Ask Jeremy

For those of you who may not have regular access to a violin teacher, post your questions to us and we will look them over and try to address the most universally applicable questions for the benefit of all visitors to this site.

Questions from a Student Newly Interested in Jazz

Hello Mr. Cohen, I'm a student and just happened to hear you play from one of your video clips online "yoshis all of me". and I enjoyed the music! I'm just wondering if there is any way I could get the score for that piece you played? I tried to search for it in online shops but I dont know the full title or the composer, so I have no idea where to get it unless you arranged or composed it yourself. Please let me know if you know where to get the score because from the video it looked like you were playing from the score so I'm guessing you could get it. To be honest, I didnt really think highly of jazz violin, but when I heard that piece my perception has changed 180 degrees! Thank you!

Discussion

Thank you for writing -- I'm glad you enjoyed the clip enough to become interested in jazz. I'm sorry to disappoint you, but the solo on that videoclip was not written down; I was improvising. Only the melody [All Of Me, composed by Seymour Simons / Gerald Marks] exists in written form, along with the chord changes. I think perhaps the problem with jazz violin these days is not the music, but the players. So many who pursue jazz violin don't have as much training in the fundamentals of violin playing as we would like to hear, and so the result often sounds weak (violin is such a difficult instrument to play). Combining good technique on the instrument with good jazz sensibilities is a pretty rare combination. There are, however, a few really good ones out there. Keep on listening, and you will hear more good stuff. --JC

Questions from a Young Visitor to this Site -- Open Strings and Intonation

Dear Mr. Cohen, I am learning to play the violin. Can you tell me why it sounds different to me when I play an open string and when I play the same note on a different string? Am I doing something wrong?
Discussion

Well, this is a good question. First we need to consider two things:

The violin does not have frets, so there are only four notes that will ever sound the exact same pitch and those would be the open strings G, D, A and E. Provided they are in tune, and the tuning does not change (from things such as age of the string, temperature variations or stretching from being played extensively) the open strings are the only "fixed" intonation on the violin.

Although by practicing, we can refine our intonation so that our fingers will go to the proper location for a pitch, without the pro-active help of our ears our intonation will never be accurate to the point of being "exactly" in tune. Finite variations in the placement of the fingertips will produce finite variations of every pitch. Therefore, if you are not singing the pitch inside your head and matching it to the key you are playing in, intonation will always be approximate (and possibly good) but not exact.

So, to answer your question simply: our human fingers will have slight variation in angle, pressure and amount of skin cells which come into contact with the string which will produce slight variations in pitch. So the work on intonation must be done BEFORE a pitch is played, so one can train the finger to respond to absolute pitch inside your ear. I'd also like to add that since a violin is not a "tempered" instrument (like a piano where the intonation is fixed) pitches can vary slightly according to key. For example, in the key of D the C# could be played slightly (!) higher than it would sound on the piano. This discussion could go on for a long time; I hope you get the general idea. --JC

Questions from Lori, a Visitor to this Site -- Vision

Dear Jeremy, I am just now learning how to play in third position. It is very difficult for me since I can't see where the notes are to place my fingers and it frustrates me-I have lazy eye blindness in my left eye (amblyopia). Are there any pictures of violins that you know of that I could write the notes on the strings and have it in front of me while I practice? Can you record the notes on a cd or cassette so I could purchase it from you so I could know how the notes are supposed to sound and that way I'll know if my fingers are in the right places. I have a good ear, so, all I have to hear is the sound and I'll know if I'm wrong or not. Thank you for any help you can give me.

Discussion

Hello Lori. I would not worry about attempting to play violin by using your eyes at all. They are not so useful for much except in the case of reading sheet music. Having said that, there are educational products in the market which do give visual cues on the violin fingerboard, but my suggestion is to avoid them. If you know how to find third position (and I'm assuming you do since you tell me you are practicing in third) you need to understand one thing.

Intonation on stringed instruments boils down to whole and half steps. The higher you go on the instrument, the incrementally closer the spaces become, so a whole step in first position will be larger than a whole step in third position on the same string. An easier way to put this is: the higher you go, the smaller the spaces between notes. My suggestion would be this, put yourself in third position on say the D string. This will have your first finger on a G. Now, forget the fact that you are in third position, JUST FORGET IT! The next series of notes will be whole and half steps, exactly as they are in first position EXCEPT for the fact that they are SLIGHTLY reduced in distance (the feeling is as if they are microscopically reduced as opposed to grossly reduced).

