When More Becomes Less

Yesterday morning I was sitting out on our deck enjoying my morning espresso and basking in the pleasantness of Indian summer.

Afterward, instead of going to my computer to pound out an email to you, I began flipping through recent issues of Strad and Strings magazines – they do have my ads in them so I figure I owe it to myself to glance through them once in a while.

In any case, I happened on an interview with some up and coming fiddler I’ve never heard of who was responding to the question, ‘What makes your playing stand out amongst all the other gifted young players around today?’

‘I have sworn to myself to make every note I play have meaning,’ was the reply.’

I had to chuckle when I read this. It reminded me of something that happened on a record session – yes, I do mean Record Session – many moons ago.

I was part of a string section ‘sweetening’ an album coming out of A&M; Records, back when Herb Alpert still owned the Label. The concertmaster, bless his heart, was a rather inept young fellow somehow connected – by blood, ethnicity, or some other means – to Herb Alpert himself.

Well, after one play-back this young kid comes back in the room and says, ‘They’d like us to play with more feeling. Make every note a melody.’

There we were, playing goose eggs – a.k.a. whole notes – and our concertmaster – I’m using the term rather loosely here – wants us to make of each a Melody!

I can tell you, a few of us almost lost our lunch on that one.

But let’s get a little more serious here and talk about real music. Or at least music with more to work with than whole notes.

Before writing this I was working through the Bach Chaccone. Believe it or not, I’ve heard many violinists, I call them ‘good students’, who fall into the trap of trying to do TOO much with this work.

I think part of the problem is that we’ve all grown up with the idea that this piece of music is such a masterpiece that every note must be monumental and epic. It’s like they think they must hit a home run with every note.

Pretty soon the listener is numb.

You’ve got to give people a break. Let them relax and feel the effortless flow of notes. There’s plenty of time and room in the Bach Chaconne for heavy hitting. The challenge is more how to keep from beating it to death, not how to put more passion into it.

Last week I watched the film footage of Milstein playing it on his last public concert. An 82 year old man playing through that 15 minute ball-breaker – excuse my French – as if it were water. Yes, there was plenty of passion, but his economy of movement was what astonished me, as a relatively informed viewer.

So, let this be a lesson to you. Be careful not to over-indulge your emotions. Few enjoy listening to a player who’s just using the music to exorcise their personal demons. Do that in the Psychiatrists office.

Great music making is nuanced, patient, clever, articulate, effortless, virtuosic, intelligent, AND passionate.

If you want to become the master of More, become first the master of Less.

All the best,

Clayton Haslop

P.S. And the best way to do what I have just suggested is by acquiring clean, pure, efficient, and faultless fundamentals. You’ll find it all in Kreutzer for Violin Mastery.

The Holy Grail, or Just Plain Fun

For each of us the study of the violin means something slightly, or dramatically, different. Some find it ‘neat’. Others, like myself, have expanded the activity in our minds and made of it a grand metaphor – a kind of search for an aural ‘Holy Grail.’

‘So, what makes for the more successful violinist,’ you might ask.

Not necessarily the latter, it may just depend on the ears of the listener. After all, we are the way we are.

For myself, however, I have a good dose of the latter in me. And it does affect the way I practice the violin. Big time.

Here’s what I mean.

You see, for me the whole grail thing was never really about a cup, per se. It was always a metaphor. And as it pertains to my violin playing the search is about making myself into a worthy vessel for perfected sound/music.

It’s a process that is and will be ongoing. Now I am closer, tomorrow I may be further away. The following day I will again come back strong. And so it proceeds.

It’s a search for a Platonic ideal. And it has contained a good measure of joy, fun, heart-ache, frustration, and satisfaction in the bargain.

The important thing is to stay in touch with your love for it. Out of that love is born the patience, perseverance, passion, courage – there are risk to be taken, mind you – and compassion – especially for yourself, on the bad days to keep moving forward.

May Fortune smile brightly on your journey.

All the best,

Clayton Haslop

P.S. If you’re set to sail on the voyage of a lifetime, the Violin Mastery Beginners Circle is the ship you want to be on.

A Good Day for Balance

With equal periods of light and darkness, and the Earth’s axis square to the Sun, there is no better day to than the Autumnal Equinox to contemplate balance.

So, how’s about taking a moment or two and looking at violin playing from this perspective. Here are a few that came to mind.

