Slow Practice for String Players by Hilary Hahn

At a recent Q&A session with kids and their parents, someone piped up, "My son likes to play through his pieces instead of practicing them His !iolin teacher says that he should practice slowly "hat does this mean#" As anyone who has taken pri!ate lessons is probably aware, one practice techni$ue encouraged by teachers is indeed "slow practice" Howe!er, it can be difficult to know where to start when beginning to apply such a method Many students % at one point, me included % wonder why it&s so important to do this, what they&re e'pected to listen for in the process, and how to relate that to their "up(to(tempo" efforts )elow, *&!e described some of my fa!ored approaches to slow practice, but these were all around long before * began !iolin studies Some people stick with one method+ some prefer another * mi' it up, doing all of them indi!idually from time to time, depending on my needs on any gi!en day ,o any students out there who may need slow(practice ad!ice, *&d suggest reading this through, trying these different options, and figuring out what works best for you -emember that slow practice is only one of many different practice techni$ues A good practicer will alternate it with other musical work, in order to impro!e consistently on numerous le!els .inally, * ha!e to mention that if you feel like your teacher understands you, chances are that he or she will be able to guide you in the right direction better than anything you might read on someone&s website / Starting from the beginning of your piece, play e!erything in slow motion0 e!ery note, e!ery bowstroke, e!ery shift, and e!ery string crossing *n the left hand, pay special attention to the distances between fingers 1which ones play half(steps and which play whole(steps2, the number of positions your shifts are co!ering, the name of each position you&re playing 1first, second, third, fourth, fifth, etc 2, the distances your fingers cross between strings, the angle of your fingers on the strings, the amount of space your hand takes up on the neck and body of the !iolin, and % !ery importantly % the absolute and relati!e intonation of the notes you&re playing ,o check intonation, be sure to slow(practice with A34 without !ibrato .or the right hand5 bow techni$ue, concentrate on bow distribution 1the proportionate length of each bow stroke to the ones surrounding it, depending on rhythm, absolute length, loudness, and intensity of tone2, contact point 1your bow(hairs& placement between the bridge and the finger board2, the straightness of your bowstroke, the fle'ibility of your fingers in bowchanges at the frog, and the position of your hand when you&re playing at the tip 6ount the number of notes between string crossings+ make sure that your bow is ready to cross strings by being as close as possible to the new string, so that you can cross without showing a lurch+ and listen carefully to the ends of your bowstrokes, a!oiding any sudden, unintentional change in dynamic when you switch bow direction 4uring this time, also work on correcting any technical issues your teacher or colleagues ha!e pointed out * use this !ersion of slow(practice when learning a piece+ when reac$uainting myself with something * ha!en&t played for a while+ and on a regular basis, when maintaining a piece o!er a long period of time *t helps to clear my mind of the chaos of full(speed practice, rehearsal, and performance, allowing me to focus on the building blocks of techni$ue

,his is the ne't step after basic slow practice 8ne problem many people ha!e with slow practice is that it doesn&t connect to their in(tempo playing ,hey&ll carefully repeat a certain passage under tempo again and again, but somehow, e!ery time they try to play it up to speed, it feels entirely different and refuses to cooperate ,he problem is logical0 slow practicing doesn&t realistically capture the difficulties of full(speed transition % in this case, transitions from one finger or hand position, or string, or part of the bow, to another As it happens, playing an instrument is !ery much like dancing or performing an athletic feat0 momentum and motion add a whole different dimension of difficulty to what would otherwise be a simple series of steps, leaps, motions, or poses ,here is a way to work around this common slow(practice problem, once the player is familiar with the technical challenges inherent in a particular piece0 Practice the notes slowly but mo!e between them at the speed re$uired at full tempo .or the left hand, this means % among other things % setting one&s fingers at an angle from which the ne't series of notes is efficiently reachable at tempo+ shifting as fast as one would at full speed+ and arranging one&s arm and wrist in a position to !ibrate immediately if needed .or the right hand, this would include !ery smooth, $uick string crossings+ concise, up(to(tempo bow changes+ and precise bow placement for tricky techni$ues 1staccato, sautille, martele, ricochet, etc 2 9astly0 always, always think at least a beat ahead % if not a measure or more % while practicing this method * find this practice techni$ue to be useful in lyrical, melodic lines as well as !irtuosic passages *t makes me think both in the moment and ahead of myself % e'actly what a performer should do when onstage

,his is a biggie0 body position *f a musician plays with poor posture or an unhealthy setup, he or she runs the risk of physical strain and chronic in;ury <!en the most physically(aware performers should check their playing(alignment e!ery day Slow work to that end can shed light on harmful habits which would otherwise go unnoticed Some things to keep in mind during this e'ercise0 straightness of the spine and neck, side(to(side and linear angles of the left arm and wrist, tor$ue on the right arm and shoulder, inefficiencies of motion, e'aggerated postural asymmetries 1seated or standing2 while playing, and unnecessary twisting of the body *f the musician has aches or pains, consider the source and any motions which might be forcing the muscle, ;oint, or tendon to do something o!erly unnatural Playing an instrument should not be strained+ it should feel physically satisfying if a little awkward ,he more ad!anced the instrumentalist, the more efficient and comfortable his or her motions should be *ne'plicable discomfort may be the result of a bad habit, ill(fitting e$uipment 1shoulder rest, chinrest, etc 2, or a basic techni$ue which is unsuited to that musician&s particular body ,o a certain e'tent, the player ought to be able to tell whether or not he or she is properly set up ,here are, howe!er, many aspects of techni$ue and posture which are noticeable only from a third( party perspecti!e ,o get around this obstacle, an instrumentalist may !ideotape him( or herself, look in a mirror, or % my fa!orite % check him( or herself in a window reflection or a wall shadow *t&s e'tremely important for the musician to be honest and to keep an open mind ,herefore, 38 6H<A,*3= Maintain normal playing posture throughout this e'ercise, howe!er tempting it may be to model the ideal <!eryone is capable of carrying themsel!es well for a few minutes, but most problems can only be identified through realistic obser!ation ,his slow(practice techni$ue is appropriate for instrumentalists of all le!els *t&s essential that beginners learn proper playing posture and that professionals maintain it throughout their careers

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,his final listing is the icing on the cake *t focuses on phrasing and musicality Some teachers belie!e physical techni$ue should come first, the interpretation de!eloped later My teachers taught me that technical prowess and musicality are ine'tricably connected, so *&m used to working on both at once "hate!er your opinion, this can fit into anyone&s practice plan ,o produce phrasing, one must refer to technical means0 loudness, softness, tone control, bow

distribution, articulation, rhythm, and !ibrato, among others Some people consider intonation to be e'pressi!e, too "orking slowly on all of these in the conte't of phrasing is different from the other three abo!ementioned practice techni$ues, which build and maintain technical skills ,his method forces the musician to apply his or her physical abilities to the interpretation itself, which is well( nigh impossible at a slow tempo without a clear idea of the direction of the music or the shape of one&s interpretation At a slow speed, there is no such thing as "inspiration of the moment" Hence, to practice phrasing in this way, do the following0 use the same differentiations in !olume you&d use at full speed+ be as e'pressi!e as you want to be+ shape e!ery note+ work on a range of articulation+ linger at appropriate times+ and !ibrate the way you&d like to when playing full tempo % but do all of it slowly 6arefully consider the phrasing decisions you make during this e'ercise, because they will help shape your musical identity for years to come