Some artistic thoughts on being a musician, and some technical thoughts on playing

a string instrument.

Henk Guittart

My position as a musician is definitely in favor of the composer and against the

instrument. With thanks to Rudolf Kolisch, who used this opening sentence as
I see it as our task to be advocates of the composers, and serve as their voices to the
audiences. So, it is not about our instrument, or about us, but about the composer (= the
music).
Composers are our teachers and the only real masters; they are the masters as in master
class. We are extremely fortunate to be able to be in close touch with the greatest minds
in music of the past 300 years on a daily basis.
I believe that we are usually neglecting the composers of our own time, which is a lesson
that we can learn from the past, from music history.
Composers are and have always been ahead of us, both in artistic and esthetic
development as well as in demanding new techniques from us.
In general we musicians are conservative and defensive. Whenever confronted with new
difficulties we rather say “that is impossible” in stead of seeing it as a challenge and
practicing it, while using all our creative intelligence to solve the “problem”.
I feel that we are obliged to develop our instrumental skills and our musical intelligence
to the limits of our possibilities.
Musical intuition (“just follow your intuition”) in my opinion is actually musical
intelligence, as in understanding and musical taste, both developed by listening to lots of
music and teachers and doing lots of reading too.
There is a lot to learn and know about music and about performance practice, not only of
the baroque and classical or romantic periods, but also of the 20th century. Please try to
read as much as possible about styles and ideas of composers. Sources such as Leopold
Mozart, J. Quantz, C.Ph.E. Bach, C. Czerny, Tromlitz, Clive Brown, Sandra Rosenblum,
Frans Vester (on Mozart) Spohr, Flesch et cetera, will help you understand different ways
of performing. Since around 1900 we have the advantage of recorded performances.
Do not attempt to learn a piece from or with help of a recording. This is only helpful in
case of an emergency “gig”, or in case you will be performing with the artist(s) that are
performing on the recording, to get acquainted with their interpretation.
Go for the score, which is the only way. Compare it with reading a script. Actors would
read the entire play, all lines of all characters, not just their own lines. We tend to jump
on our part, with our instruments, without even reading and studying the score. The
comparison with actors shows us how wrong we are.
In my experience it pays off to leave the instrument in its case until you have an idea
about the composition in its entirety and even about your part in some details, like
bowings and fingerings. Train your imagination by finding bowings and fingerings
without your instrument. You will learn a lot from comparing your “paper plans” with the
practical ideas and results. And you will bring the two nearer over the years. It also gives
you something to do in trains and planes.
If you are biased because of a performance of a certain piece which you heard over and
over, listening to a specific recording ever since your youth, try to brainwash yourself by
listening to as many different interpretations of that particular piece as you can get hold
of.
If people think that music can only be performed in a certain (one) way, they do injustice
to the many aspects of great music. This includes certain exclusiveness attributed to some
performers (the historic misunderstanding of Lotte Lenya singing Kurt Weill, most critics
keep parroting after each other over the past decades that that is the way one should sing
Weill, forgetting that the recordings they usually know are made by Lenya when she was
a shadow, voice wise, of what she was in the 20’s and 30’s when she inspired Weill)
The very different and not satisfying but authorized “authentic” recordings of Ravel‘s
String Quartet, which were made in his presence and with his written approval, show us
that there is no truth in these matters.
Prokovief had two very differently marked scores of his own first violin concerto, which
he used when conducting for Oistrakh or Milstein.
Sometimes composers praise you for finding aspects in their music that they had not been
aware of. Be happy when this happens!

Recordings and scores of other works of that same composer you are concentrating on
might help broaden your horizon and finding your interpretation. If a composer was/is
also a performer, make sure you get hold of everything in terms of recordings that is
available. But don’t think in awe that that is the only way of performing his/her music.
Often second performances/recordings show different ways and different timings.

