The Art of Clean Violin Playing

[@מימוןבןאברהם]

I recently noticed that precision is a huge deal on a violin. Even the simplest songs can sound so beautiful when played with clean precision.

[@MurphyMusicAcademy]

Absolutely. No matter what you're playing, easy or difficult, always strive for this

[@hamwhacker]

I am a firm believer that anyone can make one single note on the violin sound like the best in the world. But the real problem is how to make lots of notes sound good!

[@jackburgess8579]

@@hamwhacker >>"I am a firm believer that anyone can make one single note on the violin sound like the best in the world." That really isn't true. A great violinist can show their greatness by performing a single note with a beauty and profundity that mere mortals cannot get anywhere near..

[@hamwhacker]

@@jackburgess8579 Thanks - I perfectly understand and accept your point! Please however - I wasn’t saying all single notes could be compared between a beginner and world class soloist…of course they nearly always sound better and demonstrate perfection on the simplest of phrases... Just I was hoping that everyone could aspire to great things when we pick one note and play it as beautifully as we can. That’s all I was saying :-) Since playing the violin well is about controlling about what you are doing on every note as we through the music, with technical accuracy and expression which can and should be destiny of any individual. Cheers

[@mellissadalby1402]

Chloe Chua is so young and so good. Very clean, very precise, plenty of expression. I hope she keeps it up.

[@Wade-h5m]

I laid my violin down for 25 years. Had I known how much I'd loose and trying to relearn holding the bow with arthritis and other problems..Don't do it..Go for it..keep trying it's a gift

[@illtemperedklavier-ir9fy]

Fascinating, I'm low-key obsessed with finding the difference between a great player playing a beginner piece, and an advanced student playing that easy piece.

[@jackwarwar723]

I’m currently working on Mozart 5 and just using the concept of having the fingers make a heavy drop onto the string immediately made my playing sound substantially cleaner. Incredible!

[@thecatofnineswords]

I have access to a gentleman who has a truly incredible level of bow control (Daniel Rohn), and I have learned so much just by watching him closely. These subtleties have such an incredible effect on the quality of tone. So good!

[@MurphyMusicAcademy]

I'd not heard of him but I'll definitely check him out!

[@thecatofnineswords]

@@MurphyMusicAcademy Watching him play this Moto Perpetuo (kzbin.info/www/bejne/np-kmqCvp8tritE) always has me in awe.

[@andrewzhang8512]

@@thecatofnineswords holy... that's clean

[@MurphyMusicAcademy]

Oh wow, that is some beautiful articulation! Interesting how his bow bounces in the upper half. I know some bows do that, but I've never played on one that does.

[@Faithhg310]

Currently struggling through the slurs in Air on the G string- glad I came across your video. Thanks for the lesson!

[@SixEightSixty]

I am a guitarist but watching violin videos is pretty interesting. A lot of stuff carries over.

[@JosephMayowa-i9c]

Really great! Thanks for this first class introduction. I wish, I'd had such advice some 50 years ago, when I attended my first violin lesson. Sadly enough I never found real access to this marvellous instrument. It's truely mostly about the correct teaching - and without blaming the former teachers, as said before, I wish, I had heared these really fantastic 15 minutes of violin lesson some 50 years before, I think that would have kept me continuing and coping quite differently with the violin, than I did in those days. As I never give up hope, I believe that I can repeat learning the instrument, although I understand, that it needs a lot of devotion of time, which makes the approach rather questionable again, as time is rather scarce these days, even if the love for the instrument might be there. Thanks anyways for your excellent intro on this wonderful instrument.

[@arfyf6314]

This is a really good explanation of the key components. Grateful. Thank you.

[@Isabellas.Geigenglück]

Thank you for this great lesson 🫶 I was already in bed and stood up to grab my violin 😆 especially the thumb exercises are very helpful to me, same as shifting. This is vital knowledge, thank you so much 👍👍👍

[@MurphyMusicAcademy]

Glad to hear!

