All together now

Continuity and intention in the bowing arm

TECHNIQUE

CLIFTON HARRISON

Kreutzer Quartet violist, viola d’amore player and researcher, Benedetti Foundation tutor and ESTA board member

JOANNA WILKINSON

BORN Raleigh, NC, US

STUDIED WITH Karen Tuttle, Heidi Castleman, Misha Amory, David Holland

TEACHES all ages

My approach to playing and teaching has been very much influenced by Karen Tuttle, a viola professor famous for having developed ‘coordination technique’, which has been adopted by many viola players worldwide. Indeed, this type of training and understanding of the mind and body has elicited almost a cult following, especially in the viola world.

Central to its ethos is the belief that everything about the way you play should be deliberate and coordinated – and that your breath, body and mind should come together with intention. As a player who has suffered a leg injury that is long-term and permanent, I have valued this approach immensely and I have used it to listen to my body better, readjusting the way I play post-injury to find what is optimum for me so that my injury doesn’t impact on the rest of my playing body.

Understanding how the right-hand arm influences the sound is vital; not just in the draw of the sound but in the reflex and the reaction. Remember, within your hand and arm there is a large clutch of components, with the muscles, joints, ligaments and tendons working together. When these coordinate, you allow yourself the possibility of creating in reality the sound you envisage in your head. Set-up requires a lot of care with focus along the entire bow stroke; after all, the instrument is bigger than the violin, while the bow is heavier and shorter, with the player having to navigate thicker strings.

Often students think that once they get a good motion going with their bowing arm, this is the be-all and end-all. In fact, the draw is just one component. It is equally important to be conscious of both the beginning and the end of the draw, and to know where the note that you are playing has been and where it is going, and to sense its intention.

There may also be a tendency for the right hand to be rather static and, just as it is impossible to speak with diction if your mouth does not move, so it is impossible to have any feeling of enunciation with your right hand if it lacks fluidity. In addition, the importance of gravitational weight given by the world for free may be overlooked because the body of the student is out of balance.

GET THE FEELING

Imagine that you have huge rubber bands hung from the ceiling and attached to each wrist. Bounce your hands down, then let the ‘bands’ take your hands up again. Then repeat but with your hands pointing forwards, as if to bow your instrument, then bouncing back so the wrists are forwards.

Translate this idea to your whole body. Flick down from the waist while letting your knees bend, imagining you are held by the ‘band’, then come up with a reflexive bounce.

EXERCISES

Without your instrument, play a series of open strings on your imaginary viola, consciously taking your mind to your feet, your ankles, your knees, your hips and your torso to check that you feel soft and relaxed in each area.

Now, with your instrument this time, play a series of open strings using full bows with flat hair.

Stop between each one to think about the following aspects of what is happening with your body as you play:

• Are you conscious of every movement that you are making as you play, and are you mindful of your whole body including your breathing?

• Imagine that the note you are about to play is already sounding around you and that you are merely joining in with it. As you add your sound to this imaginary note, observe in a detached way how your actions are contributing to its sound.

• Play a down bow while saying out loud to yourself in words what you feel as you play, and examining for yourself what feels right in terms of contact point and bow positioning. As you do this, think of the comfort of what you are doing and whether your right-hand elbow could be better positioned. (Is it high or low enough for your body shape? Ideally your forearm should be parallel to the floor if starting on the C or G string.)

• Draw another down bow along the string from the heel as slowly as is possible for you to play with a clear tone. Be mindful as you start the note. Use ‘bite’ articulation and observe the arc in the arm necessary to draw out a note that allows the bow to remain straight to the bridge. Be aware of the compromises that you have to make in your body to keep the bow on the string and consistently straight while being fluid and connected; you'll notice that it makes sense to lead with your elbow as you draw a down bow, then to complete the bow stroke by letting your forearm follow through to the wrist and fingers.

• Then take your attention to the up bow. Notice that the opposite compromises are made, this time with an initial lead from the forearm and follow-through with the wrist and fingers.

• Take your attention to your fingers on the bow. Imagine that they are joining in with the movement of the bow and facilitating its balance rather than gripping in any way.

