Cinq points de son

Understanding the Playing Area

Carl Flesch and Dorothy Delay divided the playing area into five distinct sound points. Rather than being just a vague idea of where to place the bow on the string, they measured exactly where the bow can be. Flesch defined these points as:

1. At the bridge
2. In the neighborhood of the bridge
3. At the center point
4. In the neighborhood of the fingerboard
5. At the fingerboard

Exploring Resistances

• Press the String: Using your finger, press the string at different distances from the bridge to feel the resistances of the string.

  • Soft near the fingerboard
  • Hard near the bridge

• Playing Simple Strokes: Play a few simple strokes at the same sound points, feeling the string with the hair of the bow instead of your finger.

Bow Technique

• Bow Weight and Speed:

  • The closer you play to the bridge, the less flexible the string becomes, necessitating more bow weight to engage the string.
  • The bow must also move more slowly near the bridge. Otherwise, it may simply whistle over the surface of the string without catching it.

• Summary:

  • Near the bridge: The bow is slow and heavy.
  • Near the fingerboard: The bow is light and fast.

The Five Sound Points

• Sound Point designation:

  • Sound Point 1
  • Sound Point 2
  • Sound Point 3
  • Sound Point 4
  • Sound Point 5

• Feel the String: With your finger, press the string:

  • Closer to the bridge: Very hard and tight.
  • Near the fingerboard: Light and fast.

Practical Application

• Play the Exercise: "Play this, Solomon. Just that. Light and fast you could play. Yes, very light and fast. That's right."

• Steer Your Bow: When near the bridge, steer your bow as you would a car down the road in a straight line.

  • "You went off track; that's it. You need a little more weight there to catch the string. Go deep into the string. That's it, and a little slower bow."

Sound Preferences for Open Strings

• Open G String:

  • Feels too stiff and hard to bow near the bridge.
  • To make the open G vibrate the widest, use fast, long strokes around Sound Point 4.

• Open E String:

  • The opposite applies.
  • For the widest vibration, play around Sound Point 2. It feels soft, fragile, and weak if bowed on Sound Points 4 or 5.

String Playing Positions

• When playing across the strings, you often start further from the bridge on the G string and end up closer to the bridge on the E string.

A Crucial Reminder

• Ensure you're not constantly playing the E and A strings too near to the fingerboard.
• You may observe many players doing the opposite, rather than engaging deeper into the string, closer to the bridge.

Chord Playing Technique

• In chord playing, you can adjust the sound point during the chord.
  • Avoid:
    • Playing too far from the bridge or too close to it.
  • Best Approach:
    • Start further away from the bridge and come in during the chord for optimal sound.