No. 27.
This étude should not be played too rapidly, a light stroke in the upper third or upper half of the bow being somewhat easily secured. The first note of the groups of three notes must be played without pressure upon the bow. It is a light staccato. The bow lies well over two strings. Take the second position at once. Do not try to make the bow-strokes uniform in length. Freedom is at first secured at or near the point of the bow, the wrist being very supple. Do not release the fourth finger entirely from the bow-stick. Varied bowings are not desirable, as the wide range of violin literature demands a knowledge of the specific content of études. The bowings required in the Fiorillo études ought to be familiar to students long before they reach this point in their study.
Before the change into a new key, play a crescendo of two measures. Do not rest at the base of the first finger unless necessary. Avoid the vibrato. Relax the thumb. Hold firmly with the chin. Rapid changes to new positions require a simultaneous movement of the first and fourth fingers. Relax the wrist. The thumb is usually in advance of the first finger and remains thus. Play the last line at the point of the bow very lightly. If it is necessary to move the thumb from under the neck of the violin, do so; in extreme cases it may rest against the body of the violin, but this is not usually necessary. In high positions, the hand is raised and the fingers fall vertically. Raise the arm high in the upper positions; arch the fingers well over the four strings, with a slight turning inward, if three or four strings are required. Be careful of false intonation in the last two lines. Press lightly upon the bow-stick when playing in the very high positions:
