Any thoughts about doing slides well?

[armande-fryatt]

All comments welcome! Thank you!

[unknown-user]

It’s essential to have your finger placed REALLY well on the upper string and to slide so that you preserve that good hand position. Once you’re on the lower string, your thumb (or fourth finger, or whatever finger you’re sliding with) should have the same position as if you had placed it there without sliding. Only then will both notes sound great!

Also, I’m assuming you’re talking about finger slides and not glissandos.

~Sam

[armande-fryatt]

Hi Sam

Thanks for this. Finger placing good.

But to ask an obvious question, the thumb doesn’t bend over like in regular playing right? Other wise it would be like playing 2 separate notes in succession and using your thumb for each one. Not at all the same.

I haven’t really come across slides much in my music, I’m doing them as part of technical exercises I am forcing myself to do over the holidays!!

[cc-chiu]

Interesting topic! I’m also struggling with slides (I’m working on Danses d’ Automne #2). For me, the problem is caused by my second finger (on the right hand), somehow it’s too slow, causing an ‘arpeggio-like’ sound. So I’m also very interested in tips!

[tony-morosco]

It doesn’t bend over, but it is still a deliberate plucking of the string. You don’t want to just drag the thumb across the string to the next string. Your thumb should push past the first string to the second, not be pulled across it.

Otherwise you don’t get good tone and your timing will be off (because when you drag a finger across a string rather than actively pluck it you aren’t in complete control as to when the string will release from your finger, same reason why you keep your fingers curved in the top finger joint and don’t let them hyper extend back when plucking).

[sherry-lenox]

Do these comments refer to 1-1-2-3-4 fingerings? I’m not familiar with the term “slides”.

[cc-chiu]

Actually, there are two types of slides – the irish ornament and the playing technique mentioned above :). The discussion is indeed about 1-1-2-3-4 fingerings and can also apply to 4-4-3-2-1 (also to 3-3-2-1? Never seen it, I think).

[sherry-lenox]

Thank you! If we are talking about 1-1-2 etc. fingerings, I have been taught that you have to have at least one finger placed next to the sliding finger as preparation, or kind of an anchor, for the slide.

I guess I’d have to say I do them well using that technique, because my slide notes always sound just like the other notes around them.

My teacher has always called them “glisses”.

There are several etudes in Grossi-Pizzoli and Bochsa that contain lots of them.

[unknown-user]

Glisses could be reduced to a bunch of slides in a row, right? There’s obviously some overlap of the terms, and it gets a little tricky when you’re only hitting a few strings, but for one string they’re definitely referred to as slides.

I half agree with Tony. Yes, your thumb needs to “pluck” the upper string and then land on the lower string instead of folding into your hand, but your hand will need to move ever so slightly so that your thumb is in the correct position to play the second note. You definitely don’t drag your finger like you would in a gliss.

Anchors are very good, but not necessary – but practice with an anchor on or else you won’t learn how to pluck the string instead of drag your thumb.

You can do a slide with any finger. I can do a three downward scales at once with my right hand alone, but it requires the player to slide all four fingers in a particular pattern. I’ve never seen music calling for 2 or 3 slides.

~Sam

[unknown-user]

CC,

Can you elaborate on your problem? How are you getting an arpeggio like sound? Does it have to do with your transition from your thumb slides to your other fingers? I can’t picture or hear what’s going on, but I’d like to help.

~Sam

[Tacye]

I find it can help to think of pushing from the thumb tip (or finger tip) rather than pulling from the base of the thumb (or finger).

[armande-fryatt]

Hmm the only way to get an effective sound seems to be by turning my hand towards the string. That doesn’t seem right!

[Tacye]

You can already play the second note of the slide, it is just a normal note after all.

[cc-chiu]

I realize I should have been a bit more clear – I’m struggling with slides that involve thirds. (for instance, going down from g-b to f-a). My teacher said it wasn’t the thumb that was causing the problem but she couldn’t offer a solution apart from ‘practice practice practice’. So far, that hasn’t really yielded results (this isn’t the first time that I encounter such slides and I’ve never managed to do them well), so any tips are welcome :).

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