VIOLIN
1 8 E X P E R I ME N T S
for the
P R AC T I C E R O O M
DANIEL KURGANOV
ABOUT THE ARTIST
DANIEL KURGANOV
Violinist Daniel Kurganov has been described as a musician of “extraordinary fervor, commitment,
and technical prowess” (Classics Today). Recent concert seasons have included performances at
Merkin Hall (NYC) BargeMusic (NYC), The Roerich Museum (NYC), Museum of Fine Arts (Boston), and
the Harvard Musical Association. Daniel was also invited to Sion, Switzerland for the Violins of Hope
project and performed on an instrument rescued from the Auschwitz Concentration Camp.
As a passionate teacher, he founded the Boston Violin Intensive, a 10-day intense training for
violinists, and runs a YouTube channel with 45,000 subscribers, making in-depth violin masterclass
videos. His music and writing are featured regularly in The Strad magazine, and he was voted “Best of
The Strad 2021". Most recently, Daniel was invited to the Boston Conservatory to give a masterclass
and performance.
Together with pianist Constantine Finehouse, he made
world-premiere recordings of the music of Lera Auerbach
and Richard Beaudoin (Orchid Classics). In 2022, the duo will
release a recording of the complete Brahms Violin Sonatas
using historical instruments.
Daniel was born in Minsk, Belarus, grew up in Chicago, and
began playing the violin at the age of 16. Daniel completed
his studies at the Zurich University of the Arts (ZHdK) under
Rudolf Koelman, protégé of Jascha Heifetz, and is an
alumnus of the Keshet Eilon International Mastercourse.
VIOLIN
VIOLIN
A B O U T T H I S C O U R SE
For tonebase’s own Daniel Kurganov, inspiration and experimentation have been essential to his
improvement. As musicians, we have constant opportunities to learn from the players around us
and the recordings we have access to. By translating that energy into concrete technical and
musical ideas in the practice room, we can better diagnose and solve lingering problems and
discover new possibilities from our musical expression. These 18 experiments are starting points
– make experimentation a lifelong habit!
TA B L E O F C O N T E N T S
0. Introduction [4]
10. More vs. less bow [18]
1. Right-hand thumb [5]
11. Free bow changes [19]
2. Sensations of balance in the bow [6]
12. How do you play dots? [20]
3. Piano [8]
13. Speaking vs. singing [21]
4. Extending your rich and lush sound [9]
14. Higher positions vs. lower positions [23]
5. Left-hand thumb positions [12]
15. Body dynamics [24]
6 . F l e x i b i l i t y o f t h e r i g h t h a n d a n d fi n g e r s [ 1 3 ]
16. Practicing fast [25]
7. Right elbow height [15]
17. Bach by any other instrument [26]
8. Hair angle [16]
18. Putting it together: crafting versions [28]
9. Supination vs. pronation [17]
19. Closing thoughts [29]
I N T RO D U C T I O N
Kurganov started the violin at the relatively late age of 16, and had to rely on his creativity to
solve technical issues. To his colleagues and students who continue to have ceilings in their
practice, Kurganov believes a culture of experimentation is crucial. Experimenting allows you to clearly define and intrinsically feel the boundaries between
contrasting ideas. Every phrase should get the care and love required to make it sound
unique, and with careful experimentation, we can identify the technical processes to get us
there. Experimentation is fueled by a spark of inspiration. Kurganov challenges you to listen to your
intuition in deciding who or what that spark is for you. In this course, Kurganov shares some
recordings that gave him that spark and 18 ideas for experiments, ranging from fundamental
technique to higher-level musical concepts. By the end of this course, you’ll see that learning
to analyze, compare, and emulate others is an indispensable part of our practice.
