A good way to find a released left hand.
Take a regular wire coat hanger and set up the left hand fingers along the long part as if it is one of the cello strings. Holding the hanger more or less at the location of the fingerboard (with the right hand), pull into the hanger with the left arm in playing position. You should feel no involvement from the thumb, but all the arm and back muscles will feel involved in a good way. It can feel as though you are pulling or hanging on the coat hanger. Transfer this same feeling onto the cello, feeling the soft thumb and easy transfer of weight into the strings.
This one works well as a teaching tool when setting up the left hand or when trying to help find the feeling of a released thumb.
No comments:
Post a Comment