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"No, You Don't Have to Sell Your Soul to Play Paganini!
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We all know the story — A gaunt, pale, 'unnatural' looking figure of a man standing onstage before a host of aghast and dumbfounded listeners. A man who all understood could only possibly have achieved his bewitching effects through a pact with the devil — a 'freak' who sold his soul, at horrible cost, for fame and celebrity. |
Dear Friend,
Today we know this myth for the fiction that it is. Not that Nicolo Paganini didn't make full use of the imaginings of his flabbergasted audiences, he most certainly did. But selling his soul for his accomplishments? No way, he simply didn't have to.
What he did do was something extraordinary, however. He took a consummate understanding of violin fundamentals, and then blew away his competition by creating a whole new world of possibilities for the violin from them.
Was this a revolutionary change? Was everything coming before this man made obsolete? Absolutely not! This was Evolutionary change.
In fact, everything that Paganini bequeathed the world of violin playing was drawn from a perfected knowledge of 'classical' violin fundamentals. The key to unlocking the world of Paganini is the key to understanding the process of violin playing itself.
If you are struggling to reach the forbidden fruit of consummate violin playing, to gain entry into the rarified heights of Paganini's 24 Caprices, then read on. You will be richly rewarded.
A Paganini Master Changes My Life
In my early twenties I hit a technical wall. I was putting in many hours of practice a day but was getting virtually no return on my investment. The more I strained to better my technique the tighter and more frustrated I became. Needless to say, the joy of playing was literally slipping through my fingers like desert sand. I was in serious need of fresh insight.
Help arrived in the form of a benefactor who offered to send me to work with
one of the most fluid, effortless Paganini players of the 20th century, Nathan Milstein.
When I arrived at his masterclass in Zürich, Switzerland, I auditioned with three Paganini Caprices. "After all," I figured, "I might as well show him, right off the bat, what needs fixing."
Milstein listened patiently and good-naturedly to my fast and furious scrambling.
Once finished he said, "Why do you always run? Play it like Bach."
Wow, what a concept! But this was just the beginning. Over the next several years, both at the masterclass and in numerous 3 hour plus private sessions, the Maestro showered me with an abundance of technical and musical insights.
As a result, the 24 Paganini Caprices have become the most enjoyable and satisfying works for me to perform in public.
And they can be for you as well!
How My Tutelage with the Master Can Make the Difference for You!
The Paganini for Violin Virtuosity, Vol. 1 program is absolutely unique in the field of violin instruction. The DVDs contain detailed verbal instruction, practice techniques and demonstrations, revealing to YOU the indispensable secrets of virtuosic violin performance.
Here are just 9 of the benefits awaiting you:
- How to cultivate a flying arpeggiando for Caprice #1 that is dependable and flexible, even at an Andante tempo.
- How to execute the rapid, multiple string-crossings in Caprice #2 cleanly while staying amazingly relaxed and under control.
- How to create a sparkling ricochet for Caprice #9 in which every note is heard like woodpecker strikes on a tree trunk.
- How to capture the sounds of flutes, hunting horns, braying dogs, and galloping horses in Caprice #9 — The Hunt — and with crystal clear intonation.
- How to make master time, in all the music you perform, making it your servant rather than your master.
- How to banish that 'chopping wood' effect many violinists produce in fast, multiple-stop passages — as in Caprice #14.
- How to build a left-hand pizzicato for variation 8 of Caprice #24 that is clean, strong and rhythmically rock-solid.
- How to acquire an up-bow staccato for variation 1 of Caprice #24 that will project every note, clear as a bell, to the last row in the hall.
- How to create a 'staccato of the left arm' to shred all manner of fast scales in octaves and tenths.
Clayton Haslop performs Paganini's Caprice No. 24
Who is Paganini for Violin Virtuosity, Vol.1 for?
It's for the true super-achiever.
It's for those wanting to gain entry into the rarified heights of this 'forbidden fruit' of violin playing.
