What Gets Your Attention

I once heard a very useful story about my benefactor. Richard Colburn was a self-made billionaire who knew a thing or two about priorities. The story came from a talk he was asked to give for other businessmen.

The central point of his message was this. Big stuff, because it is big and attracts attention, gets done. What does not get done, without vigilance, is the little stuff – he called it the ‘chicken-shit’.

And it is the little things, the details that make for the difference between acceptable and outstanding.

Last night I was thinking about mental priorities when practicing etudes. Your eyes will immediately see the big challenge and try to draw your minds full attention with it.

It often leads to ineffective results.

Let me give you an example. Number 13 looks to be about string crossings. Yes, you need to understand, at the outset, the two ways that string crossing can be accomplished. As you play the etude, however, you will play it more effectively if you focus your mind on the Horizontal Motion of the bow and let your ‘eyes’ accomplish the string crossings.

The string crossings will happen because they are the ‘big stuff’. The ‘chicken-shit’ is the quality and flow of the detaché.

In the trill etudes, numbers 15-22, it is easy to get caught up in the trills and neglect the turns, grace notes, and articulation marks. I focus on them and let my ‘eyes’ play the trills. Same principle.

So there you have it. The ‘distinction is in the details’ as Richard Colburn used to say.

How you breathe, how and what you think are often neglected when challenges come our way. Don’t let challenges push you around. YOU set the priorities.

All the best,
Clayton Haslop

P.S. Speaking of priorities. Is playing all 11 etudes in volume 1 of my course with the accompaniments one of yours?