I've been constantly avoiding my pinky and neglecting it over the years, as a result I have a significantly weaker fourth finger compared to the rest😭 This video is helpful.
I'd really like a video on how to do double stops 5ths when your finger is thin. It's a real struggle when I'm on 4th position and ahead, as my finger gets into the strings. About the pinky, I also have this collapse on the same joint as you have. I am trying to round the pinky as many suggest, the way Hillary Hahn does, but, as my pinky natural inclination, is toward my thumb, it does not vibrate nicely with the rounded pinky compared to the flatter one. I also noticed many great players do more of an arm vibrato rather than wrist vibrato when using the pinkie. Others, like Agustín Hadelich, just avoid pinky as much as they can.
I second this. I physically can't do his "play the lyrical passage in 5ths" exercise because my fingers literally cannot do that without far too much tension to be comfortable.
Brilliant! All your videos are so concise and eloquent. The methods and applications are so relevant to all string players. I’m a professional violist but mostly teaching violin, viola and cello (about 95% violin), and since lockdown have decided to transfer viola skills to violin as it’s more useful for me at the moment- and to be honest, the violin repertoire is so much better! Your videos are great at pinpointing the essential elements of playing well with really sound advice which is useful to me and I’m also forwarding your videos to inspire my better pupils. Regards to pinky vibrato, I have no issue on viola but feel it’s a bit weak on violin, so it’s really useful to watch your video to help reassess my technique and application.
Playing a whole lyrical passage with pinky - definitely trying this! Awesome video, Daniel! Thank you :) My worst finger is actually 3rd (very unpopular situation) - the joint closest to my 3rd finger nail has very little mobility compared to the other fingers (can't bend much at all) so I find myself having to vibrate with a flat 3rd finger, similar to how you demo'ed with 4th and keeping hand a little lower.
Excellent tips! I wonder how can you apply the Alexander technique so well, would you make a video about this topic and posture ? Thank you for all the shared knowledge.
Great suggestion! Alexander technique is such an interesting and effective tool for body awareness. I'm not an expert, though I did study it for a little while (it helped me tremendously).
Thank you for the video ! Would you have any advices on how to practice the passing of the vibrato from one finger to another, especially to the fourth one, without stopping it, please ?
Wonderful video! Very insightful, and the instructions were technical and clear. I also appreciate the audio quality during the recording process. Thanks for posting!
Don't let the index finger fall. Too often, I see students let the index finger fall lower when they try to vibrato the pinky, especially when shifting into higher positions. The height difference index and pinky has changed so much that the index falls (in extreme situations) too low under the fingerboard. Also, the pinky can lean a bit forward contrary to popular belief especially when vibratoing. Some people's pinkies are curved more toward the center of their palms, this requiring the pinky to lean a bit more forward than others. Maintaining the same relationship between index and pinky is most important.
thanks daniel! i've always felt a bit of lack of control in my first finger as well and i can apply many of these exercise/concepts to that particular digit too. 🙏
if you want to make your Vibrato sounds better and easier, you can try to improve the flexibility and strength of your fingers. if your fingers are strong enough, you will feel more confident and relax when you do Vibrato. Flexibility will help Vibrato sounds tender and rings more. If you want to know how, try this th-cam.com/video/t8zPgfOEOYY/w-d-xo.html
Thanks very much Daniel. I have only recently discovered your videos and find them quite insightful. As I usually play Celtic fiddle styles my vibrato and especially 4th finger is quite weak when I switch to more lyrical music. I often use finger or hand vibrato and consciously avoid the 4th finger. I now have some solid ideas to work with
What makes the pinky so challenging is its fickle-ness. When it's nice and rounded, the vib is more full and round, but I find it less stable and prone to sliding than that flatter pinky you were talking about. Like you said it's all about experimentation and finding the right compromise.
For me what helped my develope strength in all fingers but specially in the fourth is "The Violin in fifhts" by Rodney friend you can find it like that on youtube. I have been playing the violin for 2 and half years , started playing it at 23 and I think I have a good fourth finger vibrato and stregth beacuse of Violin in fifths that made me realize how important is to place the pads of the fingers in the right place and also the importance of the position of the hand in order to to strengthen the muscles of the hand so there is not need to pull the arm out (just in very high positions and the g string). Also some points that you mentioned in your video where really helpfull for example using the fourth as much as possible and for me the deal breaker that it has to be curved (so the joint can move with freedom and the abductor digiti minimi can be worked out and get stronger so there is not need to pull the arm out) This is a really well organized and informative video I wish this was out whan I was learning Vibrato. Greetings from Mexico
Yo practico escalas cn 4to deso, y después de 4 vecs, lo hago con vibrato, es díficil, el sonido, pero cada día mejora... Es el sonido, solo hay q centrarse en eso...
