Today I’m enjoying an unexpected day off. Turns out we ripped through the music for ‘Indiana Jones IV’ in record time. So this morning I’m back on a bar stool at the out-door kitchen of my sister’s home giving you a holler. One could get used to this So Cal sun in a real hurry. […]

It’s sure nice to have a little break in the recording action to enjoy a little California sunshine. Though I’ll send this to you in the morning, I’m right now soaking up rays in the picturesque garden of my sister’s place in Woodland Hills. Hopefully I can write this in just the right amount of […]

On Wednesday the music scoring sessions for ‘Speed Racer’ came to a rather quiet and elegant end with a cue for string quartet. Certainly was unexpected, given the rest of the score used a full 100 piece orchestra and went by at break-neck speed. Yesterday I headed north to have a visit with my folks, […]

Got an order today from a very busy professional violinist who is looking to increase the rate at which she is able to learn new music. Let me tell you a little story to shed some light on her concern. About a year ago I arrived at the sessions for Mission Impossible III. I was […]

At the past weekend’s master class we covered a lot of ground. In the course of things we took a very close look at the workings of the left hand, particularly with an eye to achieving ‘velocity.’ It’s funny, in a way, how you have to go incredibly slowly sometimes in order to clear the […]

My little family and I are just settling into the tight confines of a modern day commercial airline ‘coach’ seat. On our way down to Tampa for meetings. What better time to pound out a brief newsletter. A few days ago my friend Jason, from out LA way, inquired about the ‘instrument factor’ in auditions. […]

Happy to report a predicted ice storm for our area never materialized. And today we’re enjoying as blue a sky as you’re likely to see east of the Mississippi. I’m also pleased by the number of folks who’ve taken advantage of the ‘mini-course’ on breath control and position fundamentals. Matter of fact, there are only […]

Ugh, that awful, percussive scratch that hits the ear, the body-slamming second punch that follows, these are the sure sign of truly broken chords. Let’s turn them into pillars of strength and beauty; harmonic powerhouses that enliven the spirit. But beware, it does take energy, commitment, and focus. And here’s how it’s done. For the […]

Right off the bat I’d like you to know that I’ve never fire-walked, nor do I have any intention of doing so. In fact the whole exercise is rather silly, in my humble opinion. This is not to say that there isn’t something to be gleaned from the practice where violin playing is concerned. But […]

There is a famous story about Jascha Heifetz that every violinist should know. After one of his concerts a matronly woman came backstage and said to him, ‘Mr. Heifetz, I just love the sound your violin makes.’ Heifetz walked over to his opened case, picked up the violin, held it to his ear, and replied, […]

If you asked most concert artists what concerto truly separates the men from the boys – or the girls from the women – you’d most often get the answer, ‘the Beethoven.’ Now, when you open the music and thumb through it is easy to think, ‘This shouldn’t be so difficult, it’s just a bunch of […]

Recently I have been reading and attending classes on a child rearing philosophy known as ‘Positive Discipline.’ Last night it struck me how useful the same concepts could be in the practice of the violin. The idea is that parents often take one of two tacks with their children. These take the form of being […]

In business it’s widely known that the best salespeople are great storytellers. And what’s a performer if not a storyteller, or a salesman for that matter. A good storyteller knows how to keep you in suspense, to keep you on the edge of your chair waiting for the next word. And it almost goes without […]

Yesterday morning I was sitting out on our deck enjoying my morning espresso and basking in the pleasantness of Indian summer. Afterward, instead of going to my computer to pound out an email to you, I began flipping through recent issues of Strad and Strings magazines – they do have my ads in them so […]

With equal periods of light and darkness, and the Earth’s axis square to the Sun, there is no better day to than the Autumnal Equinox to contemplate balance. So, how’s about taking a moment or two and looking at violin playing from this perspective. Here are a few that came to mind. G. Feet not […]