WATC H C O U RSE
04
1. RIGHT-HAND THUMB
Here’s an experiment to run that could revolutionize your connection to the instrument –
that’s what it did for Kurganov! He sees many violinists touching the frog with their thumb,
which is suboptimal and potentially harmful to the sound. The problem is that it creates an extra force with a direction (vector). More forces from more
angles create more rigidity and less sensitivity of the fingers. Here is the adjustment: simply
move the entire bow hold up about half an inch. Don’t change the distance between the
fingers. Kurganov finds that this is a more natural way to hold the bow. The elasticity and lightness
make chord playing easier, as any baroque musician will tell you (they often hold their bows
much farther up the stick). Also, your off-the-string strokes will feel more controlled because
the bow is a tad lighter in the hand and responds quicker; yet, the hold is closer to the balance
point, which means the bounce is slightly less aggressive.
After making the switch, Kurganov feels like what was a baseball bat is now a paintbrush. Of
course, many extraordinary violinists hold the bow with the thumb touching the frog, but you
have to separate an individual case from a particular tool that may or may not be helpful.
ASSIGNMENT
If you’re touching the frog with your thumb while playing, try moving your bow hold up by
about half an inch. Experiment with millimeter variations; maybe your ideal location is a bit
higher or a bit lower than Kurganov’s. Or, perhaps your current bow hold is perfect for you!
05
2. SENSATIONS OF BALANCE
IN THE BOW
The feeling of balance in the bow hold is even more fundamental than developing the
basic bow strokes themselves. There are many great etudes out there to get the necessary
mileage on that front. This goes deeper – this is simply your relationship to the bow and the
bow’s relationship to the string. Some call it “bow is an extension of your arm.” We’ll cover six
sensations to prime your fingers, hand, and arm for that very feeling
1st sensation: Place the bow on the string and release all right-hand fingers except the
thumb. (Be careful, you might want to do this sitting on carpet!) The bow can make a
beautiful sound with just the thumb if you’re balanced.
2nd sensation: Adding the pinky balances the stick. These two fingers pushing in
opposition become important when playing on the lower strings. We don’t actually have to
grip the bow with all fingers when playing toward the frog. Approach the string gently, just
grazing it.
3rd sensation: Imagine that you’re resting on the string with a healthy amount of weight –
let the arm fall into the hand and the bow fall into the string. You can even release the
thumb completely onto the wood of the instrument to test the balance (as long as your
hands are clean). The fingers don’t need to grab the bow.
4th sensation: This is designed to regulate each finger’s contact with the stick. Hold the
bow vertically and feel the skin grip equally with every finger. If any one finger were to let
go, the bow would slip a little bit.
06
5th sensation/“Dancing around the bow”: Put the bow on the string, and move the stick
by flexing the finger, wrist, elbow, and upper arm. Try to prevent the bow from moving even
while changing all these parameters. Use a wide range of motion and try not to make any
noise. Your body moves around the bow. This will help crystallize the feeling of bow balance
in various positions. However, you don’t want your angle to change uncontrollably.
6th sensation: This is a bit of a party trick, but it does serve a purpose. Try to pull the bow
very slowly, just enough to overcome the static friction and bounce the bow slightly. You
want to find that perfect balance that yields to the bow’s natural bounce. Experiment with
the needed pressure of each finger.
ASSI G N ME N T
Work carefully through each of these six sensations. Don’t move on until you are sure you’ve
done the exercise correctly! Find moments in your repertoire that evoke the same feeling
experienced in each of the sensations.
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3 . PI AN O
Does piano always mean soft and gentle? Let’s listen to Jascha Heifetz performing Gluck’s
Melodie:
H E I FE T Z
One of the hallmarks of Heifetz is the intimacy and intensity he maintained in lower dynamics.
Notice how much care he puts into the beginnings and endings of bows and phrases. A phrase
is often killed by a careless start or an abrupt or bland end. “Piano” does not necessarily mean
lowering the intensity: imagine your expressive forte playing and simply turning down the
volume knob. Always ask yourself whether a composer is intending a gentle forte or an
intense forte. Another fun fact, if you noticed, is that Heifetz suddenly tilts his bow at the very tip. This is not
an isolated incident, as using flatter hair at the tip suddenly creates more core and texture in
the sound, allowing him to speak those little notes with such beauty.
