Paganiniana

Composer: Milstein, Nathan

Blacher, Kolja

Guillen del Castillo, Jorge

Catalogue Number: RSS8364_1

Professor Blacher explains aspects about bow technique: the bow comes more 'from the string', with more weight. The student has to make a clear difference between when he plays staccato (less bow) and when he uses more bow. In any case, the staccato should not be so close to the frog. The student has to turn the bow to avoid sounding 'col legno'. If we want to get a 'flautato' colour, the bowing should be lighter, without weight and with the whole bow.

For the left hand, Professor Blacher gives some indications to the student: he explains how tuning works in Milstein and Perlman. The student must search for the feeling of relaxation in fast passages for the left hand. Professor Bacher also talks about harmonic glissando and he explains several corrections about the position of the violin - too closed because of the chinrest; opening the position means to get more sound).

Related to the bow, Professor Blacher proposes some technical questions: sound exercises in open strings holding the sound, the right elbow and the wrist. They use Kreutzer's Etude No. 2 (Allegro moderato, from '42 Etudes') to work on bow and sound, taking into account different kind of sound if the bow places at the frog or at the tip.

Blacher also mentions the method "The Dounis Violin Players' Daily Dozen to Keep the Violinist Technically Fit" by D.C. Dounis.