Always be mistrustful towards editions, even to so-called Urtext editions (the Henle
edition of the Brahms viola/clarinet sonatas contained an ugly mistake in the viola part,
which I even heard on concerts and exams, since nobody took the trouble of comparing
part and score, they have now finally corrected it, without telling us...).
Try to get the newest/latest information and always compare parts and score of works
before the computer-printing era. There are no rules on which to trust more in the case of
chamber works, parts or score, since sometimes the composers worked closely with the
first performers and the results of that co-operation can then be seen in the later printed
parts. Some master works still come in lousy first prints: The Ravel Quartet parts and
score contained more then 600 mistakes, including wrong notes and missing (!) notes.
The Urtext of 2008 is much better, but adds new mistakes....
Some one-liners:
I like to spend my life with music that is better than it can be performed (Artur Schnabel)
All over the world string players are being educated to develop a tone for which there is
no repertoire. (Walter Levin, LaSalle Quartet)
Recording is preservation by destruction (Artur Schnabel)
A musician is as good as her/his NEXT concert. (Brian Pollard)
I would rather hear a beautiful and soulful performance on a mouth organ, than a dull one
on a period instrument. (Frans Brueggen)
Rather an authentic mind than an authentic instrument (Frans Vester)
Authentic to me means: what convinces me today (Gustav Leonhardt)
A musician can always play louder/softer/slower/faster than she/he thinks (H.G.)
Why is it that we start playing spiccato/staccatissimo as soon as we spot a dot? (H.G.)
It is important to be together AFTER the concert (Fritz Kreisler)

TECHNIQUE ISSUES

Body
- standing position (feet under hips, knees unlocked, shoulders straight, neck
straight, do not look at your fingers) Advices: practice in the dark/ use chewing
gum to relax your muscles in your jaws/ walk while playing/use a
mirror/camera/recording of your self.
- Sitting position. Use a chair without backrest, knee joints must be considerable
lower than hip joints. Keep your lower back flexible. Ask for changeable piano
benches.
- Be aware of your breathing and the connection with your pick up and cueing. Try
to continue normal breathing. Do not connect your breathing to your articulation
too much.
- Try to do Yamuna/yoga/Pilates/ Alexander technique. Do stretching. You need
your body to work optimal. Learn more about it. We do a lot of asymmetrical
exercises which need to be corrected. Swimming is good too.
- When in pain: STOP and seek immediate professional help. Massage therapists,
physiotherapists, acupuncturists can help much more than you might think.