ASSI G N ME N T
Take a piece you’re working on that contains notated pianos or pianissimos. Experiment with
various levels of intensity while maintaining a soft dynamic. Try Kurganov’s “volume knob”
approach, where you preserve every characteristic of the sound except it’s loudness.
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4. EXTENDING YOUR RICH
AND LUSH SOUND
We already know the three basic components of sound production –sounding point, bow
speed, and weight into the bow. This experiment involves searching for other parameters
that could unlock a more magical sound. Let’s listen to a short clip of Henryk Szeryng to
start.
SZERYNG (BEETHOVEN)
There’s something magical about how he spins the string and keeps a lightness in the bow but
never lacks in core. It’s truly lush and rich without being ‘loud.’
However, he is doing a few things outside of our three basic components. Do you notice how
he’s slightly behind the piano? You might have heard the phrase “back of the beat.” By being
ever so slightly behind, he creates a sense of stretching of time, which in turn affects the
emotional content of his sound. It’s similar to the microrhythms of jazz phrasing, which
should be felt intuitively. Try to find a rich and lush sound without pressing harder. Kurganov attempts to generate a
sound via the momentum of the bow rather than through weight. Avoid the quivering sound
generated by an uneven bow. Compare different angles of the left hand, as well. Experiment
with flat hair and the side of the hair – you can still obtain a gentle sound with flat hair by
changing your speed and sounding point. Picture yourself releasing tension from the center of
your palm outwards. These are all ideas Kurganov thinks about when listening to Szeryng.
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Try listening closely and emulating Szeryng’s vibrato, as well - the speed and richness of the
swing. Vibrato is not a smooth back-and-forth, it’s a bit like a spring rebounding after an
impulse. As humans, we aren’t calculators; we feel patterns, shapes, and narratives. Let’s listen to another clip of Szeryng:
S Z E RY N G ( PAG A N I N I )
One technique Szeryng often employs here is ‘articulated legato,’ which speaks each note
without breaking the legato line. This is done mostly with the wrist/index finger. One of
Kurganov’s favorite exercises to develop this is called “waves,” a play on some of Dounis’s
teaching. Make deep healthy impulses into the string using the index/thumb/wrist. Do not change the
bow speed or the bow arm. In addition to building articulated legato, we’re experimenting with
combinations of our three basic elements of sound production. Another benefit is that it
allows you to sustain a rich sound at the tip, especially when you have to round that corner
without any gaps or loss of sound (you can also practice the Korngold 1 melody on the D
string). Start with softer indentations and gradually make them deeper and heavier. Try
crescendo and diminuendo. Always remember that heavier or louder doesn’t mean more
tension. It’s more like a hanging feeling, which always means a free upper arm. Louder means
“release more weight.” We can also use waves to fill the subdivisions of longer notes in a lyrical passage (for example,
Massenet’s Meditation from Thais for Violin and Piano). Experiment with these elements to
heighten your sensitivity to the string’s vibration; you might sound as good as Henryk Szeryng
someday!
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One side note about the last two violinists we looked at – Heifetz and Szeryng reflect the
difference between instructive and inspiring playing. Heifetz is arguably more idiosyncratic
in his overall relationship to the violin. It’s challenging to look at his bow and see clear
instructions in the mechanics of his fingers and motions. Most of it is hidden. While we can
experiment with some things, it’s mostly something to enjoy, love, and inspire.
On the other hand, Szeryng has a way of teaching us how to be more respectable players. His
manner is almost like he is teaching you on stage. You see it as much as you hear it, so this
makes watching him a great learning opportunity. Look for these qualities in the musicians you
observe.
ASSIGNMENT
Experiment with the concepts from this chapter
Try phrasing ever-so-slightly behind the beat to generate heightened drama.
