Violin Forum/Message Board

John Cadd

In Francescatti`s Rond des Lutins he needs to play some very high notes and his left thumb leaves the neck and comes round to the belly edge. I was surprised to see that . Do teachers use that method for younger players. Under Zino`s coat there must be some padding or cushion to support the violin. In the Beethoven concerto he stops to dry his chin and then reaches his hand to squash the shoulder of his jacket before replacing the violin . The shoulder pad seems to be in contact with the violin back as he plays .

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John Cadd · Posted: Mon Nov 27, 2023 10:10 am Post subject: Francescatti left hand

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The way Francescatti has to jump his thumb onto the top plate surprised me . I would never expect such a stellar player needing to do that . But thumb length is not always granted to great players by nature . One reason it`s hard to stretch with the thumb is the strength of the muscles at the base of the thumb .Any tightness can reduce the angle of the thumb to the palm . That is one good reason not to use those hand grip springs . The thumb and fingers need to be used independently when playing a violin . That is not a totally natural thing and it`s best to think about it and practice using the fingers while keeping the thumb muscles loose or relaxed .
Reaching around the neck bump in high positions made me invent a small wooden addition to glue on the side of the fingerboard . I only made one but it did not interfere with normal playing but the thumb could slide in a made up groove and have the neck supported by the addition . Francescatti seems to hold his thumb against the side of the fingerboard and uses chin pressure to keep the violin still . Just a short moment that can get the notes played .
I had an accident with an electric drill that twisted violently and wrenched the thumb muscles . It expanded the angle between thumb and palm Now the left hand angle is 90 degrees while my right hand angle is still 45 degrees . Suddenly , after a few weeks soreness , I could reach octaves on a piano very easily .