Hi y'all! Long time no see, huh?

Anyway, I've been trying to get hold of a viola I can use out here in Taiwan and am finding it WAY too expensive, so may not be able to carry on until I get home, but I did have an interesting experience in a string shop a few weeks ago. The guy who saw to me was a violist and he corrected my fingering from the usual fingertips down on the string that we're used to, to having my fingers flat and the pad down on the strong. Anyone come across this type of fingering before? Is it normal for Easterners to use this type?

My former teacher would have had 12 shades of a fit had she seen that! There's no way I'm going to use it (although one could indeed have nails with this type of fingering!!!), but I'm interested in what folk here think.

You are supposed to play with the pad of your finger rather than your fingertips Not sure how flat you meant he put it tho

Btw - nice to see you around here again it's been a while

Every tutor book I've seen, plus my old teacher (LRAM viola teaching), plus the Louis Keivman book all show string held down with virtually the tip of the finger, (thus the need to keep nails v short). Not one shows the pad being used! He was using the actual upper pad of finger, so the finger was on the string as if I was pressing a button, really quite flat. He said the wrist was more relaxed that way, but it contradicts everything else I've ever seen or been taught.

Hasn't anyone else any thoughts here? I thought quite a few would have something to say.


Thanks. I've just not had chance to get on forum and now can only do it when I take my laptop to uni - too much fuss most of the time!!

Hoping to get hold of a viola soon though.

I think finger position depends to some extent on what you are doing; what kind of vibrato, where on the fingerboard you are playing, whether there are double/triple stops etc. and probably lots of other variables.
Hope you are having fun in Taiwan, and can get hold of a nice viola soon....
N

Have just spotted this - interesting question. It's one of those where a picture really would save a thousand words because I think 'finger pad' means different things to different people. The way I'm picturing it from your original description, you're talking about putting the finger down flat as if you were having your fingerprint taken? Is that anywhere close? If so, that would certainly be very different from usual classical technique.

Yes i definately agree! Looking at it now I think elisabeth meant that it was completely flat down - i may be wrong though. I didn't mean you're supposed to play like that atal, but to play with the 'fleshy part' of your finger and not the actual finger tip itself.

She did mean that, yes! Struck me as most odd....