Practice emulating Szeryng’s sound with momentum rather than weight of the bow.
To practice articulated legato, try Kurganov’s “waves” exercis
Finally, appreciate and enjoy the playing of these masters! Not everything can be isolated
and analyzed.
Try to learn something from every player you hear!
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5. LEFT-HAND THUMB
POSITIONS
How big are your hands? How big is your pinky? These questions impact where we place our
left-hand thumb. A key factor is the ratio between the size of your hand and your pinky; a
small hand with a pinky closer in size to the other fingers is actually easier to work with than a
large hand with a smaller pinky. Violinists with small hands aren’t necessarily at a disadvantage. One example of this concept is Achron’s La Romanesca, performed by Danbi Um, and another
is Tchaikovsky’s Concerto, performed by Ilya Gringolts:
GRINGOLTS
DANBI UM
Danbi’s thumb is low under the neck, giving her a bit more leverage and strength if her hand is
smaller. Space between the thumb and index finger is crucial for this setup. Gringolts is more relaxed and cradled, resting the violin between the index and thumb. A wrist
vibrato is a bit easier in this position, too. It’s a bit like an old manual metronome where an
added weight lowered the center of gravity and made the needle move faster. However, more
contact with the instrument can result in more excessive tension.
ASSIGNMENT
Based on your hand and pinky size, evaluate a thump position that is best for you. Try both
extremes and ask yourself why one doesn’t work – then narrow down the range until you find
the most comfortable position. Be sure you’re never creating excessive tension.
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6 . FLE X I B I LI T Y O F T H E RI G H T
H AN D AN D FI N G E RS
The looseness of the right hand is a way of yielding to the bow – to the friction of the hair on
the string. The bow has microscopic hairs that act like teeth. If we think of down bows as
pulling and up bows as pushing, how does that affect the fingers if they’re loose?
The fingers must begin with a loose and passive feeling. Feel deeply the tug created by the
friction of the bow. Only when that balance is understood can we start being more active with
the fingers as well.
Here’s a particularly indulgent example of that from Agustin Dumay playing Schumann, and a
clip of Rudolf Koelman playing Zigeunerweisen:
D U M AY
KO E L M AN
In this clip, Dumay is using a paintbrush-like hand to caress the instrument. The bow is an
extension of the arm. Alternatively, some will use the larger levers to maintain the momentum
and force of the bow. With Koelman, everything is balanced, so he sees no need to do anything fancy, and it works.
His goal is not to disturb anything and simply change directions. It’s not the same sound as
Dumay, of course, but it’s equally beautiful.
13
You may find that in your practice, you have to alternate between these approaches
conceptually; you can always go too far in one direction. Part of the value of these
experiments is that you can better understand when you’ve wandered off and the concept is
becoming more hurtful than helpful.
ASSIGNMENT
Feel the tug created by the static friction of the bow, and try to loosen the fingers. Try to
emulate the bow holds of Dumay and Koelman in the videos above; while Dumay’s bow is an
extension of the arm, Koelman’s is much more stoic. Consider when and how much to use
each approach!
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7. RIGHT ELBOW HEIGHT
We previously discussed the idea of the high elbow, as demonstrated by Henryk Szeryng. Let’s
go deeper and compare the high and the low elbow. This can have drastic effects on the
quality of the sound and the motion of the bow. Let’s start with Christian Ferras:
FERRAS (SIBELIUS)
FERRAS (BRAHMS)
We can see Inmo Yang take a different approach:
INMO YANG
Often, a high elbow is a source of tension. As part of a stroke with momentum, it can be really
helpful. For Ferras, the high elbow intensifies the stroke, leading the charge. But when Yang
plays it, the low elbow creates a feeling of sinking into the string.
ASSIGNMENT
Experiment with a high elbow while playing different types of passages. Avoid carrying tension
there; try to use it to intensify your bow stroke. Alternatively, try a low elbow to reinforce the
sinking feeling into the string.