VIOLA/Violin/Cello/Bass

- Practice the chromatic scale from the lowest open string upwards to 3 octaves.
Slow, use first for a long time the 1-2-3-4 fingering system, and play in waltz
meter and long-short/long-short rhythm. Always slur two notes. Take each
chromatic step very consciously and listen to your sound and intonation. Mind all
 string crossings and shifts. Take them under your “microscope”. The chromatic
scale will help you find fingerings in all styles of music, and will help you from
keeping playing any small chromatic passage always like 1-1,2-2,3-3. You can
later start doing all other possible chromatic fingerings, including 1/2/1/2/1/2 or
2/3/2/3/2/3 or 3/4/3/4/3/4.
- Practice whole tone scales, again always slurring two notes; there are two scales,
one starting on the open C-string, one starting on the first finger D-flat on the C-
string. Use waltz meter and the same rhythm as above, and vary your volume.
This will get you in the “fourth” position on the A-string, without audible shifts.
- Practice diatonic scales, and use them to vary with bow strokes. Use the well-
tempered system. Get rid of so called “ high or low leading tones” or using
melodic intonation, they are invalid ever since Bach (Wohltemperierte Clavier)
and Beethoven (using D sharp and E-flat in the same chord, try to do that in the
“old” system”) no matter what history or tradition dictates. Of course there is
always such a thing as coloring with your intonation as an effect, or just playing
out of tune, which we all do all of our lives.
- Practice octaves and perfect fourth harmonics. They help you build a solid 1-4
grip in your left hand. Always start octaves from the lower note, and use waltz
meter and always connect by slurring two octaves or harmonics.
- Try leaving as much as possible fingers on the string during certain exercises.
Support your weaker (4rth) fingers with the finger below it, also in vibrato.
- Study the very keen method of Terje Moe Hansen for an amazing addition of
exercises in how to get to know your fingerboard. In my opinion his method is the
first major innovative contribution to string instrument playing of the past 100
years. I recommend his books strongly, and urge you to study this method. It will
give you a much more secure left hand, in all repertoire, but certainly in 20th
century repertoire, because his method also helps you find other fingerings.
- Don’t vibrate important fingers, but important meaningful notes. Try to get a lot
of variation in your vibrato, in terms of speed and amplitude and using fingers,
wrists and arms. And occasionally use your bow to vibrate.
- Try to develop “bow speed accelerando”, by dividing all your long legato bow
strokes so that you save at the beginning and have always enough bow left for
your very last note. Every change (bow, position, string) “eats up” your bow.
- Shifting: make a distinction between shifting (technical movements) and
portamento, as a musical gesture and element (two different kinds, or 1st method
and 2nd method). The audience is not interested in your fingerings; try to get rid of
all the customary burping and slurping sounds that we are so familiar with. Make
stylistic good use of beginning or ending portamento. Practice slowly all shifts,
and make up your mind as how you want them to be, unnoticeable, or one of the
two portamento kinds. The first method with two different bow strokes: you slide
with the finger that you have played with, and in the “old” bow. At the beginning
of the “new” bow you place your new finger. (This is what I notice most of
you/us do all the time). In one legato bow one has to be very delicate with this.
Keep the pressure of the finger and of the bow, and listen to the speed of the slide.
The 2nd method with two bow strokes: you finish the old bow with the old finger
(do not stop the bow! Do not prepare, by already going up!) then in the very
 beginning of the new bow slide up with the finger you are going to play. Of
course in all cases this also could be the same finger as you ended with. Practice
the 2nd method, since it will be very useful to have different means of expression
and also with the 2nd method one can almost completely avoid audible shifting,
even over large distances on the fingerboard.
- Exercise your vibrato, try different techniques, fingers/hand/elbow-arm. Speed up
and down, with increase of volume, use hairpin technique. Put your wrist against
your viola/violin, or use a matchbox between wrist and instrument. Use rhythms,
with metronome. Be patient, it might take you at least a year to change your
vibrato to your likings. Record your sound regularly. Practice everything also
without vibrato “make-up” and see how beautiful your sound and expression can
be. And how well in tune you can play without make-up.
- Practice your pizzicato. Use arco studies, like Mazas or Kreutzer, involving string
crossing. Try to use your “second finger”, it has more flesh, and your bow grip
can remain. For fast alternating of arco-pizz it is a must. Try using two fingers,
alternating, and also two or even three fingers in chords, already apparent in
Haydn quartets. Practice arpeggio pizzicato. And try to speed up your pizzicato. I
would not vibrate before or on the actual pizzicato, unless you want a special
effect. To my ears it sounds often like a Hawaii guitar (nice instrument too btw).
If you vibrate, do it after the plucking, you might even prolong the sound. If you
or the composers want the shortest possible pizz, lift your left hand finger
immediately after plucking, and you will get a staccato-pizz effect. If you have to
pizz on a harmonic, use the guitar technique: leave immediately after plucking, so
the harmonic sounds very long. Try different positions on the finger board, to find
out what sounds best.
- Focus on the beginnings of your notes, and connect with your breathing. Try not
always to attack from the string, but exercise nice circles, both up and down bow,
to land on the string like a swan in the pond.
- Think in distances, not in keys. Be aware of the fact that enharmonizing the notes
might help you a lot to find better fingerings, and to avoid unnecessary 1-1
fingerings, in half position, which you would never do in 1st position.
- If you suffer, like so many of us, from wolf tones on E, E flat, or F, F#, try to use
your 4th finger on the G string and simultaneously use your 1st finger on the C
string, the lower octave, to create a better sound.
- Do not neglect the last note or sound before any bow change or shift. Use fast
notes to check if you are still good connected to the string at the end of your
bows.
- It might be helpful to “forget” about thinking too much in positions of the left
hand. Think about Kolisch’s remark that in fact a chromatic numbering of the
positions, taking it from the first finger, would be better perhaps. His system
never made it, but I like the idea very much.
- Think of at least 5 positions between the ponticello and sul tasto positions of your
right arm. Try to play an easy study and remain in the chosen position. Vary bow
pressure and speed.
- We have a ½ position, as well as a 2nd and 4th. Start using them today, as they
come very handy, (especially on the viola.)
 - Use more upper half of the bow and middle of the bow to play short notes. We do
too much spiccato playing in too many styles, where it is not appropriate to the
context. Spiccato is a mechanical bowing which does not allow you much variety
in emphasis, length or rubato or shape of the notes.
- Practice reverse bow, also in dotted rhythms. It will help you develop to speak
better with your bow
- Try to make more use of the fact that any down or up bow can be followed by
another down or up bow, without retakes.
- Try to make more use of the bow hair. I liked to play almost always with full hair,
even in pp, but certainly when playing harmonics (go close to the bridge too) and
sul ponticello.
- A slur with dots is almost always meant as portato, not as staccato. So play “bad
legato”!
- If in articulation the last note of a slur is the same as the first note of the next
bow/slur, speak very well, “al dente”, and think of any poetic words. We can
differentiate too between t/d/w/p/m/v/z/s attacks!
- Do not shift in a slur, just for technical reasons, only for musical. Also not
because the fingering is printed (thank you old Peters Editions!). Find the best
musical place to shift, and scan you part for sloppy shifts.(“Shift happens...”)
- Annually clean your instrument inside, by putting some hard rice into the f-holes,
thru a paper. Shake long and well, and get rid of the rice and………
- Be your own teacher, make a checklist if something is not sounding/working well
(bow speed, place of bow, pressure of bow, amount of bow, amount of hair, right
string? Right slur? Right vibrato? Right tempo? Right melos/ expression?
- Carl Flesch pointed out that it makes sense to do a real dress rehearsal, in other
words play the piece or program that you are playing at least once, and at least
one day before the concert in the dress or suit (and shoes!) which you intend to
wear at the concert. Bowties and high heels can suddenly feel awkward, and
shoulders might suddenly be limited when you raise your arm.

