Violinist Shigetoshi Yamada Interview

 by Erin Cano, MIC Suzuki Violin Teacher

What led you to become a Suzuki instructor?

I was brought up in the Suzuki method. I finished all of the ten books as well as additional repertoire, but I felt like I didn't have a good foundation in technique. I went on to study at the Toho Gakuen School of Music in Japan for my undergraduate degree. I continued my graduate studies at the Royal Conservatory in The Hague, Netherlands. A person from Ann Arbor, Michigan came to my graduation recital and invited me to teach at the Suzuki Institute, which was at that time affiliated with the University of Michigan. There was also an opening in the Ars Musica Baroque Orchestra. So I came to  Ann Arbor, Michigan.

But I had to rethink how to teach. How to play the repertoire the original way versus the Suzuki way.   As Dr. Suzuki said, “Kreisler was the real teacher, I'm only the helper.”

Ruggiero Ricci helped me to connect the old and new techniques. Then I discovered that the Suzuki method is a very good way to introduce great music from baroque composers through Mozart. This can lead into classic, romantic, and even contemporary composers.

You’ve had many opportunities to work with

Dr. Suzuki over the years. What is your favorite memory of him?

My favorite memory was when I worked as Dr. Suzuki's translator during his trip to Edmonton, Alberta for an international teachers' conference. His Japanese was very gentle, very soft. He had an amazing way of communicating with people, especially children, in English. I had to help to translate his complex and philosophical Japanese into English.

One time, I was sitting next to Dr. Suzuki in the car. I knew he was famous for getting up at three o'clock in the morning to listen to recordings of students from all over Japan and to write calligraphy. I asked him, “How are you able to get up at three o'clock in the morning?” He told me, “If we have ten years, we can do anything.” He explained that first, he spent ten years getting up at five o'clock in the morning. The next ten years, he got up at four o'clock. After another ten years, he got up at three o'clock. Finally, he tried to do two o'clock. But he said that was too early.

I've tried, and I can almost wake up at three o'clock in the morning. When I do  wake up at that time, I always think of Dr. Suzuki. But then I sometimes go back to bed again.

At the conference, there was a big argument between the Japanese and American teachers over whether or not Dr. Suzuki should travel to the Americas because of his health. They tried to reduce his teaching load so it wouldn't be too heavy. As Dr. Suzuki's translator, I was stuck in the middle. He was unhappy because he wanted to teach more. Finally, they decided that he could have more classes to teach. When I saw him in the elevator in the morning, he looked very happy, and said, "I can teach more!" He looked, almost, enlightened. He always had energy for teaching, even past the age of 90.

What is the biggest difference between playing the baroque and modern violin?

Nowadays, even though people play with baroque violins, they are not performing in a real authentic way. When I went to the Hague, that school was very dedicated to the original style. I had to play without the chin touching the violin. That's a big difference. That technique helped me so much when I played music by Niccolò Paganini and later studied with Ruggiero Ricci.  

Ricci wrote a book entitled Ricci on Glissando: The Shortcut to Violin Technique.  I'm translating that book into Japanese now. He says the concept of "holding" the violin is wrong. He also says that chin rests and shoulder rests can lead to a false sense of security and cause violinists to clutch the instrument with the chin and shoulder.  True security comes from allowing the instrument to rest on the outside end of the shoulder and lie in the palm of hand. It’s a very difficult subject.

Another difference is that the baroque violin has a much softer sound, and the bow is shorter.  Concert halls were much smaller in the baroque time period. The modern violin requires more muscle for a bigger sound, and more vibrato.

Nowadays, many modern players are somehow influenced by the baroque original way of playing. Maxim Vengerov used the baroque bow on a regular violin on his comeback recital in London for a Handel Sonata and the Bach Chaconne. When Midori played unaccompanied solo sonatas and partitas, she played on the regular violin but held the bow higher up and used less vibrato.

In my Kreisler violin group at MIC, I like to introduce techniques including those by Ricci and Kreisler. I learn a lot while experimenting with my students.

On February 12, you joined pianist Mary Drews at MIC's Black Box Theater to present a recital of compositions and arrangements by Fritz Kreisler. What inspired you to create a concert featuring works by Kreisler?

I chose to play music by Fritz Kreisler because I believe he is the one who connected old and new techniques. I studied with William Primrose at the Toho Gakuen. He was a very good friend of Kreisler. Primrose showed me Kreisler's bowing style. That actually led me to go to Europe to do the original style. If I hadn't studied Baroque violin, I wouldn't be able to understand Kreisler.

I think Kreisler was an amazing person. Everyone from Dr. Suzuki to Ruggiero Ricci admired Kreisler as a human.  I've read everything that Kreisler has written and all of his biographies. I've also heard several recordings of his speeches. Kreisler had all sorts of international influences. He was born in Vienna and later lived in Paris between the ages of ten and 13. He studied the Viennese, French, and Franco Belgian styles. He knew ancient Greek, Latin, German, English, and French. His hobby was to always read books. He had amazing knowledge and grace.  He also was deeply involved in charity. He helped so many poor people and orphanages after World War I.

Kreisler was a great composer and performer. He wrote all of the piano accompaniments to his violin music. He studied composition with Anton Bruckner. Kreisler also knew Johannes Brahms. At the Vienna Conservatory, Brahms would ask the seven-year-old Kreisler's advice on how to do violin fingerings. Kreisler was also good friends with Dvorak.

I also think that Kreisler's music is so much fun to play. It's not too long. Kreisler never wrote a violin sonata, and there's a joke about it. Somebody asked him, "Mr. Kreisler, why haven't you written a violin sonata?" His answer was, "My wife said there's no money in a sonata."  

The great thing about Kreisler is that we can listen to recordings of the composer's performances and learn from his playing. We cannot listen to composers like Bach, Mozart, or Beethoven.   

For me, Kreisler and Elvis Presley are very similar. They were both accomplished musicians who wanted to entertain people. Presley could sing all of the gospel songs beautifully. But he also sang rock music. I think the performer should do whatever he can do to give pleasure to the audience. That's what I want to do for the rest of my life.

What do you enjoy doing when you're not playing the violin?

I'm a fanatic golfer. I probably practice golf more than the violin. And I'm still learning every day from golf lessons.  There are many similarities between golf and the violin. I’ve learned about grip, posture, rhythm, tempo, how to play in tune (on plane, as golfers would say), and how to be efficient with my motions.

When I take golf lessons, I understand my violin students. When I play the violin, it's one set of motions. When I play golf, it's a different set of motions. I think it's not good to do only one type of motion all the time.

Dr. Suzuki said, “Teaching is like playing golf. Always hope for the next hole and the hole after that. In violin, always hope for the next lesson and the lesson after that." We should always try to improve. We cannot be perfect. Eliminate mistakes one a time. And we'll become better and better at whatever we do.

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Shigetoshi Yamada's bio>>>

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