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8. HAIR ANGLE
The advice of flattening the hair is often given. If you use flat hair everywhere, you’ll get a big
sound but might miss certain colors that the side of the hair could provide without
diminishing the sound’s intensity. Flat hair in this clip requires less work to create a bigger sound:
ZUKERMAN
In contrast, this clip from Silverstein uses the side of the hair to prevent a rough edge.
Silverstein actually never used flat hair!
S I LV E R S T E I N
This sound world isn’t exactly lush and seductive like Szeryng’s and not massive like
Zukerman's. Many factors go into creating this sound. There’s a sparkle, a lightness, yet
richness in his sound. The intensity is in the spoken quality of the notes and the heart-melting
vibrato.
ASSIGNMENT
Spend time playing passages with flat hair, only occasionally using flat hair, and never using flat
hair. See which is most helpful for your technique and sound in various types of passages.
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9. SUPINATION VS.
PRONATION
Our next experiment has to do with the idea of pronation and supination in the right hand.
Most people know very well the idea of pronating as they leave the frog and embark on a long
down bow. Kurganov suggests an alternate approach, something stressed by the great viola
pedagogue Karen Tuttle. She calls it the re-pull, and basically, instead of pronating the hand,
you’re going to supinate before you reach the middle of the bow. We are literally re-pulling, the
same as our earlier experiment about the push and pull. Kurganov uses the example of Wieniawski’s Romance from his Violin Concerto No. 2. This gives us more leverage and power as we continue to the weakest point of the bow, the tip.
We can also get deeper into the string, feeling that we’re directing the bow toward the base of
our spine.
LINK TO TUTTLE’S BOOK
ASSIGNMENT
Examine your down bow, and try to incorporate this re-pull movement that Kurganov
demonstrates. Practice the movement carefully to be sure it’s correct (even filming yourself or
using a mirror if you’re not sure). Notice how supinating affects the level of your arm. You might
find that it encourages lowering the arm as you pull a down bow. Then try it in the context of a
piece – how much of the movement is helpful to you, and in which types of passagework?
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10. MORE VS. LESS BOW
Have you ever had moments of clarity where you finally understood what something really
meant, even if it's been swimming in your mind for years? Kurganov recalls a story in which he
was a sophomore, playing Vieuxtemps’s 5th Violin Concerto. The day before the concert, he
struggled with some of the lyrical moments at the bottom of the first page, making him quite
nervous. He went to YouTube, looking for some sort of solution, and finally realized that he had
to use more bow to make it work. His nerves disappeared, and this idea of “use more bow”
immediately took on a new significance. Sometimes, changes to the basic mechanics of playing and moving can yield striking
artistic results. Kurganov has had similar moments where he realized he has to use less bow. Let’s compare the approach of two great violinists: David Oistrakh and Midori Gotō, playing the
beginning of Movement 2 of Tchaikovsky just before the return to the theme.
OISTRAKH
MIDORI
Oistrakh was the king of using a lot of bow. His sound has so much breath and vibration to it.
Midori’s sound is more inside as if she’s spinning a web – it’s a slow and soft burn.
Take a religious approach to this practice: take all the lyrical passages in Tchaikovsky and try to
channel either Oistrakh or Midori. One great exercise to open bow usage is a grand detaché exercise: use the entire bow and
move quite fast on an ascending and descending major scale G major scale (one note per
bow). This serves to exaggerate and amplify any bumps or misalignments in your bow, allowing
you to more clearly identify and eliminate inconsistencies and artifacts in the sound.
18
ASSIGNMENT
Take all the lyrical passages in a piece (the Tchaikovsky Concerto is a good one if it’s
appropriate for your level,) and try to play them with the large, broad strokes of Oistrakh, and
with the smaller, intimate strokes of Midori. Then, incorporate Kurganov’s grand detaché
exercise to your routine, described on the previous page.
