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Wohlfahrt Op 45 Etüden 1 & 2
Wohlfahrt wisely starts off with 2 détaché studies in 4/4 time. Both are marked Allegro Moderato, to encourage slow practice of the détaché mechanism. In bar 2 you may want to consider placing the 1st finger on 5ths on the A and D strings. There are several possibilities as to the amount of bow which can be used. To learn to gather and concentrate as much sound as possible, a small amount of bow at a slow tempo can really maximize the contact and richness of sound produced. In this highly connected détaché, with contact point obviously nearer the bridge, one can really feel the connection between wrist and string grasp. Please read the tonus articles for an understanding of friction and tone required to play this study. A medium - small amount of bow would look like the following graphic :
Above : This is slightly less than the amount of bow in the first musical example. This is the amount to use when you start stepping up the tempo, perhaps playing each note twice, to gather as much sound in the up bow as you gather in the down bow.
Study number 2 commences in a slightly lower register on the G and D strings. ( The fingering should be 3143 2143 2343 2G12 3 ). Here you will have to judge the lower tension of these strings and lighten the weight of your bowing. The contact point can also be moved slightly closer to the fingerboard, to accommodate the thicker strings. At all times you will need to listen closely to your tone, and you'll have to feel the friction ( the tone ) in your fingers and in your hand. The first finger must guide the bow, and perhaps feels the tone more than any other finger. There is a special point on the hand, near the wrist, where a culmination of friction and tone must be felt ; refer to the following pictures, which both indicate the same point :
This point feels in command of the wrist action, which should almost invisibly accompany the drawing of the bow. For every inch of bow movement, the wrist must rotate by a corresponding amount... though in real life this is so natural, that one cannot really see it. It can be perceived mostly when studying in slow motion, a phase which is so important when sorting out the movements of the wrist and forearm. Keeping a straight bow : The bow must be drawn at right angles to the string ( i.e. parallel to the bridge ) at all times. This may be especially difficult nearer the heel and nearer the tip. The reason is that it stands more chance of producing a good quality friction by displacing the string exactly to its side, and not at an impure, oblique angle. Below : On the left, the bows are all at right angles to the string, but on the right, the bow is badly displaced, pointing back over the left shoulder of the player at the heel, and at the tip, the player hasn't reached out and extended his arm / fingers in order to maintain a parallel bow to the string. Occasionally, teachers suggest the opposite curving of the bow, in order to counteract the tendency to bow crooked. In fact, there is every indication that a slight tendency in the opposite direction is very positive for a good playing style and posture.
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