Same for me. So far, I haven't figured out how to get much movement in the end joint of my little finger, but using the swing of the hand to pulse the finger tip produces a nice, shimmering sound. It wouldn't work if you wanted a huge romantic vibrato, but for the repertoire that interests me, it works surprisingly well. According to some sources this pulsing vibrato was used quite extensively by some of the old Bel Canto maestros - including Kreisler. I love that sound -- so that's my excuse!
Hello Daniel, Thank you for your great videos and sharing your talents! I have a question on mic setup for playing with a sound track. I've been searching for a Mic I can use for my online teaching sessions. I see at the beginning of the video you are playing the Sibelius with a sound track. I'm wondering what set up do you use? would it work on Zoom? Any advise would be greatly appreciated! Thanks so much in advance!
A pair of small diaphragm condenser Line Audio CM4 mics on a stereo bar placed overhead are cheap, linear, not so effective like expensive brands (Neumann 184 etc.), but with a good preamp like in RME Babyface Pro USB interface will sound much better than any Zoom recorder.
I would say if it's just for teaching, something like Apogee MiC Plus USB mic will be the most practical. For something cheaper a used Blue Yeti is a very good deal. After Zoom (or Skype, etc) signal compression, any decent microphone like that will sound as good as a $5000 mic with a $3000 preamp/interface! I'm not kidding! Also, doing stereo for teaching doesn't make much sense in my opinion, but I guess some people like that :) Now, if you want to do something other than just teaching and casual recording, then definitely it's worth investing in a good interface and some microphones. These days there are many low-cost options that can produce really professional results. Interface: I suggest the Apogee Element series -- incredible sound and very affordable. If you need something cheaper, I would just get a Zoom H5, because you get so much more functionality from it for portable recording, etc. Getting a $1-200 USB interface is kind of a waste. Affordable microphones: 1. Studio Projects C4 2. Behringer B5 Both of these mics sound excellent and come with interchangeable capsules, which is important if you want to do any kind of more professional sounding production. The Line Audio CM4 mentioned by Tatiana is also excellent from what I hear, though I haven't tried them myself. I would recommend using a real Digital Audio Workstation for your editing. Reaper is my favorite (and it's free), but there are many other good options. Hope that helps!
I haven't tried that all 4th finger vibrated notes in a passage... This is something to try out... For me it clearly helps simply bringing my elbow much more in front when I have a note under 4th finger that I want to vibrate. Usually many violinists bring their elbow more in front when they play on G-string in general but it helps in vibrato as well. Especially when you have a small pinky. And in doing so for vibrato, I in a way feel the tip of my elbow under my 4th finger.
Make sure you release the joints of the 1st finger on the backwards portion of the swing. Allow it to collapse completely and freely. That's a good starting point to 'right the wrongs'! Best of luck
I have shortened 4th and 5th metatarsals on my left hand... so this is very hard for me lol, especially in higher positions where I have to bring my elbow further in than I otherwise would have to. Thanks for the tips!
Thank you for your thoughtful video! (1) What are some of your favorite readings/sources on the subject? (2) Do you find that changes to scroll-height (and other parameters of instrument positioning) make an appreciable or predictable difference?
Simon Fischer's work is always good to read. He has many ideas. Some of them sort of fall flat for me, but many others are insightful or even revelatory. There are a number of books in Russian by great teachers such as Yampolsky and Yankelevich which are sadly not all translated.
I do not want to endure taxation while supporting the arts. I am going out of my way to support something I feel enriches the world, I pay the government in every other aspect of my life. Meanwhile, multi million dollar corporations pay nothing. But I won't go into that. :)
Dear Gabriel, Thank you so much for your kind support and enthusiasm. I am building some new tools for violin education and look forward to sending them to you. I am grateful any and every time you share my content with someone who you think could benefit from it!