11. FREE BOW CHANGES
Try disregarding what you see in the score in the way of bowings. What bowing would you
do and why? Here is a thought experiment: if the composer or editor didn’t write the bowings
as he or she did, would you still get the idea to play it that way? If so, then maybe you
understand the composer’s intent. If not, maybe you found a different way to say something
beautiful, or you haven’t yet discovered the composer’s intention, or maybe (hopefully not!)
you’re simply following directions!
Try changing more often and still making the phrase work. Very often, this frees Kurganov’s
sound and actually unblocks various aspects of his sound and conception of the phrase, such
that he can even go back to the original bowing later once he’s gained more confidence.
Changing the composer’s markings is not a form of disrespect; this is your laboratory, and you
have permission to try things even if they might fail. It isn’t that great artists have no
weaknesses, it’s that they’re better at compensating for them with their strengths.
ASSIGNMENT
Pick a passage where the composer wrote lots of bowings; erase them and create your own
from scratch. What are the pros and cons of yours and of the composer’s? Perhaps the ideal
bowing for your technique is somewhere in the middle.
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1 2 . H O W D O Y O U P L AY D O T S ?
For this next experiment, we will look at how we treat dots (staccatos). This is a simple
consideration but will affect your general approach to articulation, especially in classical-era
music. Let’s look at the opening to Mozart’s Fourth Concerto:
Will you show more of the exciting, sparkling, rambunctious Mozart? Or will it be the more
operatic approach, avoiding any hard edges? Just by thinking about this and experimenting
with it, dotted notes like these will be more impactful, like there is a cohesive approach. People
really hear that, so it’s definitely worth trying.
ASSIGNMENT
Identify a passage by Mozart with lots of dotted notes (not dotted rhythms, but notes with
staccatos above them). Try two opposing approaches, a sparkling and crisp one, and a
smoother, operatic one. Decide where on the spectrum your articulation should fall in various
passages that you encounter. Of course, this is applicable to the music of any composer!
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1 3 . SP E A KI N G V S. SI N G I N G
As violinists, we find ourselves in one of two modes – singing or speaking. You can think of
it exactly as you might the human voice. When we speak, we have clearer articulation, more
organic flow and intonation, and shorter lines, accentuations, and decays. It’s the same when
we play; the same music can often be spoken or sung. So in this experiment, we’ll try to get a
feel for both of these paths. Let’s look at a couple of examples:
GITLIS
KO G A N
Pause the video (or stop reading the workbook) and decide who was speaking and who
was singing. Write down several specific things both violinists do to give you that impression.
21
Did you feel that Gitlis allows for the natural decay of sound on down bows? We’re often told
that this is to be avoided, and we practice diligently to sustain sound towards the tip to
facilitate connection, but Gitlis just throws that out the window. Sometimes it feels that his
down bows are a breath out and his up bows are a breath in. This organic and somewhat raw
quality is at the heart of his speaking sound. On the other hand, Kogan connects everything in
a wonderful way, and his sound is full of longing. The speed of the bow is very well regulated,
the vibrato is tamed, and articulations are minimized. Did you notice the articulation and the
impulsive vibrato that Gitlis was employing?
Fritz Kreisler is an interesting case, as he often merged the qualities of a spoken and a sung
sound. It’s like listening to great poets from the turn of the century read their own works –
you’re not sure whether they’re speaking or singing (see recording by Dylan Thomas):
KREISLER
DYLAN THOMAS
Take this passage from Caprice Viennois by Kreisler. In Kreisler’s style, the rhythm goes away;
there’s just a dancing pulse. Notes can linger and quiver like the voice of Dylan Thomas,
eventually finding their way to the cadence of the phrase.
ASSIGNMENT
You can try a simple version of this experiment. Play a melody with a very connected smooth
sound, and then play it with more decay on every note or bow. Can you emulate Gitlis’s
phrasing and sonic envelope?
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14. HIGHER POSITIONS VS
LOWER POSITIONS
Next, we’re going to explore the possibilities of using higher positions versus lower positions.
