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The Joy of Feuillard – A Sequential Approach to Teaching Bow Technique (Part 19 – Feuillard No. 34 – Variations #6-12)

Robert Jesselson

Last week’s Blog dealt with some Arc and Figure Eight bowing figures. Today’s blog will continue the Feuillard variations in No. 34 with some Wave and Circle bowing figures, and add some detaché motions to the mix. The string crossings here should happen with the upper arm, and the detaché stroke is with the lower arm.

Variations #6 and #7:

     

In these variations we have both horizontal and vertical motions. The vertical motion is the string crossing – in this case going from the D-string to the A-string with the upper arm.  The horizontal motion is the detaché with the lower arm.  The important thing is that when there are two different motions going on simultaneously (vertical and horizontal) we should use two different part of the arm.

For example, in the third movement of the Saint-Saens concerto we have sautillé strokes and string crossings happening at the same time. The sautillé (horizontal motion) happens with the wrist (or for some people with the lower arm) and the string crossing (vertical motion) should happen with the upper arm.

 

 

We will see much more of this issue in Variations #9-#22.

 

 

One has to be particularly vigilant about using the upper arm for the string crossings at the tip. There is a temptation to use the lower arm if one is not careful, but that would produce a lot of tension in the elbow joint, and could be a source of a bigger problem: tendonitis.

Variation #8:

   

This variation is a Wave. Eventually waves will happen with either the fingers, wrist or upper arm – depending on the tempo, the dynamics, and the part of the bow. We will explore this further in the next Blog by doing exercises for each part of the arm. However in Variation #8 the tempo is not too fast, and we are using the whole bow with a big sound. So we should use the upper arm for this wave.

It is important for students to be aware of using the right part of the arm for the string crossings at this point in their development and ingrain the correct kinesthesiology into their body. Otherwise the bad habit of using the lower arm for string crossings will remain and some years later they may suddenly have pain or “tennis elbow”.  I believe in preventative medicine!

 

 

Variation #9:

The string crossing in this variation is a Circle. If we play just the first two notes (not the repeated notes) and repeat them one can see the circular motion that is involved.

With this variation we have the first of several exercises for string crossings with the detaché stroke added. Again, it is really important for the students to understand that when we have two different motions (vertical and horizontal) two different parts of the arm move independently. In this case we are using the lower arm for the detaché and the upper arm for the string crossing.

 

 

Variations #10, #11, and #12:

The next three variations continue with this work, adding bow distribution to the mix. A lot of the issues here involve coordination: which part of the arm to use, finding the right balances, and using vibrato.  In Variation #11 I spoke with Tristan about the “twist” motion of the lower back and shoulders. These large muscles can help a lot with releasing tension from the fingers. In other words, if one balances on the finger that is playing, one can eliminate unnecessary tension in the other fingers. But rather than lifting the fingers that are not being used, we can use the twist motion to the upper body to move the arm from string to string. In that way the fingers that are not being used are automatically released from pushing down on the string. And as a result the hand is more relaxed and will be able to vibrate more easily. But all this involves using the right choreography.

 

 

Next week’s blog will present several exercises which isolate the wrist and the fingers. The “box” exercises work with the movement of the wrist, and the “puppet” exercises work with the fingers. After the students can do these exercises easily, they need to do the bowing figures with just the wrist and then with just the fingers in order to have the flexibility to do the wave motion and fast string crossings. We will explore all this next week.

*If you have questions or comments about The Joy of Feuillard, Dr. Robert Jesselson can be reached directly at rjesselson@mozart.sc.edu.

 

Subjects: Repertoire, Technique

Tags: circle, Coordination, Feuillard, string crossings, Teaching, The Joy of Feuillard, wave

AUTHOR

Robert Jesselson

Robert Jesselson is a Carolina Distinguished Professor at the University of South Carolina, where he teaches cello and plays in the American Arts Trio and the Jesselson/Fugo Duo. In 2013 he was named as the Governor’s Professor of the Year by Governor Haley and the SC Commission on Higher Education.

Dr. Jesselson has performed in recital and with orchestras in Europe, Asia, South America, and the United States, and has participated in the Music Festivals at Nice (France), Granada (Spain), Santiago (Spain), Aspen (CO), Spoleto (SC), the Grand Tetons (WY), and the Festival Inverno (Brazil). His performance degrees are from the Staatliche Hochschule fuer Musik in Freiburg, West Germany, from the Eastman School of Music, where he studied with Paul Katz, and the DMA from Rutgers where he studied with cellist Bernard Greenhouse. He has been principal cello of the South Carolina Philharmonic Orchestra, and the Orquesta-Sinfonica de Las Palmas, Spain. In 1983 Dr. Jesselson was in China for a six-month residency, one of the first Western cellists to visit that country. During that time he performed as soloist, gave master classes, and taught at several conservatories (including Beijing, Shanghai, and Canton). In December, 2001 he led a delegation of string players and teachers to Cuba to begin professional contact with Cuban musicians. He has also taught at Sookmyung University in Korea, Sun Yat Sen University in Taiwan, University of Auckland in New Zealand, at the Royal College of Music in London and recently in St. Lucia in the Caribbean. His recent CD of new music for cello and piano is called “Carolina Cellobration” and is available on CD Baby and Cellos2Go.

Dr. Jesselson was the national President of ASTA, the American String Teachers Association, from 2000-2002. During his tenure as president he initiated the National Studio Teachers Forums (2000 and 2002), started the National String Project Consortium (with sites now at 44 universities and grants of $3.1 million), and began the planning for the first stand-alone ASTA national convention in 2003. He was the founding Executive Director of the National String Project Consortium, and is currently on the NSPC Board.

Dr. Jesselson is former conductor of the USC University Orchestra and the Columbia Youth Orchestra, and he was the cello teacher at the S.C. Governor’s School for the Arts for 17 years. For 15 years he was the director of the USC String Project, building the program into one of the largest and most prominent string education programs in the country. His pioneering work on this program was recognized in an article in the New York Times in December, 2003. ASTA awarded him the “Marvin Rabin Community Service” Award in 2009 for his work with the NSPC and teacher training. He is the recipient of the 2015 USC Trustees Professorship and the 2010 Mungo Distinguished Professor of the Year, the highest teaching awards given by USC. He has also been awarded the 2002 Cantey Award for Outstanding Faculty, the 1992 Verner Award, the 1989 S.C. Arts Commission Artist Fellowship, the 1995 Mungo Teaching Award, and the first SC ASTA Studio Teacher Award in 2005. Next summer Dr. Jesselson will be teaching cello at the Green Mountain Music Festival in Vermont and at the Cellospeak Festival. He plays a 1716 Jacques Boquay cello.

Robert Jesselson contact information: RJesselson@Mozart.sc.edu

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