Klarinet Archive - Posting 001062.txt from 2003/06

From: "Lelia Loban" <lelialoban@-----.net>
Subj: [kl] Left, Right or mixed handed?
Date: Fri, 27 Jun 2003 12:23:44 -0400

Joseph H. Fasel wrote,
>There was a high-school violinist here in Los Alamos
>who played left-handed. It seems that an accident had
>damaged the fingers of his left hand, so that he was
>capable of bowing with that hand, but not fingering.
>In his case, at least, the solution was indeed to reverse
>the strings and the bridge.

While that might work as a temporary solution for a beginning or
intermediate violinist with a cheap, new violin, it wouldn't do for a
professional or advanced amateur. Disclaimer: I'm neither a violinist nor
a luthier, but my husband is an advanced amateur violinist; we've been
friends for more than 20 years with Bill Weaver, a 4th generation luthier
and repairman; and my husband is a violin hunter who sells used violins
through Weaver's. Reversing the strings and bridge for left-handed playing
also requires removing the top and making sensitive adjustments *inside*
the violin. It's definitely not something a parent or teacher should
attempt to do at home!

Inside the violin are a wooden bass bar and soundpost, each positioned with
great care. The soundpost (a thin dowel) set with pressure alone under the
E string (the highest-pitched string) can and often is moved slightly, to
improve the tone of the violin. However, the soundpost not only affects
the tone but supports and protects the belly of the violin at the point of
greatest stress. The bass bar, glued to the inside belly by the original
maker, runs lengthwise under the G string, the lowest-pitched string. Bass
bars sometimes need moving or replacing, too, but moving one is such an
iffy undertaking that even professional restorationists give the matter a
great deal of thought. My husband says that simply reversing the strings
and the bridge and playing for very long with the soundpost and bass bar in
the wrong positions relative to the strings could destroy a violin. A bass
bar crack is bad enough, but a soundpost crack is serious damage that, at
best, substantially reduces the value of the instrument.

Lelia Loban
E-mail: lelialoban@-----.net
Web site (original music scores as audio or print-out):
http://members.sibeliusmusic.com/LeliaLoban

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