This is depressing.
I have/had a young (around 8 years old) violin student who lost his left index finger in a freak accident over the holiday. He is a beginner, about ABRSM grade 2.
I know of people play different instruments in unconventional ways in order to accomodate for missing fingers. E.G: Jean “Django” Reinhardt).
He really loves the violin. Does anybody have any experience in this area? Can anybody point to some resources or is there, even better, a similar violin player?
I'm a cellist and I have been parent coach for Suzuki viola. I don't have specific experience with this, but will use my imagination.
Let's renumber the fingers. What used to be "2" will now be "1" and so on. Your student will be working with fingers 1, 2 and 3. Think of a beginning student who doesn't use the fourth finger yet.
Now, let's think about how to play a scale that doesn't use open strings, for example A flat major. When the violinist has four fingers available, it is possible to play the whole thing in one position, without shifting. That's not going to work now. Here are some possible approaches ("change" will mean "change strings"):
A: 1 - 1 2 3 change 1 - 1 2 3
B: 1 2 - 2 3 change 1 2 - 2 3
C: 1 2 3 - 3 change 1 2 3 - 3
D: Always play six notes on one string before shifting to a lower position.
I think I like B the best of the first three.
C has the advantage that it's similar to a pretty common fingering I've seen for three-octave scales, where one repeats 4 at the top of the scale.
The challenge with D will be to maintain a solid tone in the higher register of each string.
I think you could simulate what your student will experience by putting a bulky bandaid on your left index finger, so as to avoid using it. This will make it easier for you to try things out yourself before you suggest them to your student.
While your student is getting the hang of this new way of playing, I think he should avoid doing anything on the G string. Reason: the center of gravity is going to be more towards the new third finger than before, and this will require swinging the elbow around more than normal. Playing on the G string already requires one to bring the elbow around, which is unnatural, so let's not overdo it at the beginning.
I think the thing that will be the hardest to adjust (and sometimes not possible to play, as written) will be certain chords (triple stops). I would not hesitate to do a little rewriting of pieces, such as Bach, that have some triple stops that aren't working. For example, you could omit the middle note, and play the lower note as a grace note before the main note. When saxophonists play Bach cello suites, this is how they interpret triple and quadruple stops.
In terms of inspiration, even though the anatomy and mechanics are different, it might be inspiring to take a look at Jessica Cox, born with no arms. She explained in a short documentary (2 minutes in) that for her, a turning point was to see another woman with no arms caring for her baby, picking up the baby, changing the baby's diaper. Cox is very upbeat.
You and your student may also want to think about a prosthetic.
Edit:
I haven't found a video of Cox playing piano with the audio, but I did find a short one that shows her playing, visually. It also shows her doing a variety of daily living activities, such as brushing her hair, eating dinner, typing on her computer. This is a good video for you, I think, because she explains how helpful her parents' can-do attitude was -- right from birth.
I think the other key thing for Cox's development, in terms of self-esteem and creative problem solving, must have been watching the mother caring for her baby. Cox has made a point of making herself available to children with her disability, realizing, I think, how important it is to make that connection.
I myself have seen how helpful that connection with others with the same disability can be. My son has Tourette Syndrome and OCD. He has found the following hugely helpful:
watch videos of Tim Howard (famous soccer goalie with Tourette and OCD), both playing soccer and being interviewed about his disability; and read Howard's autobiography
meet other young people with Tourette Syndrome at conferences and family retreats
In addition to the above, consider he may be also able to fall in love with a brass instrument that does not require all the fingers on the left hand. Trumpet, horn, trombone, euphonium, tuba, none of those require four fingers on the left hand, and all are beautiful instruments. It depends on his capability and desire to play professionally....there may be famous disabled people playing violin out there, but they are very likely not in the ranks of professional orchestras. It depends on his goals, and it is going to take time for him to adjust his goals after this terrible loss. Meanwhile he obviously has your support in whatever he wants to do, and that is wonderful.
Rudolf Kolisch, an excellent musician known for his association with Schoenberg, played the violin left-handed due to an injury.
