How a Violinist Plays Ponticello
A couple days ago I fielded a question asking how to play ponticello easily and with a great sound.
Now, in case you didn't know this, ponticello is a 'special effect' in a violinist's bag of tricks.
It is produced when the bow tracks so close to the bridge that the string produces many higher frequencies not part of the normal overtone series.
The result is a kind of eerie, windy color to the sound.
Now, there are two issues that make the execution of this effect a little more challenging than drawing a pure tone.
First, it is critical that the bow track right next to the bridge without deviation.
You'll notice that when you draw a normal tone, the bow can wander back and forth between bridge and fingerboard to some extent without negatively impacting the sound - one likes to avoid this, but it can happen.
As soon as the bow wanders from the bridge in ponticello, however, the effect disappears immediately.
The second issue is control.
Because the bow is not fully 'in the string,' as we say in string parlance, there is, in fact, a greater tendency for hidden tensions in the bow arm to manifest in just the wandering mentioned above.
Sometimes, as when the bow suddenly passes OVER the bridge - and this happens to everyone at one time or another - this 'wandering' becomes more akin to an alarming betrayal.
So, how to practice this technique so it is secure and well behaved? First thing I would do is some slow, quiet, long bows ponticello to get in touch with the purity of my bow stroke, from tip to frog.
Once you've gotten a sense of the bow placement, you can begin playing some scales and arpeggios using the entire length of the bow; very smooth, no spaces between the notes.
At first you may want to play single notes per bow.
As the constancy of the bow stroke increases, however, I suggest you slur notes together until reaching eight or twelve to a stroke.
Gradually you will also increase the weight on the string - relaxed arm weight.
Now, ponticello is also often called for in combination with tremolo, a fast, repeated, and unmeasured stroking of one note.
And to practice this variant I recommend arriving at tremolo by starting at a slow rate of speed using just the forearm.
From there gradually increase the speed and narrow the travel of the bow.
As you stroke more rapidly begin to add arm weight, if, that is, you need to perform the effect in forte.
The secret to all this is the purity of your detache.
I do not use my wrist - unless I'm feeling quite lazy - to produce the tremolo; simply the forearm.
In short, the elbow joint must be absolutely free of restriction.
Ponticello really forces you to separate the vertical weight of the arm from the relaxed horizontal movements of the arm.
It requires absolute freedom in the joints of the right arm.
And these together make it an excellent tool for sharpening the efficiency and purity of your bow arm.
Now, in case you didn't know this, ponticello is a 'special effect' in a violinist's bag of tricks.
It is produced when the bow tracks so close to the bridge that the string produces many higher frequencies not part of the normal overtone series.
The result is a kind of eerie, windy color to the sound.
Now, there are two issues that make the execution of this effect a little more challenging than drawing a pure tone.
First, it is critical that the bow track right next to the bridge without deviation.
You'll notice that when you draw a normal tone, the bow can wander back and forth between bridge and fingerboard to some extent without negatively impacting the sound - one likes to avoid this, but it can happen.
As soon as the bow wanders from the bridge in ponticello, however, the effect disappears immediately.
The second issue is control.
Because the bow is not fully 'in the string,' as we say in string parlance, there is, in fact, a greater tendency for hidden tensions in the bow arm to manifest in just the wandering mentioned above.
Sometimes, as when the bow suddenly passes OVER the bridge - and this happens to everyone at one time or another - this 'wandering' becomes more akin to an alarming betrayal.
So, how to practice this technique so it is secure and well behaved? First thing I would do is some slow, quiet, long bows ponticello to get in touch with the purity of my bow stroke, from tip to frog.
Once you've gotten a sense of the bow placement, you can begin playing some scales and arpeggios using the entire length of the bow; very smooth, no spaces between the notes.
At first you may want to play single notes per bow.
As the constancy of the bow stroke increases, however, I suggest you slur notes together until reaching eight or twelve to a stroke.
Gradually you will also increase the weight on the string - relaxed arm weight.
Now, ponticello is also often called for in combination with tremolo, a fast, repeated, and unmeasured stroking of one note.
And to practice this variant I recommend arriving at tremolo by starting at a slow rate of speed using just the forearm.
From there gradually increase the speed and narrow the travel of the bow.
As you stroke more rapidly begin to add arm weight, if, that is, you need to perform the effect in forte.
The secret to all this is the purity of your detache.
I do not use my wrist - unless I'm feeling quite lazy - to produce the tremolo; simply the forearm.
In short, the elbow joint must be absolutely free of restriction.
Ponticello really forces you to separate the vertical weight of the arm from the relaxed horizontal movements of the arm.
It requires absolute freedom in the joints of the right arm.
And these together make it an excellent tool for sharpening the efficiency and purity of your bow arm.
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