DEVELOPING SOUND PRODUCTION ON THE VIOLIN

1. Martelé/martellato
2. Parlando/portato: play G or A major scale 2 octaves, starting with groups of 4 (then 6, 8, 12
etc). Push the sound to its threshold. Always check “sound point” on string.
3. “Son filé”: play A/G major, letting each note sound for an increased number of seconds,
without relinquishing the level of sound.
4. Parlando combined with string crossings/broken chords: play a chord (triple stop) succession
in A/G major, sustaining the middle note and alternately making the bottom and top note
pulsate (also vice versa).

Tips

 Always strive to activate the upper harmonics of the note being played (where possible)
 Employ gravity, not pressure
 Experiment with increased pressure of the r.thumb (instead of increased pressure of the
2nd/3rd/4th r.fingers)
 Achieve the maximum result in tone with the minimum of physical output (e.g. when playing
chords)

Havas (A New Approach to String Playing)(1971), hfst 7 (The teaching of tone production):

Teaching the violin, like going into the ministry, or nursing, is not merely a job, or profession,
but a vocation. For, while a clergyman is responsible for the well-being of the soul, a nurse for
the well-being of the body, a violin teacher should really be responsible for the free
expression of both.

Vlg Havas is ‘n NB rede waarom ‘n kind kies om viool te speel (behalwe die “psychological urge
toward self-expression”), is “a longing for the preconceived tonal quality which is so characteristic of
the violin.” Parallel met “urge” om te sing, “which is one the most primitive, most spontaneous,
implulses of all human beings.” Omdat baie mense nie ‘n stem het wat voldoen aan self-ekpressie nie,
“this psychological urge is transferred to the violin and its limitless possibilities.” LW “And woe to
those whose natural impulses are suppressed through careless or bad teaching […] The tragedy is
when he continues to play [ipv eerder lakonies ophou]; because few things can have worse effects on
one’s life than frustrated self-expression.”