| Good height of the left elbow and careful alignment of the forearm wrist and fingers (with no, or minimal, pronation) are basic building blocks for LH technique that will help avoid injury. Good arched finger shapes that do not collapse are also highly desirable but may need some strengthening work for many beginning students. Warming up exercises and simple stretches are also good protection against injury.
Once the pain has subsided provide him with a soft foam stress ball (such as you find in an "el cheapo" shop or kids toy shop) to wrap his entire hand and thumb around. His fingers palm and forearm muscles will get a gentle workout if he keeps it under his pillow and, with straight wrist, squeezes it say twenty times before he goes to sleep (or as a warm-up before he practices).
Also do these six basic fingering exercises (or some of them) with care when warming up. I use the notes G A Bflat B in 1st position on the G string.
0-1-4-1, 0 4 1 4, 0 1 2 1, 0 2 1 2, 0 2 4 2, 0 4 2 4
These can be played with separate or slurred bows, with even 1/8 notes or with hooked or "reverse hooked bowing patterns. This will create 36 little basic LH exercises. Start with 1/8th notes at a slow to moderate tempo and encourage clear articulation. Speed is not an issue at this stage.
I use these simple patterns (with straight wrist and correct elbow height) to help stabilize a student's left hand thumb and finger shapes, placements and useages. Also to help increase strength and endurance, to articulate slurs evenly and clearly, to time and coordinate the LH and bow starts carefully for clean articulation of separate notes, and to create the muscle memory and hearing discipline to repeat correct pitch over and over again.
In the learning sequence I probably introduce these after completing 1st then 1/2 and 2nd positions (Simandl), also then introducing Wohlfahrt Studies to assist fluent reading of notes learned so far while revisiting the R arm and RH uses.
If all is going well with stabilizing the L arm and LH shapes and strength I will then apply the same six bowing possibilities to working on the technique, timing and coordination of shifting as the student jumps to learning D Major and 3rd position. I use the notes D E F G A up and back on the D string, again as a warm-up before scales
Last edited by David Potts : 08-20-2011 at 06:42 AM.
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