A couple days ago I fielded a question asking how to play ponticello easily and with a great sound. Now, in case you didn’t know this, ponticello is a ‘special effect’ in a violinists bag of tricks. It is produced when the bow tracks so close to the bridge that the string produces many higher frequencies not part of the normal overtone series. The result is a kind of eerie, windy color to the sound.
Now, there are two issues that make the execution of this effect a little more challenging than drawing a straight tone.
First, it is critical that the bow track right next to the bridge, without the slightest deviation. You may have noticed that when you draw a normal tone the bow can move back and forth between bridge and fingerboard somewhat without negatively impacting the sound – one does like to avoid this. As soon as the bow wanders from the bridge in ponticello, however, the effect disappears immediately.
The second issue is control. Because the bow is not fully ‘in the string,’ as we say, there is a tendency for the arm to tighten as a way of compensating for this perceived lack of contact.
Sometimes, in the case of the bow suddenly passing OVER the bridge – and this happens to everyone at one time or another – this tightening can lead to an alarming result.
So, how to practice this technique so it is secure and well behaved.
First thing I would do is some slow, quiet, long bows ponticello to get in touch with the purity of my bow stroke, from tip to frog. Once you’ve gotten a sense of the bow placement, you can begin playing some scales and arpeggios using the entire length of the bow; very smooth, no spaces between the notes. At first you may want to play single notes per bow. As the constancy of the bow stroke increases, however, I suggest you slur notes together until reaching eight or twelve to a stroke.
Gradually you will also increase the weight on the string – relaxed arm weight.
Ponticello is also often called for in combination with tremolo, a fast, repeated, and unmeasured stroking of one note. To practice this variant I recommend arriving at tremolo by starting at a slow rate of speed using just the forearm, in the upper half of the bow. From there gradually increase the speed and narrow the travel of the bow. As you stroke more rapidly, again add arm weight to reach a dynamic of forte.
The secret to adding tremolo successfully goes back to the purity of your detach, really. Understand that I do not use my wrist – unless I’m feeling quite lazy – to produce my tremolo; simply the forearm. And for this the elbow joint must be absolutely free of restriction.
The bottom line is, Ponticello really forces you to separate the vertical weight of the arm from the relaxed horizontal movements of the arm. It requires absolute freedom in the joints of the right arm. And these together make it an excellent tool for sharpening the efficiency and purity of your bow arm.
Clayton Haslop is the Concertmaster on many Hollywood movie soundtracks including The Matrix movies, Titanic, Avatar, Ratatouille, The Incredibles, Star Trek, Up, Jurassic Park, Apollo- and The Perfect Storm. Clayton Haslop’s bestselling Instructional DVD courses are used by beginning violinists to professionals worldwide.
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