Today I am going to experiment with readjusting my right hand when playing pizzicato, and how that affects my mobility.

I made multiple discoveries while experimenting. Firstly, I pressed my right thumb against the bottom of the finger board to “pivot” my pizzicato. I found I had a more consistent sound, but my wrist would tense and restrict my ability to play. I then moved my thumb to the side of the fingerboard. I was able to pluck the strings faster, but I also had larger motions, which meant I could not play as fast. I took my hand entirely off the fingerboard, which created a very inconsistent pizzicato - some notes were loud, and some did not make a sound. However, my hand did not feel as tense. By exploring all these different ways to pizz, I think this will help my speed and tone when playing pizzicato.

 

Today I am going to experiment with my arm weight and how it impacts my tone.

I found that my arm weight greatly changed my sound quality. When I raised my elbow, and did not let it rest or fall down, my arm was very tight and constrained because it was not being supported. Furthermore, my bow had very weak contact with the strings, as there was very little bow weight. This meant that I had a very light tone. As I let my elbow fall (and rest) I had greater contact with the strings, because a larger portion of my arm weight was resting on the strings. This meant that I could get a deeper and louder tone.

 

Today I am going to experiment with my bow when I play the opening chord to my Hoffmeister Viola concerto.

First, I experimented with how close my bow was to the bridge. When I played the chord further from the bridge, I found that the sound was a lot lighter. The closer I brought my bow to the bridge, the greater the volume of sound. As well, I found that the notes of the chord resonated more. This especially helped the two lower strings resonate underneath the rest of the chord, so that it sounded fuller. I then experimented with my bow weight. The weight also impacted the volume of the chord. More weight meant there was a larger sound, especially at the beginning of the note (when the bow started moving). By pressing weight into the string before starting, I created a loud and deep sound at the beginning of my chord. This is also known as “catch and release.” In my experimentation, I made many discoveries that will help to start the concerto on a strong note.