Yes, tonight will find me and several other dedicated players ensconced in the Olmsted room of the beautiful Biltmore Inn enjoying the first of six sessions on all aspects of violin playing. The focus this evening will be on that which makes the violin the most compelling of instruments, its tone. The kind of tone […]

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 […]

It’s a catchy little phrase I see over the door of the music dept. each time I visit Fox studios for film sessions. And it certainly speaks to two of a string player’s largest concerns. So how to get ‘in tune’? Why, increase the use of your creative powers of visualization when you practice. It […]

Being, as I am, between playing obligations, my practice sessions have had a particular freedom and relaxation about them recently. This has led to some very satisfying insights. There is one that’s hung around for several days, and I’d like to share it with you. Now, you’d think after several decades playing the violin that […]

Last night I was reading from Leslie Sheppard and Dr. Herbert R. Axelrod’s comprehensive biography entitled ‘Paganini.’ It’s a wonderful resource and well worth owning. There were two things that caught my attention. In 1797, while Paganini was yet a boy of 16, he had the opportunity to play for the much more recognized Rudolphe […]

I always get a kick out of watching my colleagues attach their various kinds of orthopedic devices on to the backs of their instruments. Silently I think to myself, ‘Poor blokes, still got their training wheels on.’ Fact is, most people use a shoulder rest for one of two reasons. Either they grip the violin […]

Just completed a little ‘tune-up’ practice session. Tonight I begin recording the instructional portion of my soon to be released course on Paganini Caprices. Part of the process refreshes my thinking on fundamentals. I thought you might enjoy some of what passed through my mind. You see, there are exactly 4 ‘theatres of movement’ you […]

I read recently where it takes some 10,000 hours to become the master of a skill. Of course it’s a given we’re not talking about bussing tables here; and I ought to know. You see back when Nixon was yet a president in good standing I learned and practiced that little ‘skill’ on a very […]

Had an interesting inquiry yesterday from a subscriber by the name of Gary. Have a look at what he had to say. Clayton, ‘What do you recommend to calm down a shaky bow arm at the beginning of a concert. I played for some people last night and had some early ‘stage fright’ which caused […]

What never ceases to amaze me is the power of breath to simultaneously relax, refresh and energize. Problem is, a tired, pre-occupied, stressed out mind often forgets to do the very thing that will bring almost miraculous transformation. Recently I have been doing a new kind of breathing exercise. This one is not done with the […]

Unfortunately, you can’t condition a vibrato with your favorite hair conditioner. Further, it’s an activity more akin to threading a needle and dribbling a basketball simultaneously, than just about anything else. That is to say, its quite an extraordinary and specialized one. So, how do you train it. You spend 5 minutes of dedicated time […]

Last night I watched Milstein play the Mendelssohn Concerto. It was a DVD of TV broadcasts made in the early ‘60s. Naturally, the playing was riveting. Afterwards I took out my fiddle. I wanted to ‘get into his skin’ and play with the same velocity and attack. I must confess, my first attempts were less […]

I’ve had some questions regarding the half-day ‘intensive’. Specifically people want to know what I have in mind for them. Well, let me shed some light here. What I’m finding is that many players have difficulty experiencing ‘flow’. They can’t experience it because they are prevented from attaining full consciousness when playing. And they cannot […]

Many years ago I felt the need to ‘free up’ my bow arm. What I did was as simple as it was effective. Here’s what you do. After you’ve warmed up on a scale for a few minutes begin playing the scale with separate bows. Begin at, say, 120 ppm with each beat getting a […]

If you want to sleep better at night, do more work. If you want meaning in your life, work at what you enjoy. Just thought I would put that out there. Also, I think many may not have received my first newsletter. Here it is once again, in case you missed it: ‘…Last night I […]