bad angles. They should drop straight down onto the strings as much as possible. Don’t come in at an angle—it makes intonation irregular and can put the side of the finger in contact with other strings.
3) check your string spacing at the nut. If it’s too narrow it might give you trouble. 16-16.5 mm is standard.
Curl your fingers more.
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