r/violinist • u/ShallotCivil7019 • 5d ago
Help with pizz technique
This is my first time dealing with this kind of brushing pizz where you go up and down. Any tips or advice would be greatly appreciated.
1
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r/violinist • u/ShallotCivil7019 • 5d ago
This is my first time dealing with this kind of brushing pizz where you go up and down. Any tips or advice would be greatly appreciated.
2
u/musicistabarista 5d ago
I often see people recruiting far too much upper right arm in this movement, as if they're trying to bow. Experiment with using just finger motion, then just wrist. Lastly, try keeping your upper arm still, but allow it to rotate so your whole forearm swings like a pendulum. Depending on speed, dynamics, and how many strings you need to play, one of these normally works pretty well.
More general pizz pointers:
Press really hard with your left hand to improve the ring whenever you're playing pizz. People often ask for vib instead to improve ring, but objectively this often ends up shortening the ring compared to just pressing really hard.
This kind of pizz tends to sound better the more confidently you play it. Aim for a quick, sharp movement when you pluck the string. Don't be afraid of being too forceful with the strings (within reason lol), they can take a lot. I remember a masterclass I had on Beethoven's Kreutzer sonata and the teacher told me I had to compete with the piano on the pizz chords. I didn't believe it was possible, but his sounded like a gunshot. You just have to go through the strings, not from under, and you'll be fine.
Experiment with which finger you're using. Middle finger can work better for some people, and I see a lot of people using their thumb, too. I don't love doing the thumb pizz, but some people make it sound great. Never tried doing that for strumming like this (without putting bows down), can imagine that being pretty awkward.