[Member Report] Lesson by violinist Rina Matsuda

At our joint practice on January 27th and 28th, we were given instruction by Rina Matsuda, a violinist who is extremely active throughout Japan!

She participated in the ensemble as a concert mistress, and taught me a lot about how to carry the song and the tone of the music.

On the morning of the 28th, we had a lesson for the string section. The members looked very serious!

The instrument that Rina is using is none other than the famous Stradivarius! It was made in 1717, and I felt a big difference in the resonance, tone, and volume of the instrument.

One of the main keywords in the course was "vibration." Rina-san actually plays barefoot on stage, and she said, "When you play an instrument, your body also vibrates, and by transmitting that vibration to the stage, you can transmit the sound to the back of the hall."

Following the teaching that "your body (chest) is also a soundboard," the members actually tried playing...

The way sound travels and the volume are different!!

I learned that posture plays a big role in how you play.

In response to a member's question, "What is your daily routine?", Rina responded by asking, "What does everyone else do?"

Each member of the orchestra talked about their own routines, such as "practicing scales and waking up the instrument by playing open strings with double notes (plucking adjacent strings at the same time)."

Rina's answer was, "When you first play the instrument, the instrument is lying down, so by playing the same note as the open string next to it, you cause it to resonate and wake up the instrument."

Rina also adds body stretching exercises.

This lesson made it clear how much Rina values the ``vibration and resonance of the instrument'' and ``the body's axis and posture.''

The second half will be instruction using actual instruments!

The instruction on pitch will also touch on Rina's experience studying abroad in Germany.

All parts play single notes, but Rina says, "with the smallest sound possible from within myself."

Then, we could hear the sounds around us more clearly, and everyone naturally stepped closer to match the pitch.

"Even though it's the same D (repetition) it can be dark or bright. Try playing it while smiling," I was told, and when I actually played it, the sound became brighter and more vibrant!

It was truly an eye-opening course.

At the concert in March, we may be able to see the string section with good posture and smiling faces (laughs).

Thank you so much for the two days, Rina!