In the course of my research, I've come across a book about the physiology of violin playing from 1971 by a Hungarian team of musicologists, psychologists, and physiologists. It is WACKY.
They did experiments to see what happened to musculature, breathing, and heart-rate when violinists were playing. The test subjects are not named, but they played Bach and Paganini under experimental conditions and consented to have x-rays taken of the left hand in fifth position. One guy is pictured standing in his underwear with electrodes strapped to his body as he plays.
Hundreds of pages of 'electro-myography’, phasic-this and motor-that later, I’m not really sure what was the point of all this. The authors even issue a disclaimer that none of their results are conclusive.
One point that jumped out at me was an experiment showing the correlation between breathing and bowing. They put face masks on violinists while they played Bach’s Minuet from the E-major Partita and found that upbeats, upbows, and inhalations all lined up. Were the violinists aware of this? Was this something ‘natural’ or learned? If it was learned, was it specific to a particular style of playing or style of music?
Violinists talk about stuff like this all the time and it's often the unconscious habits and their being contrary to what we think we're doing that I find intriguing.
The physiology of violin playing is a fascinating topic in itself but, it seems to me, the really interesting questions arise where it ends.
Szende, Ottó and Mihály Nemessuri. The Physiology of Violin Playing. With a Foreword by Yehudi Menuhin; Preface by Paul Rolland; translated from the Hungarian by I. Szmodis. (London: Collet’s, 1971).
A lecturer at Uni was trying to argue this point with me on Friday!! I am of the opinion that when the brain knows the structure of a piece, pure willpower will tell the fingers what notes to play in order to get around them and for me it works! I was told that I really need to work out the motor skills involved and what wrist position is needed for varying speeds of music! I wonder if I actually knew all this whether I would ever be able to play anything!! Of course, I understand how useful it is for us humans to know everything we possibly can, and can see the possible benefit in teaching methods, but I think I'll stick to my methods for now!! (although I might have to sell out a little to get a good mark on my assignment!!!)
ReplyDeleteWell, I think what's needed is the combination of an analytical understanding of the score, motor skills (discipline of the body through practice), and an expressive intent. You are right to question methods -- to learn is to know how to teach yourself.
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