Now, 1st finger G... Sustain it (long slow bow). Now, while you are playing the G, sing the A natural in your head before you go there with your second finger. Know (sing internally), and tell your brain that the second finger A natural will be a whole step. Hear it coming, sing it in your head, and now play it. Don't make adjustments by wiggling your finger if you missed it. Pick your finger up, Tell yourself you shot too high or fell short, and then play it again. Train your finger to respond to sung pitch inside your head, and your intonation will develop quickly. Now try it again, is it more accurate this time? Next up is the third finger B natural- whole step... Now you know the routine: don't let yourself play it any other way other than in tune, anything less should not be acceptable.

Time not spent focusing on pitch while playing violin is time WASTED. Know and be aware of the difference between half and whole steps. Know what they feel like physically...everywhere on the instrument. Know what they sound like, hear them inside your head before you play them. There is no place for guessing while working on intonation. Eventually you should try this in all positions, it should not matter what position you are in. Intonation on the violin, viola or cello is all about half steps, whole steps, and the physical relationship between fingers from string to string. This is not only good work for beginner or intermediate players, but also for advanced and professional players as well. --JC

Questions from a Member of a Recorded Music Society in the U.K. --Pizzicato

Dear Jeremy, I am a member of a recorded music society in the UK where we meet to listen to presentations of music CD's usually of classical music, but also including other types. Presentations are usually prepared by members, but we occasionally have guest speakers. I am preparing my programme which will include Bartok's string quartet No 4, in which the second movement is entirely pizziccato. My question is, what is the name of the technique in which strings are plucked in such a way as to slap down onto the fingerboard? I have heard this used far more by jazz bass players than anywhere else, but it is used to great effect with violins in Bartok's quartet. Do you know the piece? Thank you for your attention.

Discussion

Hello. Oddly enough, the technical term used for a pizzicato where the string is meant to slap against the fingerboard in the way you described is known as a "Bartok Pizz" by string players. There is a symbol used in printed music for a "Bartok Pizz" which looks like a small circle with a straight line ascending from the top of the diameter. I think you will see it in the music if you look at the score or parts. Happy listening! It's a great piece. --JC

Question from an Orchestra Member -- Swing Arrangements and Licks

"I'm a violin player in (a major) Orchestra but I enjoy arranging music for my quartet and playing swing. I really liked your web site. Do you have written transcriptions from Grapelli and Venuti? I believe Venuti actually wrote out a lot of his stuff. I've loved Grapelli's playing for years and I love the sound of good swing playing. I play most of my swing on a Zeta, and that's a problem because an acoustic violin has better overtones and a certain grit and complexity to the sound I can't get with the electric, although it's easier to be heard and in some ways easier to ad lib on. Can you recommend any aids to assist me in my quest to get more into the style? I play piano and have a pretty good foundation for reading chord charts, but I'm not satisfied with my swing ad libbing. There's a certain "sync" to the swing that I come close to, and I'm going back and trying to do a little actual transcribing of solos thinking that may aid me with some of the licks that can supplement what I'm already doing. If you've got a list of what you've done in terms of transcriptions I'd like to get that. Thanks, and I hope to find out more about you and your work.

Discussion

Great to hear from a colleague! And thanks for contacting me. Although I do have some music which I will tell you about, I think the key will to be to get inside the rhythmic style of playing that Venuti and Grappelli used. The notes are somewhat helpful, but it is my opinion that playing jazz feels different physically from classical playing. It is more rhythmic in nature. The importance of the rhythm becomes equal to the melodic line. Classically trained string players tend to over-focus on the tone and melody.

You can sometimes find out-of-print arrangements of Venuti pieces for violin and piano, and Venuti also did a style book which has been out of print forever. I also have some arrangements available for string quartet. In the arrangement of Blue Rondo a la Turk I have transcribed my improvised solo. This can be useful for you, to get inside my style of improv and see how it feels to play. You can also get the CD of Quartet San Francisco on which the solo is recorded, in order to hear the arrangement.

My Issue with most electric fiddles is that they don't feel or play like fine old instruments. I prefer to play my acoustic violin in most cases, unless I'm playing with other folks who are using amps. It's usually too hard to compete with them for sound, so that's when I whip out the electric. Thanks for contacting me, please send your string playing pals to the site: --JC

Questions from a Student for History Day

Hello, my name is Diana and i am a 12 year old violinist in Missouri. At my school history day is coming up with the title of Communication in History: The Key To Understanding and i am doing the topic the communication of the violin. I am also having on display a 100 year old, 50 year old, a modern violin, and an electric. violin for its evolution in appearance. I would like to know how you feel about how the violin communicates and how its music has evolved.What are some pieces of music that communicate?