G. Feet not too far apart nor too close together. Shoulder width is good, as a general rule.
H. Have your weight balanced equally between the two feet – avoid ‘cocking’ your hips and resting most of your weight on one leg.
I. Violin is balanced between the collarbone and left hand. Draw your left shoulder around for extra support and to bring your arm under the violin. Chin exerts minimal pressure to keep the violin from slipping off the shoulder/collarbone.
J. Downward pressure of the fingers is uniform. Adjust the pressure of the strongest fingers to the weakest – your pinky, I presume.
K. The fingers of the right hand are likewise balanced as they grasp the bow – again, use the minimum force necessary to keep the bow in hand.
L. Sense the ‘balance point’ between bow pressure and amount of bow used. Note, the further the bow is from the bridge the more bow you will need to use for a given amount of pressure.

Of course the concept of balance can also extend into your practice – i.e. technique vs repertoire, slow practice and ‘at tempo’ practice, adagio vs allegro music.

But as important as everything I’ve said is, there is yet one balance more essential. This is the balance of mind and body.

Too many of us have a tendency to play with our hands more than we play with our minds. When the physical and mental processes are both active in equal measure, that’s when the magic really starts to happen.

Speaking of magic starting to happen, I’ve had a terrific response so far to the Violin Mastery Beginners Circle. Why not get on board and join in the fun!

All the best,

Clayton Haslop

P.S. In fact, all the signups I’ve had to the Beginner’s Circle have led me to conclude that a couple more circles may be in order, each taking off from points further down the trail. Stay tuned!

The Dream Course for Beginners

Yes, it’s finally ready to go. As you know, to date my courses have been directed toward the intermediate and advanced players. Now I’m going back and picking it up right from the get-go – from where the violin comes out of the case for the first time.

And though it is primarily geared for the adult student, I can also see this program working very well for families in which a parent – or two! – want to take the violin journey along with their child.

It’s also a program (A), for people who are on a budget and can’t afford weekly lessons (B), for busy folks with unpredictable schedules that make weekly lessons impossible, (C), for self-motivated learners that don’t need a teacher standing over them each week telling them the same darned things over and over, and (D) for people who have played for some time, but sense a need to ‘take it from the top’ with a master player showing them all the right moves.

Oh yes, when you belong to the “Violin Mastery Beginners Circle” you will have a unique access to me through which I can address your personal questions. I will also be sending out a private newsletter twice a week to circle members. In it will be information tailored to the beginning and elementary level violinist.

I think I said enough about it here. If you want onboard you’ve only to click on the link just below.

One last thing, if you don’t have an instrument on which to begin you needn’t worry – got that base covered. When you’ve completed the order form you will be provided a link to a wonderful violin house located in Burlington Vermont. I know these people and they can set you up a quality instrument to rent, lease, or own in a matter of days.

So, come on over, read the whole story, and climb on board.

All the best,

Clayton Haslop

P.S. If you played in the past but need a little push to get you off your duff, just have a look at my ’Ten Health and Well-being Benefits’ of playing the violin.

Double Your Pleasure

There are few things more satisfying on the violin than playing in-tune, beautifully clear double-stops. On the other hand, there is also little that presents as much challenge.

So, what is a body to do about them?

For one thing, stop struggling.

The last thing you want to find yourself doing is grinding away at the violin in frustration trying to subjugate two hapless pitches that just don’t want to fit together.

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve had students do this; stand next to me and saw away at their instrument first adjusting one finger, then the other, then BOTH at the same time.

Dreadful!

Even when they managed to force their fingers into agreement they had become so tense and disoriented there wasn’t a chance in hell of them finding the same positions again.

So let’s take a look at a better way.

First off, when you sense yourself struggling with double-stops you must take a breather. And I mean that literally. Come to a complete stop, and take a deep, relaxing belly breath.

To play double-stops the mind and hands – both right and left – must be relaxed and pliant.

The mind must be relaxed for this reason. It is going to INFORM your hands on the simultaneous sounding of two voices. The picture it sends to your hands must be very clear as to the location of each pitch on your fingerboard.

The left hand must be relaxed as can be to allow for each location to be accessed without one finger inhibiting, or distorting the other.

The result is a fantastic exercise in achieving relaxation with focus.

The right arm plays a very important part in this. It is the breath that gives life to the two notes. It also fuses them, giving birth to a ‘combination tone’, ‘resultant tone’, or, as some would know it, a ‘Tartini tone.’ When that third note, the birth-child of a double-stop, harmonizes with the two fundamental notes, you’ve got gold coming out of your fiddle.

Now, in volume 4 of Kreutzer for Violin Mastery you will find much more on the secret to scoring big with double-stops.

