The 'D' Neck issue..

[Calvin Marks]

Originally Posted by Ken Smith

What's a D? Which century? To me the Neck SHOULD be one way, Eb at the heel, D with 2nd finger, period. The you can play the 4th finger across all 4 strings easily with the 1st still in place. With the modern D it's a strain especially on the E and A strings. Descending passages always makes it more noticeable climbing down from TP to reg. pos.

Mahler is played as it is played, no one way. I play D-1, pivot to E-2 and F-4 for the first 3 notes. I rarely use the 3rd finger. I find pivoting to be easier and more accurate than trying to stretch my fingers in an unnatural position. Intonation is my concern, not convenience.

You don't stretch your fingers in an unnatural way, you relax your joints and open your hand. I don't know how you can play any hard Mozart Symphony without knowing the Four Finger Technique at the heel. Also, in the Mahler Solo, I've seen most people play it (1-3-4) because audition committees don't want to hear a slide of any sort. Your hand never remains "static"...depending on your hand size or string length, your hand moves around the neck like a boxer would in the wring.

Also, I have no strain at all playing across all four strings with my thumb at the crook and my first finger on either Db, D, Eb or E