A Dramamine…Please

Recently, a violinist came to play for me, and I almost had to leave the room due to motion sickness.

Now, before I go further, let me just say that what I am going to describe is more common in players today than white tails on a rabbit farm. Well, that might be a slight exaggeration, but its no exaggeration to say that this unfortunate mannerism has reached epidemic proportions.

The most prominent symptom is what I can best describe as an unsightly bulge in the middle of each bow stroke.

The perpetrator begins each note with mouse-like timidity. Once he or she has ascertained that it is in tune a lion roars forth in full voice.

The whole drama is then repeated on the next stroke.

It’s like driving with a two-footed driver. You know, the type who is either pressing on the gas pedal or pressing on the brake. From a side view, passengers in the car sway forward and backward like those little bobbing ornaments you see mounted behind the back seats of some older cars.

Oh yes, there is another component to this sorry tale that must be told.

The ‘testing-the-waters’ phase of the stroke will usually display a conspicuous lack of left hand movement. Once the green light is given, however, and the bow surges down or up the string, the left hand looses all restraint and behaves like the guest at a party who’s had a few too many.

OK, OK, I am having a wee bit o’ fun here. But there is a serious point to be made. I see – hear, really – much playing that displays much of what I have described.

Your vigilance against this tendency must be ever present. Especially when you are feeling at all uncomfortable or nervous.

One of the best ways of beating this habit, if you find yourself so afflicted, is to practice using my counting method.

All the best,
Clayton Haslop

P.S. Given that this mannerism manifests itself more prominently in pressure situations, it is almost a given for it to be accompanied by tension. My DVD course will show you how to rid your body of unwanted tension, permanently.