Monday afternoon and evening were intense. After playing a brief recording session for Keyshia Cole’s next album – which was not particularly intense – I drove east a couple of hours to spend time with an ailing friend. Gerald Anderson, and his wife Linda, were very instrumental in my musical development. He ran the orchestral […]

It’s true, if you’re in either my ‘Allegro Player’s or my ‘Beginner’s Circle,’ and that’s a very good chunk of readers of this newsletter, you DO have a DVD heading your way. So get those old ‘My Favorite Martian’ episodes out of your DVD player and get set to take your Playing to another planet. […]

This morning I did some interesting training. After my practice I hopped on my unicycle and, quite literally, waltzed up a mesa behind our house. Now, let me tell you something about unicycle riding. It’s one thing to be able to mount the thing and stay on it as you beat a drunken path down […]

What a morning, the car was actually Cool when my daughter and I whipped it into gear and made off for school. Got back, ejected myself from the vehicle, strode through the front door into my studio, popped the latches on my violin case, hoisted violin to shoulder, swung the bow into place, took aim […]

Last night we witnessed some extraordinary Olympic performances. We also saw an athlete of fine accomplishment falter; and our hearts went out to her. I’m referring to, of course, Alicia Sacramone’s performances on beam and floor. Being the oldest member of the team – and its captain, I think she felt the weight of the […]

I happen to having my morning espresso in a Starbucks this morning – after all, Someone has to keep the empire from collapsing. Anyway, a couple of ladies are sittin’ next to me having their morning ‘coffee clutch’ in voices none too subtle. I’ll press on. After I sent my last newsletter I was reminded […]

Several years ago one of my most accomplished colleagues, Endre Granat, said something I’ve remembered ever since. We were at Todd A-O studio recording music for “Apollo 13”, sometime in the mid-90s, I think. Unfortunately, that wonderful sound stage has now been bulldozed for office space. Anyway, this is what he said. ‘Just about anybody […]

Several people wrote in, the past couple days, thanking me for the newsletter about ‘The Royal Court’ of Kreutzer etudes. My volume 1 ‘Royal Court’, that is. I was also asked to pick favorites from the other volumes. And would I mind explaining why I feel they are so worth revisiting, time and time again. […]

Many people have asked, over the 2 years since volume 1 of ‘Kreutzer for Violin Mastery’ was released, if there are certain etudes that I are particularly key to making rapid progress. Now, when I’ve answered the question I’ve always prefaced it with, ‘They are all ‘keys’ to making progress. Each has a valuable lesson […]

At the moment I’m seated in my office/studio. With the exception of the slight whirring noise of a fan above me, all is quite still. Earlier I took some exercise under the unique blue sky of the high desert. On my sides were stunning red rock monoliths and surprisingly lush green vegetation. it’s the monsoon […]

Yesterday was a long day. Not only did the recording session I was on for ‘The Curious Case of Benjamin Button’ go 2 hours overtime, the music itself was tremendously transparent and exposed. We walked on eggshells for 8 hours. The result, however, will be breathtaking in the theatre. Alexander Desplat is a wonderful, accomplished […]

It has only been for a few days now, but I’m back on the violin in earnest. And let me tell you, I’m breathing like a dragon in heat while I give all the bruised soft-tissue a wake-up call like they’ve never had. Sometimes it feels like someone is trying to screw my shoulder off […]

You know, sometimes it is darned difficult to say something truly meaningful and accurate about the process of violin playing. Today, however, I think I have something good to share with you. And for this one I recommend getting the fiddle out before reading further – shame on you if you’re reading this at work! […]

You may find this hard to believe, but before last night I had never seen “The Red Violin.” Now, in case you also have managed to miss seeing it, it must rank as the finest film ever made with the violin as subject matter. In fact, never mind the violin, this is just one great […]

The other night my soon-to-be six-year-old daughter and I watched the old Disney animated version of Kipling’s ‘Jungle Book.’ I must say, the music is wonderful, and the music making on the highest level. The film is a timeless ‘classic’, for all ages. For those of you who recall the movie in some detail you’ll […]