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.