uding various forms of
arpeggios, with a poor stick.

DRAWING A LONG BOW

"When I say that the student should 'draw a long bow,'" continued Mr.
Severn with a smile, "I do not say so at a venture. If his instrument
and bow are in proper shape, this is the next thing for the student to
do. Ever since Tartini's time it has been acknowledged that nothing can
take the place of the study of the long bow, playing in all shades of
dynamics, from _pp_ to _ff_, and with all the inflections of _crescendo_
and _diminuendo_. Part of this study should consist of 'mute'
exercises--not playing, but drawing the bow _above the strings_, to its
full length, resting at either end. This ensures bow control. One great
difficulty is that as a rule the teacher cannot induce pupils to
practice these 'mute' exercises, in spite of their unquestionable value.
All the great masters of the violin have used them. Viotti thought so
highly of them that he taught them only to his favorite pupils. And even
to-day some distinguished violinists play dumb exercises before stepping
on the recital stage. They are one of the best means that we have for
control of the violinistic nervous system.

WRIST-BOWING

"Wrist-bowing is one of the bowings in which the student should learn to
feel absolutely and naturally at home. To my thinking the German way of
teaching wrist-bowing is altogether wrong. Their idea is to keep the
fingers neutral, and let the stick move the fingers! Yet this is
wrong--for the player holds his bow at the finger-tips, that terminal
point of the fingers where the tactile nerves are most highly developed,
and where their direct contact with the bow makes possible the greatest
variety of dynamic effect, and also allows the development of far
greater speed in short bowings.

"Though the Germans say 'Think of the wrist!' I think with the Belgians:
Put your mind where you touch and hold the bow, concentrate on your
fingers. In other words, when you make your bow change, do not make it
according to the Joachim method, with the wrist, but in the natural way,
with the fingers always in command. In this manner only will you get the
true wrist motion.

STACCATO AND OTHER BOWINGS

"After all, there are only two general principles in violin playing, the
long and short bow, _legato_ and _staccato_. Many a teacher finds it
very difficult to teach _staccato_ co