Viola da Gamba Tutorial No. 3: Articulation (with a door knob!) | with Sam Stadlen

The third of my mini-tutorial series aimed at beginner and intermediate viol players. This video looks at articulating your bow strokes on the viol using what I call the 'door knob' motion! Again, this is only my approach - there are lots of other opinions and so my way is not the 'right' way, only one approach.

I hope you find this interesting and useful. If you do, please consider subscribing and hitting the 'like' button. If you'd like me to make one on a particular subject, just let me know in the comments. Thanks!

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Thank you!

[kaipetite]

Thank you for sharing this very privilege knowledge to us all.
Thank you from Japan.
Sincerely,
Kai Petite

[adamyoung]

I know these videos are somewhat old now, but I greatly appreciate you

[gabrielFerma]

Muchas gracias por tus vídeos. Me están siendo de gran ayuda. Son magistrales. 🙏🏽🙏🏽🙏🏽

[LibrairieEnheduana]

thank you! very clear explanations. this is very helpful.

I was completely blown away by your analogies and comparisons with consonants and vowels and with pizzicato!

[suchasnidvongs]

Thank you for the tutorial series. I’m looking forward to see your next EP and consort music parts.

[willwilkin]

I detect a common theme between this lesson and your previous one: the bow is moved by the forearm not the wrist. Twisting the arm rather than wrist to get purchase on the string for that consonant beginning of the note, and then letting off that twist to get a sweet vowel ringing of the rest of the note.

Funny how the momentarily scratchy consonant opening of the note makes me think that bowed strings are thus still plucked! Obviously as first part of the stroke, but ultimately even the continuing vowel portion of the note, in what must be through the rest of the stroke a continued series of tiny fast plucks from the friction of bow hair gripping and slipping into next brief grip-then-slip, probably at some frequency (inaudible compared to the vibration of the string) that varies with speed and pressure (and rosin situation).

[Cloroqx]

Thank you for doing these! If you get the time, please talk about vibrato, as not many pieces seem to use it and everyone seems to play it very differently when it does show up. You should also add "Viola da Gamba" in your titles, to help with SEO.

[samuelrunsteen]

Thanks Sam for another great video!! Super! Subscribed now to your channel also! Looking forward for more parts! Actually I have sort of the same bow grip as you have. I'm doing a research now on how to hold the bow. I'm especially looking into Simpsons description who is mentioning the ring finger as an optional finger for "support", which I use also in my technique, but I think its a matter of interpretation of his text. He says that you may join the third finger if the second finger "have not Strength enough". What are your views on the function of adding the ring finger, and what does it actually do? And then of course we all do different and its only about music in the end...Thank you so much!

[cassiusle]

Where is a good place to buy a viola da gamba?

[Symphing]

What size viol are you using in this series?