Look at Your Fingering Options

It’s sure nice to have a little break in the recording action to enjoy a little California sunshine. Though I’ll send this to you in the morning, I’m right now soaking up rays in the picturesque garden of my sister’s place in Woodland Hills.

Hopefully I can write this in just the right amount of time to get my vitamin D dose without going so far as to burn my lily-white winter skin.

As you know I spent last week recording some brilliant film music of John Williams. Got another week of it to look forward to before jetting home on Saturday.

And if you’ve seen any of the Indiana Jones pictures you’ll know they have the musical equivalent of wall-to-wall carpet – not unlike opera, I suppose.

My stand partner is a great fellow by the name of Kenneth Yerke; Heifetz student at 12, Cleveland Orchestra member under George Szell at 18, and my close friend and colleague at…well, I it aint important.

In any case, this guy’s got some serious chops.

When we sit together we have a great time – it’s the ‘dueling violin show.’

Now, in the interest of full disclosure, I will say that Ken not only started earlier than I and practiced harder in his early years, but also has amazing violin hands – strong, flexible, and smooth as butter. Truly unique.

So as you can imagine, one is hard pressed to stay with him when he gets fired up.

Part of the fun I have with Ken is seeing who can come up with the best fingerings to use for the many tricky passages thrown at us. It never ceases to amaze me, really, just how many options a string player has.

In fact fingering choices play a big part in making a Milstein sound different from an Oistrach, a Heifetz from a Kreisler. Yes, there are other things as well, but fingerings are play a big part.

Some fingerings can be dramatic, but entail considerable risk. These types don’t generally suit orchestral situations, unless the conductor or concertmaster asks everybody to do them together for just such an effect.

So though Ken and I challenge ourselves for fun this way, we are most often looking for the most efficient, clean fingerings we can find, especially for fast, technical passages.

Now, there is no way I can teach ‘fingerings’ in an email. You can, however, acquire a highly developed ‘fingering sense’ by working with my courses.

Kreutzer for Violin Mastery is certainly the most comprehensive in this regard.

All the best,

Clayton Haslop

Beware Quick Judgments

Well, it’s Friday and I’m back in the Conservatory ramping up for another day of finger-flinging fun with John Williams. As you know from a few days ago, this ‘Conservatory’ has nothing to do with furthering my musical education, and everything to do with getting a healthy helping of caffeine into my blood stream.

I just finished a triple-shot of espresso. Zoom.

Anywho, whilst sipping I reflected, with a silly little smile on my face, on my first day at the Milstein class.

Boy did I have a few things to learn.

The first day began with a so-so fiddler playing the ‘Spring Sonata’ of Beethoven. After a while Milstein apparently had heard enough and interrupted the fellow with a few cryptic words and a demonstration on his fiddle.

Well, he hadn’t bothered to tune it, he was totally un-warmed up, and he sounded pretty rough. He also held the bow completely differently than I, and his left hand had almost a lackadaisical look to it.

I was shocked.

‘Uh oh,’ I thought to myself, ‘this guy sure doesn’t seem world-class to me. I think I just misspent a good deal of munny.’ – I really only knew Milstein’s playing from his second Bach Sonata and Partita recording. And not owning it myself I’d only heard only a little.

In any case, the student played a little more, and Milstein stopped him again. This time Milstein tuned his violin.

He also began warming up.

Suddenly I was hearing sounds I’d never heard come out of a violin. Not live, certainly.

At the end of the day – and I had by that point had my turn, playing Paganini #16 – I jumped up, went right up to where he was putting his Stradivarius in it’s case, and blurted, ‘I have to study with you. Will you take me?’

‘But you don’t need a teacher,’ he said. – Now that took me aback.

‘But I do,’ I replied, ‘I can’t do what you do.’

‘You come and play for me then,’ was his response.

And so began my three year mission to re-invent myself as a violinist. From that period comes virtually everything I say about violin fundamentals today.

Mind you, the breathing, counting, and particulars of visualization have evolved over a good many years, and have I found them invaluable. But the bow hold, bow arm movements, violin hold, left hand mechanics, all these are Milstein.

The real point of my telling this story, however, is to beware of jumping to conclusions before all the facts are in front of you.

This should be true even in your own playing. Many players jump to the conclusion they can’t do this or that technique. Over and over I’ve found it’s not due to inability but to a lack of thoroughness.

They give up too soon. They haven’t gotten down to what I call the ‘cellular level.’

The cellular level is where life begins. It’s a joy to get there. ‘Haste makes waste,’ as the saying goes. ‘Don’t run away,’ – Milstein.

‘That’s right, don’t run away, but do hop over and get the course that’s changing the way aspiring violinists learn the violin all over the world.’ – Haslop.

All the best,

Clayton Haslop

P.S. If you’ve been around the block a few times and want to truly stretch yourself, come match bows with me on Paganini Caprices.