[@kamikan22]

there's an easier way to understand and instantly use catch & release, just put some pressure on the string with the index as showed here, but before even moving the bow release it (take the pressure off the index) and only then move the bow, it will sound perfect at the beginning even if you wait some time because the string is "catched" by the bow already, if you start moving the bow while "releasing" you get more and more articulated (you hear a click at the start) and if you start the bow before releasing you get martele I teach cello and double bass, making people do this is instant amazing sound to any beginner.

[@mjozhou6920]

very inspiring! understanding more about how these noisy sounds produced helps me to avoid making mistakes during practicing.

[@MurphyMusicAcademy]

Glad to hear!

[@RubsViolin]

I feel like I am doing a pretty good job at being a test subject haha. Very good video btw

[@Jen-KJV1611]

Fantastic teaching and advice!

[@ShahFareed-y3k]

Refreshing and enjoyable - this would appeal to accomplished players and beginners alike. It's not that all the content is new, but the way it has been put together. Chua,s clip was an eye-opener , beautiful and so were the others - no place for Kavakos? Articulation takes performance to another level, but to achieve this, setup has to be near perfect. Along with articulation , if there is poetry , drama , beautiful tone , you get Accardo playing Perpetuela and so on. By playing creatively most things fall into place and the possibilities are endless. Even mundane exercises have a better outcome if done imaginatively. A friend who started violin a couple of years ago , said he was helped by your video on left hand technique. He's not very good at English, so he asked me to thank you on his behalf. Thanks.

[@MurphyMusicAcademy]

Well tell your friend he is very welcome and I'm glad he's enjoyed my videos. I love Kavakos and would definitely include him at that top level, but I can only make the video so long before people lose interest, so I stuck with the 3 violinists I had in the video. Thanks for your thoughtful words!

[@bahman1186]

Excellent

[@adlezink]

Interesting "translation" of Kalinovsky on Tonebase there in the Finger articulation part! I did feel intrigued when you on one hand said that he is a great teacher and on the other hand said that you didn't want to teach your student some aspect of his teaching. To tell the truth, I tried Kalinovsky's way but have difficulty in getting the finger articulation going on. But this is an interesting "translation" from your side. You tell the key things that haven't been said out clearly and I get immediate realization when trying. It's kind of like "Aha! That's how he did it!". You are really generous to give us lesson on youtube!

[@MurphyMusicAcademy]

I studied with Kalinovsky for a summer over a decade ago, and it was one of the best experiences I ever had. He not only taught me technique, but how to THINK about technique. Of course, it's normal for two different violinists to come to slightly different conclusions about technique, so where I divert from Kalinovsky I respectfully do so.

[@adlezink]

@@MurphyMusicAcademy Yes, I see your diversion there, hence I said "translation" - from his view to your view. I must admit that I was very confused when started to dig into various violin's "school of thought" or way of thinking. There are so many different ways, even clearly opposing each other, and there's not many who said "why". Utilizing your body, your muscle and your mind is also something that cannot be transfered completly by words, I guess. Two people doing the same thing on the surface might be utilizing different muscles and comprehend/sense the matter very differently.

[@coversong2180]

Thank you very much!

[@royalexxanderquinnniall4227]

Wow. Thank you! You helped me a lot...

[@estrellas24]

Awesome!! What a great video!! and a reminder to do my Sevcik exercises even though I can't stand them 😂

[@MurphyMusicAcademy]

They are a slog but trust me, even if you do a little every day, it will make a big difference

[@amezcuaist]

I have a cochlear implant and sadly ,at the moment, I cannot hear my violin because the rustle of the bow turns the microphone right down low. A similar effect happens if I saw through some wood. Also a crowd noise (contrinuous )reduces the hearing level .In the kitchen a blender will turn off my hearing until it stops (----count to ten) then I can hear again. But I can hear a guitar perfectly . But the violin only allows a few secongs before it switches me off . How would you like that ? Later my next adjustment may allow this annoying effect to stop .

[@Elena-bw5vv]

Thank you, very good content. I like your videos.

[@alex.y.z]

Hi. Would you mind telling me what's the chin rest you're using ? I've been trying to find one like that - for viola - for a long time without success.