It's for the violinist who won't settle for anything short of becoming one of the elite players of the instrument today...
And It's for a person who loves the instrument and wants to know everything there is to know about how to make it sing.
The Benefit of Months of Lessons... at Your Fingertips
The beauty of this DVD program is:
A) You can work at your own pace.
B) You can replay performances, demonstrations, and explanations until you quite literally live and breathe them.
C) When you consider that the content of a typical one-hour lesson distills down to 15 or 20 minutes — even if you CAN find a teacher with the musical/technical know-how required — you'll realize that this program is the equivalent of many, many lessons.
What Violinists and Teachers Have to Say: Clayton, I must confess that what you are doing is really fantastic and must be appreciated by all those concerned with violin. I have recommended your DVDs to all my students. Dear Clayton, When I think about what private lessons of the same caliber might cost me your DVD course is a downright bargain - and the inspiration is priceless. Mr. Haslop, your DVD instructions are superb. Dear Clayton, I have made tremendous progress in the area of relaxation and my practice techniques. I highly recommend your DVDs to violinists. Thank you so very much! Doug Cameron |
Stop the Endless Repetitions and Make Progress Even While the Violin Rests in Its Case!
Perhaps you may think the statement you've just read sounds too good to be true. Twenty-five years ago I would have said the same. That was before Milstein opened my eyes and brought me to understand, "You must first solve a challenging passage in your head before you will ever play it successfully and reliably on the violin."
Now, this is something that anyone with a passion for the violin can do. But it usually requires some truly expert guidance for it to happen in less than a lifetime, when you're talking Paganini.
And consider these questions whose answers you will find in Volume 1 of Paganini for Violin Virtuosity:
- How can you astonish a listener with instantaneous and extreme mood, tempo, and color changes?
- How do you select the vital information that must be held in mind whilst performing each finger-twisting, bow-arm tweaking passage?
- How do you banish extraneous, self-limiting movement from your playing?
- How do you make specific use of harmony to fine-tune your intonation and musical intentions?
- How do you harness your breath for relaxation while playing the most virtuosic of music?
- How do you utilize your power of visualization to give you security and confidence in any playing situation?
- How do you leapfrog the mental rut of 'difficulty' and enter a place of fresh, creative discovery?
In other words, wouldn't it be VERY helpful to enlist the assistance of someone who's been there, done it, and returned to tell the tale?
Absolutely. And this is what the Paganini for Violin Virtuosity course is all about.
What You Receive with Paganini for Violin Virtuosity, Vol. 1
Paganini for Violin Virtuosity, Vol. 1 contains comprehensive explorations of Caprices 1, 2, 9, 13, 14, 16, 23, and 24. The 'heart-material' of the program are the four DVDs containing verbal explanations and demonstrations of practice techniques that you will need to master each Caprice as well as my 'live' performances of them.
Complimenting and reinforcing the instructional material are many pages of written notes summarizing what has been said and demonstrated. Finally, you will receive my personal edition of these 8 Caprices incorporating many of the fingerings and bowings Milstein shared with me — this alone is priceless material!
And, as a free 'bonus', if you are one of the first 25 to order this month, you'll receive the FREE CD of my performances of the 8 Caprices to enjoy anywhere, anytime.
Say 'Good-bye' To A Capricious Technique, Forever!
The last thing you need, when playing Paganini, is a technique like the 'Cheshire Cat,' here one moment and gone the next.
This program is designed to strengthen your mind and fingers simultaneously - to give you a level of confidence, consistency and control that you've never dreamed possible.
Order the Paganini for Violin Virtuosity, Vol. 1 course this month and you'll receive the 4 DVDs of instructional material, the written notes, and the personalized music for the special, introductory price of $272.00 — that's just $34.00 per Caprice! This incredible offer gives so much for so little that I must leave it in effect for a limited time only — You must act NOW!
All My Best,
Clayton Haslop
P.S. And don't forget, you will receive the FREE bonus CD of 'live' performances with your purchase, if you are one of the first 25 to order this month.