![]() This problem possibly only significantly affects smaller hands Try the “Mary’s Harmonic Lamb” example above (with natural harmonics) to see if this is also true for you. ![]() the complete absence of finger pressure in natural harmonics can lead us to unconsciously relax the hand so much that we no longer separate the fingers sufficiently to reach the required distances, especially in the case of extensions.The simultaneous combination of total relaxation of finger pressure with the need for tension in other parts of the hand can however create some curious situations: Harmonics give our left hand the unique, wonderful and almost magically effortless experience of playing without finger pressure. What a difference 1000km and 50 years can make ! The French Impressionists (Debussy, Ravel etc) make very frequent use of harmonics whereas Brahms, Wagner and the other German Romantics basically never use them. Harmonics not only encourage us to play with our bow point-of-contact closer to the bridge, they also encourage us to use faster bow speeds and lighter bow pressure than we would for “normal” notes. In fact, “sul ponticello” doesn’t exist for harmonics: no matter how close to the bridge our bow is, it is quite difficult to get the sound of a harmonic to “break”. A harmonic played “sul tasto” (with the bow over the fingerboard) is a harmonic that risks not sounding. Compare the following four versions of Mary Had A Little Lamb: one is played normally while the other three are played with harmonics of different types (natural and artificial).įor harmonics, we not only can, but probably even need to, use a point of contact somewhat closer to the bridge than for normal (stopped) notes. When playing harmonics, volume, vibrato, density and intensity are replaced by purity, lightness and innocence. When using harmonics we are transformed from opera singer into child soprano, from bass (or tenor) to falsetto (countertenor). ![]() For both the left hand and the right hand, harmonics teach us to use delicacy and lightness, rather than pressure. Harmonics take us into a different physical and sound world from normal stopped notes and can teach us a lot, especially about “not forcing”. Before we talk about the differences between these two types of harmonic, let’s talk about their similarities. Harmonics can be divided into “ Natural Harmonics” (only one finger touches the string) and “ Artificial Harmonics” (a lower finger – usually the thumb – actually stops the string firmly, while a higher finger just touches the string gently). “Harmonics” refer to the notes that sound when instead of stopping the string firmly with a finger, we just touch it lightly.
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