CONTINUATION. STACCATO.
A famous German chamber violinist once remarked to me, “I find that
staccato playing is the best exercise for bowing, but I can’t say why.”
The reason, however, lies in the fact that, by frequently playing with
the end of the bow, or with the staccato-stroke, the muscles of the
wrist are put in motion, thus undergoing a _gymnastic_ training by
which strength and flexibility are acquired.
It is impossible to perform the staccato-stroke well, unless the
muscles of the wrist have become strong and agile; and the reason why
the student finds this stroke in most cases so difficult is, that the
wrist has not been specially trained and prepared, in consequence of
which it remains weak and stiff.
It ought to be remembered that in almost all kinds of handiwork in
daily life, the _whole_ arm is active and in motion, and _very rarely_
the _wrist alone_. With musical instruments, on the contrary, and
particularly in playing the violin, it is necessary _always_ to use
the wrist, and it is impossible to play well unless the wrist has been
rendered strong and elastic. It is, therefore, absolutely indispensable
that proper gymnastic exercises should be made with the wrist, in
order to _prepare it_. The wrist, indeed, ought to be _accustomed_, in
other words, _to move of itself_, and the student ought, as often as
possible, to perform all kinds of movements calculated to impart to it
pliancy and strength. It will then soon become free and easy, and the
student will, in course of time, acquire the strongest, most elegant,
and artistic stroke.
No single one of these practical gymnastic exercises ought to be
despised on account of its simplicity. Only try them, and they will
be found very effective. All sensible artists and teachers will do
homage to every improvement, and consider it their duty to welcome any
assistance calculated to diminish and render lighter the arduous toil,
and shorten the valuable time required for becoming a proficient in
music.