All the best,

Clayton Haslop

P.S. Volume 3 really gets your hand set up beautifully for playing double stops. It has a lot to say about holding the violin effortlessly and acquiring the finger independence that double-stop playing requires. Together they make a nice, one-two punch for the intermediate/advanced violinist. Heck, I’ve even had pros tell me how much they’ve gotten from these 2 volumes.

Getting the Whole Picture

Had a couple of interesting responses to yesterday’s newsletter, ‘To Record, or Not to Record.’ One of our subscribers wrote of Heifetz nit-picking his recordings. I’ve got a story about that one.

The other observed how recording oneself may be more valuable for the musical light it sheds, rather than exposing technical imperfections. That one jarred my memory about studies done on the way in which we process music, when listening..

First the story.

Heifetz was recording something or other way back when, and the producer requested he repeat one section several times, saying over the ‘talk-back’, ‘Sorry maestro, we just need that passage ONE more time.’

Finally, in frustration, Heifetz put down his violin, went into the booth and asked what was wrong. The producer, rather sheepishly said, ‘Well, Mr. Heifetz, you seem to have played a D natural instead of the indicated D sharp in this measure.’

‘Let me hear it’, Heifetz quipped.

The passage was played back to him, and indeed he had played the wrong note with each repetition.

‘Well,’ said Jascha, ‘I guess that’s the way I play it. Let’s move on.’

And the misplayed note can be heard until this day. Question is, does anybody KNOW where it is?

Now for the listening studies.

A researcher performed a series of tests in which subjects only heard a piece of music performed and then were able to hear and SEE the performers playing the music. Turns out their reactions to certain features in the music were very different. For instance, when a pause preceded a dramatic entrance in the music, the perceived effect was much greater when the participants could see the musicians prepare for it.

So if it is an improved musical impact you’re looking for, then perhaps you should use video or audio depending on what medium it will be viewed/heard.

And there is one more point I will make about recording. The way a violin sounds on recording is always going to be different from the way it will sound to a listener sitting in a hall. And this is without taking into account the ‘color’ added by the microphone itself.

OK, enough said. I DO acknowledge that there are things to be learned from listening and seeing on tape. I would certainly caution, however, that you do this when you are fresh, and then only sparingly.

All the best,

Clayton Haslop

P.S. If you want to get the real big picture on your playing, I suggest you grab one of the spots remaining to the Singing Hands Masterclass/Seminar.

How to Play With Feeling

This morning I received an email that really got me. Have a quick look;

Dear Mr.Haslop,

I am learning to play the violin for the past one year.
This weekend my teacher said I play all the notes correctly, but I give nothing to the music. He says I don’t feel the music.
How do I do that? What does it mean to play a piece of music with feeling?

Regards,

Geethanjali

As I say, reading this gets me right in the old heart muscle. So Geethanjali, let me give you a few thoughts.

Your teacher says you are playing the notes correctly. By that I take it that you are playing in tune and in rhythm, and that you can hear the Sound of the music in your head without actually playing it. Can you do this?

Once you have the ability to visualize or imagine yourself playing the music, you are ready for the next step to playing with feeling.

Now, as you listen to the music playing in your imagination notice whether you LIKE what you are hearing. Try to make every note a note that you LIKE to play.

Once you can enjoy each note you are ready to put that FEELING into your playing.

The next step is the most fun and creative of all. What you do is, listen to the music you are playing with feeling in your head and, at the same time, think what you can do on the violin to get others hearing what YOU are hearing.

If the music is strong, show it in your playing. Stand straight, play with a big tone, give extra weight to the notes you feel MOST strongly about. Are you beginning to get a picture, Geethanjali? I hope so.

You see, playing with feeling IS about feeling the music in your mind/heart/soul first. But once you have it really singing inside you, you must then us more imagination and energy to send it out through your violin.

And don’t be bashful or shy when you’re doing it. It’s fun!

All the best,

Clayton Haslop

P.S. I have one other thing to say. Since I began offering DVD coursesthrough Violin Mastery in July of 2006, I have filled several hundred orders. We DO occasionally have trouble with shipments. If you order a course from me and don’t receive it within 10-15 business days – unless I’ve told you it will be longer – please get in touch with me. Something has gone awry with the shipping and I want to set things right as soon as possible.

Your Left Hand’s Dance Partner

You all must remember the Fred Astaire film in which he dances with a coat rack. It’s iconic in dance movie history. I just can’t recall the name of the picture.

The point is, though, if you remember that dance you will recall not only how wonderfully he danced, but how beautifully he made the coat rack move. It was an inspired piece of work.

That’s the kind of ‘repoire’ you want develop with your fingerboard. You want it feeling Alive in your hand.

