Become a Puppeteer

I just finished practicing. Came to the session feeling very stiff and resistant. Left it playing quite well and feeling loose as a goose.

So what happened?

I became my own puppeteer.

Here’s how it worked. I imagined strings attached to my arms, fingers, shoulders, and head – I was suspended over the floor. No strings attached to my violin. It just rested in my hand and on my shoulder.

Yes, I was a very complicated puppet. Not your usual toy store fare.

Being new to such complicated puppeteering, I had to play myself rather slowly at first. Had to get the feel of each string and how use it to manipulate each body part.

Then, what a feeling I experienced! It was like being in a float-tank and flying at the same time. And no, I wasn’t ‘on’ anything!

You see, one of the biggest difficulties many players face is getting outside of himself. And nobody wants to spend all his or her time stuck within the box of the small mind.

I little exercise like this takes you outside of yourself. Gives you the view looking in. It sure helped me let the stiffness drain out of my body. Also clarified my movements, making me much more creative in the end.

So, how about grabbing the fiddle and doing a little puppeteering of your own. You just might unlock the door to a whole new world of possibilities.

All the best,
Clayton Haslop

P.S. You can also unlock another world of possibilities by loading Kreutzer for Violin Mastery into your DVD player. It’s a puppeteers dream.