This can be crucial for achieving the kind of color, texture and timbre of the sound that you are
dreaming of. Those factors, in turn, affect your interpretation of the music. In Prokofiev’s Five Melodies (Op. 35b), staying in the lower positions creates a beautiful
simplicity. It really brings out the “rocking” quality of a lullaby and emerges seamlessly out of
the piano introduction. Using higher positions and fewer shifts paints this music in a totally
different light–suddenly, the focus is on the vocality of a lullaby and not the pulse. The
portamenti (slides) help the notes weave into one another the way that the human voice
would.
Another example is Massenet’s Meditation from Thais, where in the introduction one can
include a rather daring but beautiful shift, keeping the entire line on the A string.
ASSIGNMENT
Compare a contemporary violinist and someone from the early 20th-century playing the
same music. You’ll likely hear a very different approach to fingerings in low and high positions.
Find a moment in your music where you can, if you are brave, do very risky but expressive
fingerings in higher positions. Then, find a moment in the music that has purity and simplicity,
and see how simple you can make the fingerings, enduring awkward string crossings to avoid
shifting up. This is also a risk, but can be done beautifully. All great moments of expression are
risks.
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1 5 . B O DY DY N A MI C S
How does the body move when we play? Body movement can enhance our playing in two
main ways: against the bow and with the bow. Both involve rotation on the transverse plane.
Rotate mostly from the legs, not the spine, just a slight thoracic/trunk rotation. When moving
against the bow, meet the bow with the violin. Players like Pinchas Zukerman use this
frequently. This is a very organic way of moving and creating the sound – bow changes will be
a bit more labored without moving the violin. The key is to feel that the instrument is as
involved in causing the vibration of the string as the bow is, rather than the bow acting on a
stable object. When moving with the bow, follow the motion of the right arm with your entire body. Let your
body help carry the bow. Joshua Bell, for example, favors this approach. Both are useful and
have their place. Whichever method you use, don’t just stand still!
A SSI G N ME N T
Play a long note using the full bow, and slowly try both directions of body rotation: first along
with the violin, and then against the violin. Rotate mostly from the legs, not the spine. Try each
approach in different passages, and avoid standing perfectly still!
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1 6 . P R AC T I C I N G FA S T
This is a fun one. Do you ever feel like your phrasing isn’t convincing, or maybe it’s overly
complex and lacks a beautiful simplicity? Kurganov feels like that almost every day. You can
try simply playing the line much faster, up to two times faster. The music takes on a totally
different life. It might sound silly (it will likely sound silly), but often it can expose the bigger
structure of a line and allow you to discover where the impulses should be and maybe even
what a more appropriate tempo could be.
A SSI G N ME N T
Take a passage where you’re struggling with the phrasing, and play or hum it much faster, up to
twice as fast. Be sure you can do so safely without hurting yourself, of course! Try to listen for
the bigger structure of the line. To achieve this totally different approach, be ready to change
the bowings, fingerings and other aspects of your interpretation to better match the tempo
and groove you are creating.
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17. BACH BY ANY OTHER
INSTRUMENT
This experiment is to encourage creativity and transcend the limitations of our violin. Let’s
listen briefly to Hopkinson Smith play our violin music on the baroque lute.
HOPKINSON SMITH
What do you hear? You probably notice imaginative harmonies, chords broken in different
orders, embellishments, and sometimes surprising bass notes. Perhaps every violinist longs for
polyphony from this monophonic instrument of ours. Composers such as Bach, Ysaye, Reger,
and others devoted their violin writing to that very goal.
Part of the experiment here is to feel a sense of freedom to try embellishing the score as
baroque players would have done in the past. You might not be utterly convinced with what
you initially come up with. Still, you will gain a lot by just attempting to imagine polyphony and
allowing it to inform your interpretation. The way Smith highlights the changes in harmony
reminds Kurganov that what seems like a flowing melody line (beginning line) actually has
important but sometimes voices underneath it.