Performance Practice

I value besides musicality and talent also very much an optimal knowledge of
performance practice. As I see it, there is a lot to know about music, and it is not
sufficient to just" feel" about music. Certainly not for professional musicians.

Considering the important literature on performance practice, here are my

recommendations; meant as an encouragement these are the most important books to
read, sometimes you can use them as reference books. Please do consider the fact that
despite the original intentions, like being a flute handbook, these are of great interest for
ALL musicians!

A ) recent literature (very often quoting from all sources)

1) Frans Vester - W.A. Mozart on the performance of the works for wind instruments.
Ed. Broekmans en Van Poppel, Amsterdam (also available in Dutch)
2) Clive Brown-Classical & Romantic Performance Practice 1750-1900 Ed. Oxford
University Press
3) Antony Burton - A Performers Guide to music of the classical period. Ed. The
associated board of the Royal Schools of music
4) Sandra P. Rosenblum Performance Practices in Classic Piano Music: Their
Principles and Applications

B) the old sources (I give the original titles and languages, most books are translated in to
English, just Google and you will find them, they are not really expensive, and a source
of inspiration for the rest of your professional music life) )

1) Johann Joachim Quantz -Versuch einer Anweisung die Flöte traversiere zu spielen ....
(Berlin 1752)
2) Johann Georg Tromlitz - Ausführlicher und gründlicher Unterricht die Flöte zu spielen
(Leipzig 1791)
3) Carl Philip Emanuel Bach- Versuch über die wahre Art , das Clavier zu spielen (two
volumes, Berlin 1753 & 1762)
4) Leopold Mozart - Gründliche Violinschule (Augsburg 1756)
5) Tosi-Agricola- Anleitung zur Singkunst. (Berlin 1757)
6) Daniel Gottlob Tuerk - Klavierschule (Leipzig 1789)
7) Carl Czerny- Über den richtigen Vortrag der sämtlichen Beethoven'schen
Klavierwerke, nebst Czerny's "Erinnerungen an Beethoven", edited by Paul Badura-
Skoda (also in English available) Universal Edition 13340

The Rudolf Kolisch article "Tempo and Character in Beethoven" is very important too.
You can get this from me by E-mail.

Henk Guittart, 2015