I would venture to say that most violinists think that their practice sessions begin after the violin the case has been opened, the violin tuned, the music set out on the stand, and the first note has been drawn. Not me. My practice sessions begin in the very instant the decision to practice has been […]

A student of ‘body language’ knows that a person telling you a lie, especially a child, will have great difficulty looking you in the eye when doing so. It’s simply a natural instinct within us to avoid, or deny, what causes us discomfort. For most of us lying is quite uncomfortable. This reflex plays out […]

If you’ve ever experienced the ‘fight or flight’ response prior to going before the public you may find this interesting. One fellow subscriber asks if I do the counting technique in performance. You bet I do. In fact, I regard it as a kind of ‘life-line’ to all my valuable preparation when the heat is […]

I’m happy to report that last night’s premiere of Tania’s 3rd string quartet was indeed a resounding success. As I mentioned previously, the commission was funded by the estate of a dearly loved member of the Tucson community. About 20 family members and friends traveled, from as far away as Honolulu and New York City, […]

Yesterday Tania and I visited with friends. Being music lovers they asked me to play. Now, just to give you some context, we’d gotten together to do a little planning for a seminar on ‘prosperity thinking’, which will be conducted in Asheville next month by a very wise fellow named Peter Ragnar. Our conversation had […]

I’m not talking about snuggling Your neck, but rather the neck of your violin, and with your left hand. Yes, a nice warm, fuzzy feeling that brings relaxation and fluidity to your playing. This morning I put a couple of ‘bonus chapters’ on the Vol. 3 instructional DVDs. The first, something many subscribers have sought […]

Believe it or not, there are people who will get nothing from my courses. I hope you’re not to be one of them. But just for the sake of argument, let me make a case for such a person. Oh yea, I’ll give him a name; how ‘bout Liaf. Liaf, ‘I believe the breathing exercise […]

It’s kind of humorous to look back on, but at the time the following little anecdote was not in the least bit funny. It had one useful benefit, however. It changed forever the way I prepared to play from memory. Here’s what happened. Back in my ninth year of school, I was selected to be […]

In yesterday’s email I stopped short of where I was meaning to go. I thought it was going to get a little too esoteric. However, this morning I received an email from my friend Nicolo, and his interest and enthusiasm drives me forward. So Nicolo, this one is for you. A few years ago the […]

It seems to me discipline has gotten a bad rap over the years. Often today it’s seen as a sentence to drudgery, to self-containment, and obligation. Well, my friend, I don’t see it that way. It’s like the difference between real gold and ‘fool’s gold.’ Where there’s real discipline there is intelligence and growth. Where the […]

Over the years have heard plenty of poppy-cock where it comes to the dos and don’ts of bow changes. Let me just give you a couple of examples. One, lightening the pressure of the bow on the string just before you make a change will make for a smoother bow change. It is true that […]

In ‘early music’ days – pre-baroque – trills were often referred to as ‘shakes’. Now I find that somewhat ironic because as a student I was always cautioned against shaking my left hand when trilling. There’s actually quite a good reason for this. The problem with shaking your hand – in effect using vibrato – […]

Many people talk about a ‘God given talent’ when it comes to playing the violin. I think, rather, that a good mind, the ability to tie your shoes, and a few guiding insights may suffice to fool an awful lot of people. You see, I the process of playing the violin is much like a […]

This morning my wife had some research results up on the computer. Research having to do with how we process music. Pretty interesting stuff. What I found particularly fascinating is how the cerebellum becomes activated in the process of listening to music. The cerebellum is most frequently associated with coordinating physical movement. After your brain […]

A few years back I was invited to perform with one of our better ‘community’ orchestras in Los Angeles. Under normal circumstances I would think nothing of such an invitation; this one was different. The conductor had his heart set on one concerto. A concerto I had only toyed with now and again over the […]