Discussion

The violin makes its sound by drawing a bow across each of its 4 strings. Communication happens when the player plays a song and the listener feels a certain way from listening to it. It is a language that does not use words, but it surely is communication. The violin’s music has evolved as the music of the world changes. The violin as we know it has been in existence for roughly 300 years. As time moves along, the violin plays all the music that has been written for it, so violinists are playing old songs, and waiting for new ones to be written. Can you write or make up a song?

Every piece of music can communicate something, just listen and see how it makes you feel! Thanks for asking these questions, I hope I answered them in time for your project. --JC

Questions from a Student for a Class Project

biographical questions

Q: How did you get interested in jazz, start playing, start your career?
A: I have always loved jazz. I started playing in the jazz band at school because I was demoted to the back of the violin section for sitting with crossed ankles. I thought this too unfair, so I quit orchestra and joined the jazz band. I kept up my classical training, of course.

Q: Who are your influences?
A: Eddie South, Joe Venuti, Sven Asmussen, Vassar Clemens, Stephanne Grappelli, Paul Nero, Florian Zabach, Marshall Sosson Fritz Kreisler, Joe Venuti, Itzhak Perlman, Stuff Smith... And many more.

Q: What types or actual groups are you or other violinists playing with and is this different than ten years ago?
A: I still play with my acoustic ViolinJazz Quartet (Violin, Piano, Bass, Guitar), same group for over 20 years.

Q: How has your style changed in the last ten years?
A: I have always played music that makes me feel good to play, because I believe this way I have a chance to reach my audience and ideally have them feel good about what they are listening to. As my tastes develop, so does my playing. I look for more emotional impact and a more refined and musical style as I mature. And I find that as I have less to prove, I enjoy playing more.

jazz questions

Q: What do you think about jazz being taught in Universities?
A: It is a truly American art form. Not enough universities are teaching it.

Q: What have your students been like and how have they changed over the last ten years in quality and quantity, and what are they doing now that they are out of school?
A: I currently teach at the Henry Mancini Institute of UCLA and The Jazz School, and am an artist in residence at Mills College, so I have had contact with many students over the years. I think students are getting better, more trained in jazz language, and certainly more interest in playing jazz on stringed instruments. Some are gigging, the lucky ones who continued both jazz and classical have more work options!

Q: If you want to make a career out of playing jazz on the violin, is there a place you need to be today? Also, where are the most appreciative audiences for jazz violin, or jazz in general?
A: Probably in major cities and outlying areas where there are mixed formats and eclectic audiences.

Q: What are the top three things someone needs to know if they want to make a career in jazz?
A: Wow. If you asked ten musicians that question, I'm sure you would get ten different answers. But I will try to summarize: Jazz is language. Technique is technique. Both are critical. Too many people pursue jazz, but don't continue the pursuit of the technique of their instruments...not good. Decent jazzer + lousy sound = bad music.

Q: How is jazz on the violin accepted by other jazz players?
A: Generally very well. I think if a player is a good Jazz player, the instrument is not important. It's only rare that one finds good jazz musicians that can also play the violin well.

Q: Is there a controversy between electric and acoustic playing in jazz?
A: Only in the minds of people who think so. They are different animals, not really comparable. On electric violin, the amp makes the sound. The player is responsible for intonation and accuracy. On acoustic violin, which is not affected by electronics, the player is also responsible for the tone as well.

Q: In an interview, Jon Luc Ponty mentioned two competing jazz movements going on today: 'neo-bebop' and 'electro-jazz' -- have you heard anything about these or are involved in these?
A: I am not much of a neo- bebop or electro-jazz player, although I have always deeply admired Jean-Luc as both an innovator as well as a composer and player. These styles seem to seek a place in the Pop Jazz vein and are very good for mass exposure to jazz violin through the radio. I have mostly stayed in the acoustic world and prefer to do so unless I'm working on other people's projects. Then I'm happy to plug in and let it rip. --JC

Question from a Parent of a Young Violinist

Hi. My daughter has been struggling with getting a nice tone in the high positions. She has a beautiful tone in most positions but those high notes - particularly right up the finger board sound piercing and out of place. Any technique suggestions?

