"The violin student first and foremost should accustom himself to
practicing purely technical exercises without notes. The scales and
arpeggios should never be played otherwise and books of scales should be
used only as a reference. Quite as important as scale practice are
broken chords. On the violin these cannot be played _solidly_, as on the
piano; but must be studied as arpeggios, in the most exhaustive way,
harmonically and technically. Their great value lies in developing an
innate musical sense, in establishing an idea of tonality and harmony
that becomes so deeply rooted that every other key is as natural to the
player as is the key of C. Work of this kind can never be done ideally
in class. But every individual student must himself come to realize the
necessity of doing technical work without notes as a matter of daily
exercise, even though his time be limited. Perhaps the most difficult of
all lessons is learning to hold the violin. There are pupils to whom
holding the instrument presents insurmountable obstacles. Such pupils,
instead of struggling in vain with a physical difficulty, might rather
take up the study of the 'cello, whose weight rests on the floor. That
many a student was not intended to be a violin player by nature is
proved by the various inventions, chin-rests, braces, intended to supply
what nature has not supplied. The study of the violin should never be
allowed if it is going to result in actual physical deformity: raising
of the left shoulder, malformation of the back, or eruptions resulting
from chin-rest pressure. These are all evidences of physical unfitness,
or of incorrect teaching.