The controlled slide, or portamento, is one of a violinist’s most emotionally potent expressive devices. I bet you knew that. Problem is, many fiddlers are asleep at the wheel when making them. The most common error is something I have written about before. Namely, the two hands want to mirror each other. When the left […]

This afternoon my daughter Clara and I watched a tape of a figure skating competition. Well, I watched. She mostly ‘pretend skated’ on the white rug – aka ‘ice’ – that lies in front of our TV. Occasionally she glanced at the screen for fresh inspiration. The commentators remarked on the terrible practices one of […]

You’ve probably never thought about it. But if you’re athletically inclined, and looking for sport that best fits with violin playing; think tennis. Well, that’s if you’re right-handed. If you’re of the left-handed persuasion, you’d better sit this one out. On the other hand, maybe curling…just kidding. OK, let me make the case for why […]

As we age it is sometimes tempting to curse the force of gravity. When your playing the violin it should be your best friend. First of all consider tone production. Very few of us are so light of frame that we need anything more than the natural weight of our right arm to make a […]

When I was a lad getting started on Kreutzer for my first go through, I was fortunate to have a dedicated mother around who also happens to be a fine pianist. She was my ‘leg up’ to acquiring a finely tuned ear. After supper each evening I would break out the violin, stand next to […]

Have you ever been blessed to attend a performance so utterly transcendent you literally wept as you listened? I am not ashamed to say that I have been moved to tears at many wonderful concerts. There is one that stands out, however. It also speaks volumes as to why Milstein had such an effect on […]

One of our fellow Seekers wrote in yesterday about a problem he is having relative to finger pressure. I thought some of you might find it applies to you as well so I am sharing my thoughts about it here. He writes, ‘I have been struggling with finger pressure issues for a long time. Everyone […]

In the Waldorf educational system, based on the teachings of German intellectual and spiritualist Rudolf Steiner, young children are introduced to many arts and crafts that utilize their hands. Steiner’s belief, back at the beginning of the 20th century, was that these activities stimulated and strengthened the brain. Numerous studies have since born him out. […]

Got a note from a customer in Hong Kong a couple days ago. He writes of a tendency I have encountered quite often and thought I might say a say a few words about it. He writes; “I just purchased the Kreutzer Vol. 1 and would like to know if the left hand violin holding technique is covered […]

Was thinking this evening about whether an adult, a mature adult, could possibly become an accomplished player of the violin. Well, thinking myself a worthy candidate from a chronological standpoint, I devised a little test. I set about learning some violin basics with the fiddle in my right hand and the bow in the left. […]

Back in the ‘70s there was a meditation rage in this country. America was hungry for a new ‘consciousness’ and most of those looking for it found it in TM – Transcendental Meditation. The more esoteric minded went for Zen. I was one of them. My practice consisted of sitting on a few pillows – […]

Yesterday I happened on a little book for children that we had purchased but never read to our daughter. Now that I’ve done so I can’t tell you how excellent it is, and how invaluable the lesson within its pages. In fact, it’s message is so timely I will share the story with you, in […]

Those of you who still have a TV in your home, and a hope it’s a very few indeed, might be interested to check out the CBS Evening News broadcast these days. Not for the news, mind you, just for the music that introduces it. A few weeks ago I wrote an email on recording […]

It’s one of the great questions of our lives, is it not. When to move on… But, no, I am not going to get all philosophical on you – some might think I do quite enough as it is. The title of today’s email is only in response to a question posed by a gentleman […]

There are two types of dreams. There are the ones that come unbidden in our sleep and there are the ones that we conjure in our minds in waking hours. Obviously I’m here to talk about the latter. Now, one must be very careful and honest about waking dreams. What is commonly referred to as […]