New-York tribune., 1918-10-20
Violinist Discusses the
Correct Way to Practice
BY Alexandra Bloch

If / were asked to give q short
formula for good practising, should
say, Practise slowly" and again. "Still
more slowly"-so slowly, in fact. that
every tone can be critically considered.
The usual process Is TO repeat = pas-
sage over and over at full speed until
the fingers smudge into place from
mere force Of habit. I say "smudge"
advisedly, as it fairly we'll represents
the result of this procedure. But be-
sides practising slowly. it is necessary
to practise analytically. Every compo-
sition must be studied from both q
technical and an aesthetic viewpoint.
Obviously, we cannot play piece beau
tifully if we are constantly hampered
by the technique. We must first acquire
the necessary facility to express our
selves, but all the facility In the world
serves no purpose if the playing is not
beautiful.
AS regards the technique, very often
a problem requires to be treated in
some special manner. The same medi-
cine will not cure all ills; neither will
the same method Of practising always
lead to the desired result.
Let US take one or two examples,
point out some Of the inherent difficult
ties and suggest few ways Of over
coming them. This will, think, make
things clearer than a great deal of ab-
Scract discussion. In Paganini's Ca
price No. l, for instance. the main trou-
bles are intonation, the rapid and &C.
curate shift from one awkward chord
to another. and the style of bowing.
Of course these problems are all re-
lated and interdependent. Thus, the in
tonation is difficult because of the un-
usual stretches that some of the chords
necessitate. The bowling is especially
hard because the left hand requires so
much attention. For this reason the
practice of one difficulty will help solve
the others. In trying to improve the
lntonaticn the hand becomes somewhat
accustomed to the unusual chords; and
when once the chords require less eff
fort the bow is more readily controlled.
So, logically enough. as the above prob
lens lose their terrors. it will be more
possible to express the aesthetic quail
ties of the piece, which is after all the
whole purpose Of our practice.
. After the intonation is somewhat
cleaned up" let US consider how best
the awkward chords can be practised.
The principal trouble is caused by the
TACT that the fingers are not at once
prepared for the entire chord. The
usual process is to play the two lower
notes and thus adjust the fingers for
the rest of the chord, instead Of
preparing them for the entire chord
simultaneously. This fault may per
haps. be corrected by reversing the
usual process. e., playing the two
upper notes, first; then by playing the
entire chords in succession.
The student should now be able to
devise means of his own for PRACTISING
a technical difficulty. For instance. an
noylng staccato runs such as occur in
Viextemps's First Concerto should
first be practised legato or detache,
thus. eliminating one of the sources of
trouble, the bowling. When the notes
are learned they may be attempted
staccato. Spiccato passages, as in the
last movement of Wieniawski's D Minor
Concerto and Paganini's "Moto Per
petuo," should first be studied detache.
etc.
Regarding faulty intonation. the
usual cause is not always a bad ear
but more often bad practising; that is.
fast practising. Furthermore, one often
overlooks the fact that the ear and
brain tire as we'll as the muscles. After
three-quarters of an hour of intense
Work one can no more listen as keen!v
as at first. l personally find that this
IS the longest time I am able to CON
centrate, and practising without con-
centratlon is worse than useless; faults
become habltual and the ear becomes
immune to ugly tones and bad in
tonation.
AS said before, the ultimate goal
is to play asthetically and musically.
The term musical" is much abused