A Day for Freedom
Well, it’s been 2 weeks since my last newsletter. And what a two weeks it has been. Suffice it to say, my little family and I are safely in the beautiful red rock country of Sedona Arizona, after a move of major proportions.
And I’m itching to get back to life more or less as usual. Which means practicing, creating courses and writing to you.
Now today, as most of you know, is the day we celebrate our declaration of independence from England, here in the U.S. of A.
As such it’s a good time to contemplate what it means to be free. Not just in civic matters, in artistic pursuits as well.
Freedom is first about vision and imagination.
If we do not see multiple possibilities, the concept of freedom is a non-starter. It’s like the old joke about choice in the former Soviet Union – ‘sure there is choice, you can buy a black car today, or a black car tomorrow.’
May not have that exactly right, but you get my drift.
As I practice one of the things I’m asking myself is; am I doing this or that because I really mean to do it, or because habit or lack of awareness dictate that I do it.
Way back when, when I spending time with Milstein, he used to say, ‘Why do you run away?’ He was referring to my tendency to allow the ‘slope’ of complicated passages to pull me forward. To Rush.
I wasn’t even aware I was doing it much of the time. And admittedly my guiding thought was often only a desperate one of getting through the passage, while hoping for the best.
Certainly nothing ‘free’ about that.
So over the years I’ve become more conscious as I play. I’ve challenged myself to look into the darkened corners of my violin playing and to shed light on them with a curious, non-judgmental mind.
When weaknesses do come to light, as they most certainly will, I step back, breathe, and acknowledge the need to move in a new way.
Yes, there are techniques I use to facilitate this process. And a certain fundamental understanding of violin mechanics is essential making headway.
The most important step, however, is the first one; the opening of the mind. Once you’ve managed that you’re truly ‘open for business’. Progress and growth are certain to follow.
So, here’s to a mind opening, freedom pursuing 4th of July.
All the best,
Clayton Haslop
P.S. Speaking of ‘open for business’, you’ll not find a better place to get down to the ‘business’ of improving your violin playing than in Sedona this October. One of the few remaining seats to the Sedona Masterclass/Seminar can have your name on it if you get right over to http://www.violinmastery.com/masterclass.htm
