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Hello, my name is Helmut Mebert.
I have been playing the violin for 40 years with the Berlin Philharmonic
and look forward to giving you some assistance or tips today to learn this passage.
It concerns Beethoven's 9th Adagio.
The wind instruments play the main theme at the same time.
Adagio means calm and
the wind instruments play the theme in an internalized and methodical peace.
This principle of peace must also remain with us
because we equally provide the surroundings with this main theme,
the surroundings consist of very small note values.
This may not lead to the unrest that may arise -
a hectic pace or especially bow changes and string transitions,
all must remain soft.
To find the correct piano dolce sound,
not too quiet,
but still not dolce sweet,
I would suggest
start with a healthy forte to get into the mood
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then take the pressure from the bow,
reduce the bow speed
and now the string still has two vibrations and the tone is radiant.
This is exactly how it goes.
Suggestions on how to begin:
the bow on the string
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not in the air,
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but on and just above the string.
So, next where you have found the tone for practicing well,
now here we go.
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So now we have already noticed two things
from the first to the second bar,
that the string changes must be almost inaudible
as if we were legato, it cannot happen in any case.
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that would make the temperament speak again.
So smooth:
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Now comes something interesting,
a very small harmonic twist from C to C-sharp.
That could be something... I will exaggerate now...
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this is of course too much.
But, maybe it is best said to just illuminate it,
to make it interesting.
So
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That is absolutely enough...
and this descending line is already immediately relaxed.
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The line will rise again.
Here I would go from E to F with my first finger in the second position
and then stay there.
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This ascending line,
which was relaxed beforehand,
leads to something interesting
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and now comes a bar where this is actually the lead vocal –
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and that will also be played around with.
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So we also do our best to accentuate this somewhat -
but not too much. I always say to illuminate
in that you have something to play upon on the second
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and again on the third..
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So, when we arrive –
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we sound this way, not more.
So, now the entire events have a diminuendo in these two compounds.
Here, it is very advantageous when we -
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according to the crescendo - achieve an increased bow release
bow very little again.
Possibly, when we arrive at the top half, or the peak,
it has an advantage that we –
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this last detached sixteenth part has no meaning,
it is the end of the diminuendo.
And here, at the peak, we have the advantage
that we already have space for the upcoming crescendo.
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So, and now it is over with the interesting lighting,
because now comes just a normal recreation;
a very normal B-flat.
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Then we arrive again at the tranquility.
Therefore, I try to demonstrate this in context.
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That is the first phrase.
Another more general tip to practice.
Often we have many notes but only one bow.
We always say that you should practice fast passages slowly,
but mine as well, slow passages you should practice slowly
when we are in fact forced during practice –
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to use the bow as little as possible
when we then play in this tempo. It makes it easier for us,
and then everything becomes more fluid,
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then it has this liquid smoothness and still the tranquility that it needs.
Let's go to the second part with a short transition.
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Here we can also somewhat emphasize this passage –
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but then relax quickly again.
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So
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And note
not to exaggerate these little expressive characters.
In any case, it would be wrong and deathly boring if everything is done
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as if it were an etude.
With this I mean,
when I say to play certain harmonious or interesting twists, you must also show that.
After this bar suddenly comes something very different.
So we arrive at -
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now suddenly come these close 3-ties.
Here the character actually changes somewhat.
Somehow.
You do not know where to go into the harmony.
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This means you can also show in this context that you are not equally formal
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but
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and now you can also withdraw somewhat.
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You can also achieve subtlety by taking it back somewhat.
So now, one more time from here –
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crescendo –
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and unwind.
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Here we have relaxation on a diminuendo.
Basically a diminuendo can be done in two ways.
I can slow down the speed of the bowing,
so forte diminuendo, for example –
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but I can also leave the bow speed,
take off some of the pressure and go.
So, forte diminuendo would then be -
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and then again.
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This has an advantage:
the relaxation is doing more, it is like breathing out.
And I think this form of diminuendo would also fit here well when we play
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then the sound can reverberate freely.
What comes now is
a larger bow,
very legato over the strings,
which need the rest,
although the triplets go relatively quickly,
it must go over like a rubber band–
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I will try this one more time.
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Now come the accents,
in no case put pressure on the accents –
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but you can also produce such an accent
by increasing the initial velocity,
so when we arrive here –
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only so.
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This gives a light expression.
And again from here –
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again with this nice diminuendo.
It goes further with
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and now comes a crescendo at the second bar.
Many times we make the mistake of presenting too soon.
Crescendo means quietly at first and then become louder,
and not too loud.
We will save the crescendo
to the end.
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And now something to accentuate agogically.
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Now something with string transitions.
These –
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we have said at the beginning that it may never sound awkward;
it must, in spite of what we want to show,
remain in a very smooth frame.
Often, the mistake is made during string crossings or string changes
that the - I call it amplitude, is too large.
That you play –
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that's not necessary.
Starting with a double handle,
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a low amplitude is reached –
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that is reached completely.
And this way it becomes even smoother.
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It is much better when you
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This is again against the character of the music.
Good, so from here towards the end –
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and right here, that with this bow, it is very long, that we divide the -
also be careful again
that no accent arises during the bow changes –
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so, in no case –
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Completely wrong.
It is a diminuendo,
this means that the first tone of the bow must be played quieter than the previous one,
as if it were bound.
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So –
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I really hope
the advice was somewhat useful and I wish you much fun while practicing!