Here Daniel I'll fix that right up for you, simply relax the last joint/knuckle (the one near the nail) and your thumb's first joint/knuckle both at the same time while you're vibrating, if you do it properly which is really easy to do for a pro like yourself, your vibrato will be flawless and it will not sound nervous at all.
@@DanielKurganov wait you thought there was a double meaning in my second comment? Sorry bro although yeah it is funny as hell. Galamian spoke about it and many more as well. You should try it seriously .
![2-finger exercise for shifting, vibrato, sound production & high positions [violin technique]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/JSRAw0Gb7Ts/mqdefault.jpg)
![2-finger exercise for shifting, vibrato, sound production & high positions [violin technique]](/img/tr.png)
I've been constantly avoiding my pinky and neglecting it over the years, as a result I have a significantly weaker fourth finger compared to the rest😭 This video is helpful.
Daniel uploads and I click. Simple as that.
Very very good so concise absolutely wonderful. Danny
40 hours 4th finger vibrato drills
Every single day!
Great explanation!
What is the name of the violinist who appears before Hilary Hahn?
Rudolf Koelman!
@@DanielKurganov Thanks for all your help and contributions, You are a great person and artist.
@@chuchu8561 thanks so much!
To the last degree.
4th finger vibrato will be the death of me. I just can’t do it.
Send me the bill.
Oh hell no, I'm done trying to vibrate pinky. What kind of torture device is this. I'll go vibrate something else
Hello dear brother we missed you 👋👋
I Wish I Could Have 4th Finger Vibrato
*Just Like Hahn*
Nice
what was the song he played in the intro? anyone knows?
How do I keep the pinkie from collapsing?
I'd really like a video on how to do double stops 5ths when your finger is thin. It's a real struggle when I'm on 4th position and ahead, as my finger gets into the strings.
About the pinky, I also have this collapse on the same joint as you have. I am trying to round the pinky as many suggest, the way Hillary Hahn does, but, as my pinky natural inclination, is toward my thumb, it does not vibrate nicely with the rounded pinky compared to the flatter one. I also noticed many great players do more of an arm vibrato rather than wrist vibrato when using the pinkie. Others, like Agustín Hadelich, just avoid pinky as much as they can.
I second this. I physically can't do his "play the lyrical passage in 5ths" exercise because my fingers literally cannot do that without far too much tension to be comfortable.
والله انك استاذ in Arabic means you great master you are so much deep in mastering the art of violin technique
Brilliant! All your videos are so concise and eloquent. The methods and applications are so relevant to all string players. I’m a professional violist but mostly teaching violin, viola and cello (about 95% violin), and since lockdown have decided to transfer viola skills to violin as it’s more useful for me at the moment- and to be honest, the violin repertoire is so much better!
Your videos are great at pinpointing the essential elements of playing well with really sound advice which is useful to me and I’m also forwarding your videos to inspire my better pupils.
Regards to pinky vibrato, I have no issue on viola but feel it’s a bit weak on violin, so it’s really useful to watch your video to help reassess my technique and application.
Playing a whole lyrical passage with pinky - definitely trying this! Awesome video, Daniel! Thank you :) My worst finger is actually 3rd (very unpopular situation) - the joint closest to my 3rd finger nail has very little mobility compared to the other fingers (can't bend much at all) so I find myself having to vibrate with a flat 3rd finger, similar to how you demo'ed with 4th and keeping hand a little lower.
Bravo Daniel! ! Great video as always!!!
Excellent tips! I wonder how can you apply the Alexander technique so well, would you make a video about this topic and posture ? Thank you for all the shared knowledge.
Great suggestion! Alexander technique is such an interesting and effective tool for body awareness. I'm not an expert, though I did study it for a little while (it helped me tremendously).
Thank you for the video ! Would you have any advices on how to practice the passing of the vibrato from one finger to another, especially to the fourth one, without stopping it, please ?
Wonderful video! Very insightful, and the instructions were technical and clear. I also appreciate the audio quality during the recording process. Thanks for posting!
This day will come🤣🤣🤣
Excellent video, Daniel! So many things to try to improve my fourth finger vibrato! Thank you so much!!
Does anyone know the name of the piece played on 6:27 ?