Discussion

Your question is perhaps on of the eternal violin questions. Of course practice and experience will smooth out your daughter's high playing, but you might start out by trying these two things. Try these out, and let me know how it works:

Because it's high, players often carry the perception that it's hard. Consequentially they tense up and press harder. This can be fatal to the tone in the higher registers of the violin. Have your daughter play lighter as her hand moves up the violin. The less amount of string, the less you can press.

Be very careful to not let the bow get too close to the bridge. The string is quite stiff there and the resulting sound can be very coarse. Backing up the bow very small distances (towards the fingerboard) will provide dramatic changes in the tone, especially up high.

Follow-up Question from the Young Violinist Herself

Hi, my name is [name deleted] and my mum emailed you a few days ago. The advice you gave was really helpful for me when I was practicing and it made my pieces sound much nicer. Thank you very much. I just had another question... at the moment my orchestra is playing the Grieg pieces 'morning/morgenstimmug' and 'the hall of the mountain king'. in morgenstimmug I am having a lot of trouble in keeping my vibrato smooth while I change notes. Is there an easy way to do this? All of your advice is much appreciated.

Discussion

Great to hear from you! There are two things I want to tell you about vibrato. First, vibrato goes from the pitch to below the pitch and back up to it, never above the pitch, otherwise your pitch can be wobbly and this can contribute the smoothness problem you are experiencing. Second, never press into the string with the fingers of your left hand more than necessary. The way to test this is:

Put your left hand finger on a pitch and DON'T press hard enough to make good tone.

Very slowly add pressure until you get a decent tone.

Check to see how hard you are pressing down onto the fingerboard once you have found this good tone, and compare it to how hard you press during normal playing. I'm going to guess that its 2 or 3 times harder during your normal playing time. Please realize that you only need to press down on the fingerboard enough to make a good tone...NOT MORE! Vibrato can happen easily at this pressure level.

You see, people generally use too much pressure in both hands while playing violin. You will find that the lighter you play, and the less you force, the faster your sound and pitch will improve, as well as a noticeable increase in your speed capability. Let me know if this helps, and keep on playing! --JC

Question from a Parent of an Aspiring Violinist

"Hi Mr. Cohen, I noticed that you started taking the violin lessons at an early age. My son also started at an early age and has been quite successful [list of accomplishments edited away for privacy]. My question is: did you ever go through a time when you weren't motivated? When second and third place was just fine? This kid has so much potential that it hurts to sit back and watch this happen. When he practices he does it half way. He is also in the school orchestra and was concert master, but now he is first chair in the second violins and he is okay with that. He has a wonderful teacher, so he has every opportunity to be successful but it seems like the motivation is going. If you have any suggestion I would love to hear them. Thank you."

Discussion

Your questions beckon answers on two levels. One as a violinist, and the other as a parent (I have two sons of my own), so I'll give this a try.

Your goal, I hope, is for a happy and healthy child who loves music and is likely to choose it as a career, and your actions now will make all the difference to his future. Pressuring him and setting up very high expectations may backfire; while you may drive him to early success, he may well reject music altogether as soon as he is on his own. Your child needs to be enjoying his associations with music, not dreading them. Be glad that he is happy playing in the second violin section, where he can learn harmonies and an appreciation of the inside voice. Your vision for him and his desire to be a professional violinist have time to develop.

Right now, your child is eleven. Let him enjoy being eleven. If he doesn't develop normally as an eleven year old, he will never recover this time as an adult. There were times when I preferred throwing a baseball over practicing. I took those opportunities and turned out okay, and so will he.

Question from a Visitor to this Site -- Intonation

"Hi, I play violin and I have some questions about the violin. If all of the strings are in tune isn't it true that when you play the fourth finger on a string that it should sound exactly like the open string next to it as long as you have the correct fingering? Is it not a good idea to tune a string by trying to make it sound exactly like that same note played by the fourth finger on the previous string assuming that the fingering is correct on that string and that string is in tune? I would appreciate any feedback that you could give me. Thanks."