[@MurphyMusicAcademy]

@@alex.y.z I get this question a lot. It’s a Berber model chinrest

[@alex.y.z]

Thank you so much for your reply. Subscribed

[@johncraven4539]

Very useful advice here! Remark: collé = stuck (by any means); coller = to stick, colle (without accent) = glue.

[@JuJu-iq4ze]

I would even say collé=glued might be more accurate?

[@MurphyMusicAcademy]

Interesting! I don't speak French, so I've always just known it as "Glue" The idea is he same either way, of course

[@JuJu-iq4ze]

@@MurphyMusicAcademy for sure!

[@iggyzorro2406]

hey - just as prior to entering the pool, I always shower before playing the violin.

[@MurphyMusicAcademy]

Interesting. . .Does it help??

[@iggyzorro2406]

@@MurphyMusicAcademy sometimes I think my violin playing is beyond help. but I do learn from you -so thank you.

[@silvanotoffolon854]

You are phenomenal

[@altolows7635]

Would this work exactly the same on the viola? Which violists should I listen to for the cleanest articulation?

[@louiscornell8637]

So many great violists on KZbin, but for articulation you could do worse than Paul Neubauer and Richard O'Neill playing Frank Bridge's great Lament for two violas.

[@MurphyMusicAcademy]

I'm sure there are aspects of this that are applicable to viola, though I'd imagine you'd have to do even more as the viola responds more slowly. But I'm not a violist so don't quote me. At the very least you can try it out and see if it helps you

[@louiscornell8637]

@@MurphyMusicAcademy Yes, you do have to allow for the viola's slower response time, and there are differences among the response times of the individual strings that you have to take into account. That said, your comments provide some excellent advice for violists. Thanks, as always!

[@JessicaDugard-sg4ox]

what are the books in the background?

[@MurphyMusicAcademy]

Ivan Galamian: Principles of Violin Playing and Teaching Leopold Auer: Violin Playing as I Teach it Leopold Mozart: A Treatise on the Fundamental Principles of Violin Playing As well as 2 CD box sets: the complete RCA victor recordings of Jascha Heifetz and the complete recordings of the Alban Berg String Quartet And I have a clock with the circle of fifths

[@JessicaDugard-sg4ox]

@@MurphyMusicAcademy brilliant collection

[@simon0yeung]

Hmm... I thought articulation != total cleanliness ? I would personally prefer a bit "messy" but spirited and emotional play versus clean but sterile play

[@MurphyMusicAcademy]

I prefer that as well, actually, but what makes someone like Hadelich so special is he can do both!

[@jerrydavis1475]

I think you learned the slapping technique from Kalinovsky !

[@MurphyMusicAcademy]

@@jerrydavis1475 yes! I studied with him for a summer more than a decade ago and learned many things from him

[@arfyf6314]

Daniel Kurganov has a similar vid and says the fingers should be like dampers on the piano. Have always thought that was a very clear image.

[@jackburgess8579]

The Soviet violinist Zoria Shikhmurzaeva (b. 1933), who is almost unknown in the West, is another one for your "Greatest violinists you have never heard of" series. This performance of a relatively simple miniature by Bizet that has been arranged for violin and piano is one of the most beautiful cameos that I have ever heard. kzbin.info/www/bejne/hZ2TgHWvoLOnetUsi=o6L9e6yl8l0Kh6zl

[@devyysk]

tobiah my goat

[@andrewzhang8512]

LOL

[@MurphyMusicAcademy]

Haha

[@KimberlyOurlian]

also like when playing arpeggio runs like in the lalo symphony espagnole to practice in short staccato sequences and various rhythms to get that crisp brilliant sound. also swing your arm slightly to the right so your hitting the strings with the side tip of your fingers instead of square on with the fingers

[@oxoelfoxo]

!

[@davidjacobson9907]

wow. that is really off.

[@WillTreaty50]

STOP HITTING YOUR VIOLIN !!!!!!!!! 🤬😭😭🤬🤬😡😭