26
The organ is also at the center of Bach’s life and much of his music. Sometimes the piece we
play was originally for a different instrument. Bach did not “arrange” these pieces for this
instrument or the other in the way we think of arrangement these days, but rather each
version has a valid individual setting born from a singular musical inspiration. For example Bach’s Preludium from BWV 1006 is the cousin of two Cantatas, BWV 29 and 120a. Allow all of
these influences to guide your experimentation and allow you to arrive at something that sets
you free.
ASSIGNMENT
Take a score by Bach and try to embellish it as a Baroque player might. Be patient with
yourself, and really listen carefully to the ornamentations typical of the era. How does it change your performance to imagine that you’re a lute? Try to create the illusion
that there are moving voices beneath your single line. Finally, when playing Bach, listen thoughtfully to the other pieces of his that might have
inspired or been inspired by it; Bach wrote so much music that surely there is some
connection to other works!
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18. PUTTING IT TOGETHER:
C R A F T I N G V E R SI O N S
What we’ve been doing throughout this experiment is expanding our set of tools so that
we can decrease the distance between the fingers and the heart. One way to put those
tools into practice is to get into the habit of creating multiple interpretations of the same
musical phrase. And this is not an exercise in superficial clowning around. You have to create
interpretations that you can believe in. When you experiment with a particular approach, you
must do it as if it were the only way. Only then will the truth be revealed. Create opposing interpretations of a musical phrase and let those approaches battle it out.
For example, take the second movement of Beethoven’s 7th Sonata. Kurganov might try it
three different ways: meditative and tranquil, romantic with contrasts, and rhythmical with a
stronger pulse. This sort of practice helps us develop flexibility as musicians. Try to appreciate a way that
maybe isn’t your first choice. Don’t fake, but play with optimism and a desire to understand.
A SSI G N ME N T
Pick a phrase from a piece you’re currently working on, know very well, or that you’re interested
in learning. Come up with three possible ways you might want to play it, and write those down
below. Then try each one! Really believe in each – don’t phone it in. Part of creating a
convincing approach is to tailor the fingerings, bowings, dynamic choices, type of vibrato,
amount of bow used, tilt of the hair, timing of rubato and other such parameters to the
particular interpretation at hand.
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CLOSING THOUGHTS
From Daniel:
I believe that imitating someone can reveal something unique that extends beyond any
individual. It’s like giving birth to something and releasing it into the world. Or, maybe the
idea gives birth to the individual. In any case, I think it’s the idea that we’re chasing in the
end – a sound, a feeling – and not a person. So every time you fail to become more like
Oistrakh, Heifetz, or X, you become more like yourself, and I find this path to rapid
learning, self-realization, and authenticity. Of course, there are many more experiments to do and many people to learn from, but
remember – it doesn’t have to be some great and famous musician. It can be your
stand partner in an orchestra. Maybe she has an amazing fluidity in some aspect of her
technique. Pay more attention to people’s strengths when they reveal them. Most
people can teach you something if you observe closely. Worst case, you can learn what
you don’t like and what not to do! As the great Bruce Lee once said, “do what works and
get it from wherever you can.”
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Treat these experiments in a sort of religious fashion. If something feels interesting or if
you feel something is being uncovered, make that thing the idea of the week – treat it
like gospel. Saturate yourself in what that idea is all about, and then you can decide later
to toss it or keep it. Maybe it takes a week, two weeks, a month, or more. You will know
when it’s time to decide on its lasting value. As I mentioned, you’ll likely return to the
same experiment years later when you’ve grown a lot as a player. It will feel different
because your abilities will have changed, and you will have grown as a person. I
understood things my teacher said many years later. So, I wish you the best of luck in
your experiments, and I’ll see you next time!
VIOLIN
If you have any corrections, comments, or critiques relating to this
workbook, please send them to ethan@tonebase.co. We strive to
deliver the highest quality enrichment experience. Thank you!
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