After this, play a one-octave scale – say C or D major – in first position:

• Use a metronome at a suitable speed to allow yourself to think as you play: q= 40 to start with, and no more than q= 60

• Place your bow at the very heel, checking your forearm position. Play through each stroke of the scale thinking about the flow of your movement in the right arm.

• As you play, take your attention through your feet, your knees, your hips and your torso as you did with your imaginary viola, checking there is a feeling of follow-through in each place

• Feel your right hand connecting and drawing the string, and allow yourself to be conscious of the ‘chatter’ of your fingers as they respond moment by moment to the draw of the string. This could be theoretical (much as a singer would conjure up a particular image in their minds as they approach a note) or physical, where you are able to see everything going on with the fingers on the bow.

REPERTOIRE

In the first viola entry of William Walton's Viola Concerto (example1), there must be fluidity and continuous movement in the bow changes or the melody will jolt. This translates into the rest of the piece, even the fast passages. Play the first notes individually as if you were playing a scale and lead with your elbow, feeling the angle changes as you move from one string to another. Allow the vibration of the string to vibrate through your fingers. Be aware of the ‘chatter’ of the various aspects of your body (fingers, wrist, forearm, elbow, shoulder, torso) right along the string. Feel your body release without fear.

EXAMPLE 1 First viola entry of William Walton's Viola Concerto

Jessie Montgomery's Rhapsody no.1 for solo viola (example2), starts piano espressivo with two themes happening concurrently on the G and C strings. This presents a challenge because, although the dynamic is piano, there is an implication that the sound is full; to achieve this it is important to be continuous and fluid with your bow. Start by practising the passage on open strings only, allowing your entire body to focus fully on what is happening in the right arm and hand. Keep your left arm down if you wish. Feel the change of planes in the elbow. Begin near the heel with a high elbow – higher than anyone would usually expect to play, with your forearm positioned higher even than parallel to the ground. Play with a feeling of exploration, stopping periodically to assess what has happened – both the positives and the negatives.

EXAMPLE 2 From Rhapsody no.1 for solo viola by Jessie Montgomery, transcribed from the violin version by the composer

IN YOUR PRACTICE

• Warm up using the Get the Feeling exercises on page 78

• When you practise make sure that you consider it as a whole-body activity

• Use your ears to listen but also remember to listen to what your body is telling you as you play

• Take time to explore and analyse the resulting outcomes

TIPS FOR TEACHERS

• Avoid being rigid about ‘the right way/the right trajectory’; it is essential to work with the individual student to find the optimum set-up for each. Students will require a tailored approach depending on their body shape and other physical considerations. However, it is important to realise that this is part of a journey of assessment and reassessment that goes on as the player evolves.

• ‘Me statements’ are good. For example, ‘This is how I worked out how to do it,' implying that it might be different for your student, and thereby encouraging them to explore for themselves.

• Younger students whose set-up is likely to be less advanced in the first place might find that the best set-up is not the one that initially feels the most comfortable; sometimes it takes time to appreciate even a positive change

• It is possible that your student may come with an issue such as a previous injury or may have other mobility considerations; it is important in this case to help them come to the realisation that there is not just one way of doing things and that creative solutions may be found with some ingenuity

• It is useful to work on slow passages when exploring issues of fluidity and continuity, so that the thought process behind the playing can be examined deliberately and thoroughly. These fundamentals can then be translated into faster passages as understanding increases.

• Try a number of approaches if your student finds it challenging to listen inwardly to what is going on in their body as they play. If necessary, break down the concepts to help.

INTERVIEW BY NAOMI YANDELL

FURTHER MATERIALS

This performance of the Courante from Bach’s Third Cello Suite in C major BWV1009 by Rachel Podger on Baroque violin illustrates how the right hand can introduce a huge range of nuance if it is in continuous communication with the joints and full body bit.ly/3w6evvi

Here, Tabea Zimmermann’s movements and reactions aptly characterise the diverse sound worlds of each composer (Schubert, Brahms, Kurtág, Falla and Tchaikovsky) and are integral to her performance with pianist Javier Perianes bit.ly/4aJ1N4E

NEXT MONTH

Cellist Inbal Megiddo on tension-free left-hand set-up