You've most likely found it by now but that is an excerpt of Tomaso Antonio Vitali's Chaconne in G minor
Don't let the index finger fall. Too often, I see students let the index finger fall lower when they try to vibrato the pinky, especially when shifting into higher positions. The height difference index and pinky has changed so much that the index falls (in extreme situations) too low under the fingerboard. Also, the pinky can lean a bit forward contrary to popular belief especially when vibratoing. Some people's pinkies are curved more toward the center of their palms, this requiring the pinky to lean a bit more forward than others. Maintaining the same relationship between index and pinky is most important.
best introduction ever!
thanks daniel! i've always felt a bit of lack of control in my first finger as well and i can apply many of these exercise/concepts to that particular digit too. 🙏
Thank you for your wonderful VDO! ❤️🎻🎶
Sir what must we develope in vibrato ? How long should we do exerdices !
if you want to make your Vibrato sounds better and easier, you can try to improve the flexibility and strength of your fingers.
if your fingers are strong enough, you will feel more confident and relax when you do Vibrato.
Flexibility will help Vibrato sounds tender and rings more.
If you want to know how, try this th-cam.com/video/t8zPgfOEOYY/w-d-xo.html
We all know the queen of the pinky-vibrato...
Queen Latifah?
@@DanielKurganov Perhaps. I really hope you can respond to my other comment about vibrato and intonation when you can. Thanks very much. 🙏
Hilary Hahn
Hilary hahn
Hilary Hahn is my queen
❤❤❤❤❤
Fantastic video!!
I am so glad... I got this... I have not met videos for any fourth finger vibrato or exercises... Thank you... This is so important
Thanks very much Daniel. I have only recently discovered your videos and find them quite insightful. As I usually play Celtic fiddle styles my vibrato and especially 4th finger is quite weak when I switch to more lyrical music. I often use finger or hand vibrato and consciously avoid the 4th finger. I now have some solid ideas to work with
Hello Daniel, please put subtitles in Spanish
Coming very soon!
Great thing - fantastic channel 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
What makes the pinky so challenging is its fickle-ness. When it's nice and rounded, the vib is more full and round, but I find it less stable and prone to sliding than that flatter pinky you were talking about. Like you said it's all about experimentation and finding the right compromise.
Fantastic. Absolutely great
What an intellect. Analyisist
Funny too.
Thank you.
A really great set of tips! Thank you!
For me what helped my develope strength in all fingers but specially in the fourth is "The Violin in fifhts" by Rodney friend you can find it like that on youtube.
I have been playing the violin for 2 and half years , started playing it at 23 and I think I have a good fourth finger vibrato and stregth beacuse of Violin in fifths that made me realize how important is to place the pads of the fingers in the right place and also the importance of the position of the hand in order to to strengthen the muscles of the hand so there is not need to pull the arm out (just in very high positions and the g string). Also some points that you mentioned in your video where really helpfull for example using the fourth as much as possible and for me the deal breaker that it has to be curved (so the joint can move with freedom and the abductor digiti minimi can be worked out and get stronger so there is not need to pull the arm out)
This is a really well organized and informative video I wish this was out whan I was learning Vibrato. Greetings from Mexico
Yo practico escalas cn 4to deso, y después de 4 vecs, lo hago con vibrato, es díficil, el sonido, pero cada día mejora... Es el sonido, solo hay q centrarse en eso...
I applied your “vertical” vibrato tip (press up and down on a string) to my fourth finger. Huge improvement.
awesome! it's a neat little trick.
Same for me. So far, I haven't figured out how to get much movement in the end joint of my little finger, but using the swing of the hand to pulse the finger tip produces a nice, shimmering sound. It wouldn't work if you wanted a huge romantic vibrato, but for the repertoire that interests me, it works surprisingly well. According to some sources this pulsing vibrato was used quite extensively by some of the old Bel Canto maestros - including Kreisler. I love that sound -- so that's my excuse!
Hello Daniel,
Thank you for your great videos and sharing your talents!
I have a question on mic setup for playing with a sound track. I've been searching for a Mic I can use for my online teaching sessions. I see at the beginning of the video you are playing the Sibelius with a sound track. I'm wondering what set up do you use? would it work on Zoom? Any advise would be greatly appreciated!
Thanks so much in advance!
