2/3/2025 Easy Does It

There is no musical law that says that playing louder is qualitatively better than playing softer.

As a classical violin student, it seemed like my teachers were always trying to get me to play louder. They would often tell me to use more bow, to project more.

And I certainly see the reasoning for this. In a large concert hall, which is the goal of any conservatory string player, you simply have to play louder so they can hear you in the back, just as a stage actor has to speak louder and enunciate in a way they would not have to if they were making a movie.

But, many of us are not playing in concert halls. Maybe we are playing for ourselves or with a few friends in a small room, or maybe we are recording with a very sensitive microphone. Or maybe we have a pick-up on our instrument.

If you remove any necessity for projecting your sound, you are free to make whatever kind of sound you like.

So maybe it’s good to ask yourself—am I playing louder than I really like? If you remove the teacher from the equation, and you are only pleasing yourself, are there times when you would prefer a lighter, softer touch?

Playing softly is easier on the ears, for one thing. Violinists and violists have an ear practically touching the instrument. And while we may not be as loud as saxophones or trumpets, the overtone series produced by a bow can be very harsh in the upper frequencies, especially close up.

And playing softer is easier on your body. If you are practicing a tough passage with a lot of fast notes, and you are repeating it often, it’s very easy to develop tension in your arms and hands that can cause you to not be able to play fast and can easily turn into tendonitis. Playing the same passage as quietly as possible can free up your hands to move quickly and lightly and be tension free.

And playing softer is easier on your neighbors, roommates, family members and yes, even your pets.

The intimacy of tone that’s possible when you are playing pianissimo or triple pianissimo may be something you’ve never really explored. I discovered this while close miking my instrument and listening with headphones. There’s a whole world of tone and expressiveness in that close-up world that may surprise you.

​So, give your body, your ears and your neighbors a break. Easy does it and see what you find.

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