Essay #4 - On the left Hand (and double stops)

Enzo Cypriani

In her Dissertation for Doctor of Musical Arts, Chenoa Kellyanne Orme-Stone begins the chapter on the
cello left hand stating that “The basic principles of the left arm and hand position are an elevated elbow,
neutral (straight) wrist, rounded fingers, and a soft thumb”. In this work, she gathered plenty of important
sources and commentary about the subject, which will be summarized in the following paragraphs, with
some additions found in different sources. After the opening, she proceeds to mention two important
aspects that should be always observed are “that the weight of the arm pulls the fingers down onto the
string, and the thumb should not squeeze the neck of the cello. This is important to establish early on, as I
have encountered many students who struggle with clamping down the fingers. Excess tension in the
fingers makes fine tuning, shifting, and vibrato extremely difficult and may even result in an injury if
prolonged over time”.

William Pleeth states that “One is usually taught as a general principle when learning the cello to hold the
fingers down...Teachers too often forget to tell students when to stop holding their fingers down.”
According to him, the player should have a “feeling of release” that prevents the left hand from becoming
fatigued. Fingers that are not being used should be released. This can sometimes be hard for students to
properly execute. Mantel states, “In fluent playing, the entire left arm is continually in motion in order to
support the changing action of the fingers.”

Chenoa Kellyanne Orme-Stone arrived to the conclusion that the orientation of the arm changes either by
raising and lowering the elbow or rotating the forearm in order to change the angle at which the fingers
meet the string. “The elbow, and thus the arm, is free to move up and down as the fingers change
positions on the fingerboard or cross to different strings. Rotating the forearm allows the hand to alternate
between a square (boxed) position and a slanted (sloped) position. According to Potter, a square position
is when the fingers are placed onto the fingerboard at a 90 degree angle (fingers perpendicular to the
fingerboard) (…) Pleeth defines a slanted position as when the arm is rotated counterclockwise so 24 that
the fingers and fingerboard form an acute angle (…) I have experienced many instances where the square
hand position is favorable, such as when executing fast passages. Additionally, the square position may
provide a greater sense of security, especially for beginners. I have also experienced many instances
where the slanted hand position is favorable, as in extensions and vibrato. Pleeth also points out that a
slanted hand position is beneficial because ‘the differences in various finger lengths have been evened up
and each finger is given an equal degree of independence.’” She concludes by suggesting that teachers
don’t limit their students to one of the two hand positions, since “ Encouraging a dynamic approach
allows students to find the most comfortable orientation of the arm for every finger, position, or passage.
Another reason I have found a dynamic approach to be beneficial is that it allows for motion and fluidity
in the hand. The additional motion helps prevent the hand position from becoming static, which
ultimately helps release excess tension.”

Extensions can represent a challenge for many students. An extended position is, according to Orme-
Stone, “when the fingers stretch to reach a larger interval while the hand remains in the same position”.
William Pleeth suggests “the hand should move as easily and effortlessly as the opening of a fan”. To
this, Orme-Stone adds “This ease of movement is only possible if the orientation of the entire arm and
hand accommodates the fingers. The arm may rotate or move forward or back to propel the hand and
fingers. The fingers may straighten so that the finger pad is placed on the string at a different angle. The
thumb will often remain in place to ensure that the extension does not become a shift, but Potter suggests
that the thumb may also move along the back of the neck to avoid a ‘forced, cramped stretch.’ To make
the extensions easier, the thumb can be released from the neck altogether to make the stretch more
comfortable, a tool recommended by Victor Sazer in his book New directions in cello playing: how to
make cello playing easier.

As it can be perceived by some of the previous remarks, the thumb also has an important role when it
comes to the ease and effectiveness of the left hand. In the book Cello Technique: Principles and forms of
Movement, the author Gerhard Mantel describes that is important not to eliminate the thumb’s natural
counterpressure, since it helps stabilize the hands as the fingers move up and down the fingerboard. This
counterpressure should, however, not turn into tension, which happens when the Thumb never releases.
About this, Victor Sazer points out that “Playing the cello does not require constant contact with the
thumb”, suggesting that students practice with the thumb removed from the neck altogether, immediately
reducing tension of the arm and hand and potentially loosening the student’s vibrato. Paul Katz, important
performer and pedagogue, says that “A loose hand is stronger than a tight one”, therefore students should
not press harder when trying to play louder. In his book “The art of cello playing”: A complete textbook-
method for private or class instruction, Louis Potter suggests that the ideal placement for the thumb is
“against about the middle of the neck on the instrument, opposite the second finger” This can vary,
though, while playing extensions, in which, according to Orme-Stone, “the thumb feels more comfortable
positioned higher or lower on the neck.” “Therefore,” she adds, “like the orientation of the arm, the
placement of the thumb on the back of the cello’s neck does not need to be fixed”. Mantel agrees with this
conception.

When it comes to playing Thumb position, many teachers have been introducing this technique often
regarded as an advanced one, early one with their students. This is to prevent the feeling of overwhelm
when it first appears in their advanced etudes and repertoire. A very common way of introducing is by
playing in the half-string harmonics, since, according to Potter, “(1) These correspond directly with the
open strings, since the pitch is one octave higher. (2) The player, at seventh position, has arrived at the
area of maximum reach of the hand around the instrument without bringing the thumb up on the
fingerboard”. The fingers should remain rounded and the wrist unbent, as in lower positions. Potter also
mentions that “It is necessary when shifting in the thumb positions that the thumb and hand move
together as one single, compact unit. The thumb should not “lag” behind the rest of the hand in shifting.”

Diran Alexanian Provides a detailed description on the left hand. “The left arm hanging by the side of the
body, and the hand being in the same shape as the right hand when the latter is prepared to receive the
bow, the forearm should be raised until the 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th finger can be placed in a row on one of the
same strings (on the fingerboard). The pressure on the string should be made by the tip of each finger, at a
point on the inner side of the latter, corresponding to the line of the “cut” of the nail on the outside. The
phalange of the thumb, held straight, should be applied transversely to the back of the “neck”, and
invariably to the thickest part of the latter. The extent of the curve of the fingers will depend on the length
of the thumb after It has been placed. The thumb should always be held opposite the 2 nd finger. Its
pressure should not be a hindrance to the supple changing of position of the hand. The hand should now
be slid up the fingerboard until the 1st finger is about an inch and a half below the nut. The elbow should
then be slightly (very slightly) removed from the body, in order to avoid a too pronounced curve of the
wrist.”

Tortelier describes that the Arm should never touch the body even in its lowest position. “There are five
levels for the left arm. Two for the A string and one for each of the other strings. The elbow should
always mobile and light and should co-operate with hand rather than impeding it.” “The wrist should
always be kept firm especially during shifts and for vibrato. During relatively slow passages one can
lower the wrist, but only together with the arm. This enables one to play ‘In the flesh of the finger’.
“During fairly fast passages the wrist should be slightly arched, particularly between the 4 th and 7th
positions. This allows a free-moving hand which must never touch the rib of the cello. In the thumb
positions the wrist should also be firm and slightly arched.” Finally, for the Position of the fingers, he
states that “To find the correct position place the whole hand flat on the rib of the cello. Then draw the
two first joints of each finger inwards until they are vertical. During the operations keep the fingers
slightly curved inwards in order to avoid scratching the cello with the nails. In the final position the first
two joints should stand straight or even slightly curved while the rest of the hand remains slightly curved.
Do not forget to keep the thumb bent.
Double stops are present in all kinds of advanced repertoire. Double stops, therefore, should be also
practiced, especially through the use of scales in thirds, sixths, and octaves. There are many etudes that
focused specifically on double stops as well, such as some of the Popper Etudes. Some tips that can help
are sounding one string at a time to check intonation, keep the thumb always relaxed, and train the ears to
recognize perfectly tuned intervals. In this way, the ear knows what to strive for. The important
pedagogue Rick Mooney states that “Double stops are an excellent learning tool. In practicing them,
many important skills can be developed: Intonation and ear training (…), the correct shape of the left
hand and proper spacing of the fingers, good extended hand position consciousness, certain important
exceptions to a normal hand positions are learned such as fifths and chords. Lionel Handy, from the Royal
academy of music in London, suggest that “If you don’t have time to practise very much, the most
important thing to play every day is double-stop scales – especially 3rds, 6ths and octaves. Do these both
with standard fingerings and with the more experimental ones explored in this article. Double-stops are
hard work, but they are vital for improving hand shape and intonation. Build them into your routine,
alongside ordinary single-note scales and arpeggios, diminished and dominant 7ths, and a study. Popper is
particularly useful”. For teachers, he recommends “React to each student individually. Don’t be
imprisoned by convention. For example, if you see a G above middle C with a double-stopped lower note,
try using different fingers rather than an automatic fourth finger. Bear in mind that the second and third
fingers are the strongest, with the best balance; if playing 5ths, consider an alternative to barring across
the strings with one finger, which produces too much tension. Encourage students to experiment and do
what suits their body shape; help them to find out what makes the strongest sound.”

Bibliography

Alexanian, Diran. Theoretical and practical treatise of the violoncello. Paris: A. Z Mathot, 1922.

Orme-Stone, Chenoa. Cello Teaching Methods: An Analysis and Application of Pedagogical Literature.
UC Santa Barbara Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020.

Potter, Louis. The art of cello playing: A complete textbook-method for private or class instruction.
Alfred Music Publishing, 1980.
Pleeth, William. Cello. Macdonald & Co., 1982,

Tortelier, Paul. “How I Play How I Teach” London: J. & W. Chester: 1975.

Mantel, Gerhard. Cello technique: principles and forms of movement. Indiana University Press, 1995