A pair of small diaphragm condenser Line Audio CM4 mics on a stereo bar placed overhead are cheap, linear, not so effective like expensive brands (Neumann 184 etc.), but with a good preamp like in RME Babyface Pro USB interface will sound much better than any Zoom recorder.
I would say if it's just for teaching, something like Apogee MiC Plus USB mic will be the most practical. For something cheaper a used Blue Yeti is a very good deal. After Zoom (or Skype, etc) signal compression, any decent microphone like that will sound as good as a $5000 mic with a $3000 preamp/interface! I'm not kidding!
Also, doing stereo for teaching doesn't make much sense in my opinion, but I guess some people like that :)
Now, if you want to do something other than just teaching and casual recording, then definitely it's worth investing in a good interface and some microphones. These days there are many low-cost options that can produce really professional results.
Interface:
I suggest the Apogee Element series -- incredible sound and very affordable.
If you need something cheaper, I would just get a Zoom H5, because you get so much more functionality from it for portable recording, etc. Getting a $1-200 USB interface is kind of a waste.
Affordable microphones:
1. Studio Projects C4
2. Behringer B5
Both of these mics sound excellent and come with interchangeable capsules, which is important if you want to do any kind of more professional sounding production. The Line Audio CM4 mentioned by Tatiana is also excellent from what I hear, though I haven't tried them myself.
I would recommend using a real Digital Audio Workstation for your editing. Reaper is my favorite (and it's free), but there are many other good options.
Hope that helps!
Great vid.!
I haven't tried that all 4th finger vibrated notes in a passage... This is something to try out... For me it clearly helps simply bringing my elbow much more in front when I have a note under 4th finger that I want to vibrate. Usually many violinists bring their elbow more in front when they play on G-string in general but it helps in vibrato as well. Especially when you have a small pinky. And in doing so for vibrato, I in a way feel the tip of my elbow under my 4th finger.
My 1st finger vibrato is worst. With 2nd and 3rd finger my vibrato sounds most juicy.
Make sure you release the joints of the 1st finger on the backwards portion of the swing. Allow it to collapse completely and freely. That's a good starting point to 'right the wrongs'! Best of luck
I have shortened 4th and 5th metatarsals on my left hand... so this is very hard for me lol, especially in higher positions where I have to bring my elbow further in than I otherwise would have to. Thanks for the tips!
Glad it helped! I have a short 4th finger, and it certainly required me to come up with "alternative solutions".
Thank you for your thoughtful video!
(1) What are some of your favorite readings/sources on the subject?
(2) Do you find that changes to scroll-height (and other parameters of instrument positioning) make an appreciable or predictable difference?
Simon Fischer's work is always good to read. He has many ideas. Some of them sort of fall flat for me, but many others are insightful or even revelatory. There are a number of books in Russian by great teachers such as Yampolsky and Yankelevich which are sadly not all translated.
what piece did you play in the intro? Many thanks.
Sibelius violin concerto :)
Hi Daniel, is there another way to support you aside from Patreon? Thank you
I do not want to endure taxation while supporting the arts. I am going out of my way to support something I feel enriches the world, I pay the government in every other aspect of my life. Meanwhile, multi million dollar corporations pay nothing. But I won't go into that. :)
Dear Gabriel, Thank you so much for your kind support and enthusiasm. I am building some new tools for violin education and look forward to sending them to you. I am grateful any and every time you share my content with someone who you think could benefit from it!
Here Daniel I'll fix that right up for you, simply relax the last joint/knuckle (the one near the nail) and your thumb's first joint/knuckle both at the same time while you're vibrating, if you do it properly which is really easy to do for a pro like yourself, your vibrato will be flawless and it will not sound nervous at all.
You're a funny dude :) Тhanks for watching!
@@DanielKurganov wait you thought there was a double meaning in my second comment? Sorry bro although yeah it is funny as hell. Galamian spoke about it and many more as well. You should try it seriously .
@@vartago Not double meaning, and nothing wrong with what you're saying; just your entertaining delivery :)
Daniel Kurganov, Violinist There’s nothing better than laughter to take the stress right off those fingers ;)
@@vartago famous cello professor who will remain unnamed used to say to his students (before MeToo) "Relax your a$$hole". It actually works.
Could someone name the excellent violinist at 2:15 for me? It would be greatly appreciated.
Looks like Rudolf Koelman to me.
Yes, it's Rudolf Koelman, my former mentor!