Discussion

OK, It's been a while since you asked this, but I think I am ready to tackle your question now. The answer to your question is layered and complicated, but I'll try to simplify it as much as possible. The only absolute pitches on the violin are the open strings (provided your strings are not false). That is to say that the only pitches that will be the same every time you play them will be the open strings. There are two reasons for this:

Our fingers are made of muscle and blood, we are humans, not machines. Our fingers will not always go down precisely on the EXACT same locations (microscopically speaking). Therefore, the answer to your question is no. The pitch will vary slightly each time we put our fingers down. The only way I know to compensate tor this human flaw is to concentrate and focus on pitch intensely while playing or practicing and teach your brain to make your fingers go as close as possible to the location you are singing inside your head. The process of violin (string) playing involves developing a relationship between your inner ear and your left hand fingers (in the case of intonation). If you are singing a note in your head and your left hand finger arrives on the fingerboard out of tune, you must stop, understand what happened (i.e., flat or sharp) and focus on doing it again until you are satisfied that your left hand is responding to your internal voice and intonation. If you practice and let things slip by inaccurately, you will not be playing in tune...and we all know how painful that can be!!!

The violin is not a tempered instrument (like a piano where the pitches are pre determined and pre tuned) The notes you play will be minutely tuned to the keys and scales you are playing. For example: the key of G has an F# on the seventh tone of the scale. On a violin this pitch could be ever so slightly higher than the F# on a piano, which is adjusted (tempered) to be in tune in ALL keys. You might hear an F# from the piano which is slightly lower than you might want it played on the violin. String players intonation can be more fluid in that sense. Of course when you are playing WITH a piano, you might want to adjust your pitches TO the pitches of the piano because the notes are not flexible on the piano, and you want to sound in tune with it. You can't beat it, so you might as well join it (provided the piano IS in tune)

Question from Edison Mourino of Uruguay -- Free Resources on the Web

Estimado profesor Jeremy,
Mi nombre es Edison, soy violinista, o pretendo ser violinista de jazz.Le solicito por este medio si me puede informar como puedo bajar de internet en forma gratuita, algun programa donde pueda estudiar o practicar jazz.
Lo saluda y le agradece.

Translation: Esteemed professor Jeremy, My name is Edison, I am a violinist, and I intend to be a jazz violinist. Could you kindly inform me how I could find a program on the internet where I can study and practice jazz for free ?

Discussion

All the best resources that I have found so far have been added to my links page. Unfortunately, they are all in English and primarily deal with the history of jazz violin rather than player technique. I wish there were more free resources, but for the moment the offerings appear very limited. Please check back for new lesson postings, and let me know if your own research turns up any good, free resources that I can share. --JC

Question from Dr. Ralph Page -- Pain in Left Hand

"After a 15-year hiatus, at the age of 45, I resumed playing the violin by joining a community orchestra. There were several days that I actually mustered reasonable self-discipline, and practiced for a period exceeding half an hour, concentrating on difficult passages including lots of runs and accidentals. Now I find that the little finger of my left hand hurts when I reach to play a note (especially on the G string). My hands are small and it's a bit of a stretch, and my fingers were never very strong. The challenge of playing 4th-finger notes is serious enough to be discouraging. So, my questions are:

Is this a well-known phenomenon?

Do I have arthritis?

Is it an over-use injury?

What do people do about it?

Discussion

First, and I can't emphasize this strongly enough: consult a doctor as to whether or not you have arthritis, not me. Having said that, and assuming that you have already seen a doctor and ruled out serious problems, I would ask you questions such as: when you are using your fourth finger, do you find most frequently that you are leaving your other fingers planted, or are you using it independently of the other fingers of your hand? Another question: how far above the string are you keeping your fourth finger before using it? In other words, how far does the fourth finger have to travel before using it? And finally, perhaps most important question: how much pressure are you using? Is it enough to stop the note or is there perhaps more pressure than is necessary?

It should be said that most violin players exert too much pressure on the fingerboard with their fingers. If you consider how much pressure is necessary to stop the string, against how much pressure you actually use to stop the string, you might find that you are exerting perhaps 200-300% more pressure than it would take for that. Here is how to test for it: start with the first finger, touch it to the string (say, the A string) with not enough pressure to completely depress the string onto the fingerboard. Slowly draw the bow without pressure on the string. You will hear the note whistle because you haven't used enough pressure. Slowly add pressure until you get a solid pitch, and then stop at that point. How much pressure are you using here relative to the amount of pressure you use normally while playing? This applies to all fingers, and many players will find that they have an exhausted left hand because of the over-exertion of downward pressure. Aim for touching, not crushing; the lightest touch that still allows the string to sound.

The fourth finger has a tendency to work more effectively with the third finger planted -- this may not always be possible in passage work, but during concentrated practice time having the third finger planted and trying to plant the fourth finger as accurately as possible with the least amount of pressure possible (see Sevcik, Opus 1 Book 1). --JC