There's also Playing Violin and Fiddle Left Handed
I have a missing index finger on my left hand. Due to that, along with other problems, I play violin left-handed. I started playing violin in my fifties, right-handed. It was difficult, but not as difficult as you might think. And you can find instruments specifically made for left-handed violinists. There is no need to alter a right-handed one.
Adrian Anantawan is a one-handed violinist. I assume the index finger you're referring to though is on his fingering hand and not his bow hand?
Anantawan is one of the world's most accomplished young violinists. He has performed at the White House, at the Vancouver Winter Olympics, for Pope John Paul II, for Christopher Reeve and most recently for the Dalai Lama during an event at MIT. Anantawan played a piece by Bach, and when he finished, the Tibetan Buddhist leader approached him. Anantawan's disability has been with him since birth. http://www.cnn.com/2013/03/15/tech/innovation/adrian-anantawan-violinist/
This list is somewhat specific to guitar but, might be useful in motivating/inspiring:
Jerome John Garcia (August 1, 1942 – August 9, 1995) Better known as Jerry to legions of Deadheads, Garcia, an avid folk and bluegrass enthusiast, was best known for his singing, songwriting, and lead guitar playing with the Grateful Dead for three decades.
Garcia was also know to play banjo and other stringed instruments. He attributed his stellar fingering style to the missing finger.
Jean “Django” Reinhardt (January 23, 1910 – May 16, 1953) Django Reinhardt was a virtuoso jazz guitarist and composer who began his career in France at the age of 13. Music critic Thom Jurek calls Reinhardt’s jazz group Quintette du Hot Club de France, “one of the most original bands in the history of recorded jazz.”
When Reinhardt was 18, he and his wife Florine “Bella” Mayer were extremely poor. To supplement their income, Bella made imitation flowers out of celluloid and paper. One night after a performance, Django came home and knocked over a candle in the their caravan that was full of the highly flammable material. He received serious burns over half his body and the third and fourth fingers of his left hand were so badly burned that doctors believed he would never play guitar again.
After the injury, Reinhardt developed a new technique to compensate for his paralyzed fingers. He would go on to become an international jazz superstar and inspire generations of guitar players. Many guitar players have cited Reinhardt as an influence including Jeff Beck, who has described Reinhardt as “by far the most astonishing guitar player ever” and “quite superhuman.”
Malcolm John “Mac” Rebennack, Jr. (November 21, 1940 -) Known by his stage name, Dr. John, Rebennack is a Grammy-award winning pianist, singer, and songwriter; and purveyor of all things New Orleans.
Rebennack began his musical career in the 1950s playing guitar because he didn’t believe he could make a living playing piano. However, his career as a guitarist would come to an end around 1960. Rebennack’s friend and band mate, Ronnie Barron, was being pistol whipped before a performance one evening. Rebennack interceded, placing his hand over the attacker’s gun. The gun discharged, severely injuring Rebennack’s left ring finger. The injury would lead Rebennack to concentrate on piano.
After shifting his focus from guitar to piano, Rebennack would become a highly sought after session musician working with the likes of James Taylor, Van Morrison and Aretha Franklin. Eventually he launched his solo career and developed the persona of Dr. John. He has collaborated with artists including Mick Jagger, Eric Clapton, Willie Nelson, and Ani DiFranco, and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2011.
Anthony Frank “Tony” Iommi Iommi, an English guitar player and songwriter, was one of the founding members of pioneering heavy metal band, Black Sabbath.
When Iommi was 17 he was employed as a machinist at a sheet metal factory. On his last day working at the factory, he was involved in an industrial accident and lost the tips of his ring and middle finger on his right hand. Discouraged by the accident, he almost abandoned music. However, his boss at the factory encouraged Iommi by playing a Django Reinhardt album to motivate Iommi to continue with music.
After the injury Iommi attempted to learn to play right-handed. Unsuccessful in that attempt, he then strung his guitar with banjo strings and fashioned prosthetic finger tips out of plastic liquid soap bottles. These changes led to a unique sound and style of play that would become Black Sabbath’s signature sound.
I'd also mention Rick Allen, the drummer from Def Leppard.
An overarching theme with all of these musicians is that they embrace their 'disabilities' and end up changing the game, so to speak. So, what might be seen as tragic for the young student may very well end up being a blessing; and his or her greatest strength.