Another way I’ve expressed it, in the past, is to think of messaging the fingerboard. You know, don’t just whack at it with your fingers, get sensuous with it.

Now, if your shoulder and chin have a choke-hold on the fiddle this aint a goin’ to happen any time soon.

Two emails ago I wrote about a little training exercise to help dissipate some of that – what in police lingo is known as – ‘excessive force.’ I’ve gotten a few queries on the subject so let me be a little more specific about how it’s done.

First, don’t feel compelled to throw away your shoulder rest just yet. There are plenty of wonderful fiddlers that use them, and you may be one of them. I, myself feel hemmed in by them, so no matter how much sense they make orthopedically, I aint buyin’.

Besides, I do the shoulder and neck exercises I just sent out to all you customers – trust you have received them by now. They take care of potential aches and pains just fine.

Second, to discover just how much force you grip with, and, more importantly, WHEN you use it, adjust your stand so the scroll of your violin can rest on it, parallel to the floor. If the violin bangs up and down when you play, particularly when you shift, you’re exposing an unconscious muscle reflex that needs chillin’. Don’t forget to belly breathe when you’re doing this. It’ll make you relax, pronto.

All the best,
Clayton Haslop

P.S. If ‘belly breathing’ is not yet part of your playing m.o., I suggest you hop over a pick up a copy of Kreutzer for Violin Mastery, Vol. 1 and find out how it’s going to transform your playing.

Avoiding the California Stop

Those of you that drive know what I’m talking about, namely a ‘stop’ that isn’t really a stop.

I do them myself now and then, shame on me!

Of course it’s one thing to bend the rules a little bit when you know you’re in full control of a situation – I don’t do California stops when I can’t see all opposing traffic clearly.

But my driving habits aren’t what I mean to talk about. It’s your practice habits I’d like to shed light on.

You see, quite often when people make a mistake and stop to repeat something, they make a ‘California Stop’. They recognize a mistake, make a quick judgment about it, and restart, all within a blink of an eye.

The problem is, the body needs time to receive the new instruction. It needs time to ‘unwind’ from the previous experience.

While this is taking place you need to listen to your body.

Today I was practicing a famous passage from the Brahm’s Concerto. Brahms had a way of displacing beats so they fall in unexpected places. I noticed one result of these displacements was that my body needed a tad more time between repetitions to organize itself. Once I gave my body time to fully appreciate how the music was organized around the beats, bingo, everything flowed like water.

In short it’s a little dance that takes place between the creative imagination and the body.

Also makes me think of the expression, ‘take some time to smell the roses’. Something most all of us could do more of, no?

All the best,

Clayton Haslop

P.S. It all boils down to rhythm, really. All things have their natural rhythms, and it is up to us to find what they are. And the techniques you’ll learn in Kreutzer for Violin Mastery are superb for picking up the natural rhythms of music.

How to Surrender Tension

Oo-Wee, just finished a very exhilarating practice session. The kind of session that gives back more energy than was put in.

And I put in a lot today.

What I explored very deeply in the hour was just what the title of this email suggests; how to SURRENDER tension.

Many violinists experience some form of tension or muscle stiffness whilst playing. Most, if not all of the tension we arises while we play is based on misconceptions we acquired very early and now are deeply rooted in the subconscious. That is to say, they are habitual.

So, how to you uproot the little buggers.

First of all you must pay very close attention. You must be willing to seek out the very instruction the brain is sending the muscle(s) to contract.

From that point you must first Consciously send a new message to the muscle – stay relaxed – while at the same time allowing the muscles you DO need activated to do their job.

I have Focal Dystonia. For those of you who know what this is you know it is a dysfunction that is WAY beyond your garden-variety stiffness. Many fine musicians have had their careers ended by it.

I will not.

In fact, I believe the techniques I demonstrate at the beginning of both the Kreutzer and Paganini courses are an integral part of my recovery process.

If they work for dystonia they most certainly can help you with eliminating your tension issues.

The counting technique puts your focus on the NOW – your attention is placed on what is right before you. The breathing technique places the body in a state conducive to relaxation. And the act of creative visualization sends the new, corrected message to the muscles.

What the courses also provide is information to better inform your visualizations. This is very worthwhile stuff.

I wish I had the time to go more deeply into how tension becomes reflexive and self-limiting. If you’re interested, there is a book entitled, ‘The Power of Infinite Love and Gratitude’, by Dr. Darren R. Weissman, that you might find extremely enlightening.

All the best,

Clayton Haslop

P.S. Am just getting restocked on ‘Kreutzer for Violin Mastery’ today. Makes for a great time to get this great tension banishing tool for the serious violinist.