When He Last Heard Music

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 program at Santa Monica High School. His wife, Linda, led the choral program at the Junior High school.

They are both extraordinary educators, and wonderful human beings.

When I arrived, Gerry looked a different person. Battling two cancers, shingles, and pneumonia, he’s been through more in the past two months than many deal with their whole lives.

But he is not down for the count.

Both cancers are treatable, and he has beaten back the pneumonia and shingles. I have every confidence he will recover and enjoy a good many years of vibrant health.

Now before my visit Linda asked me to be sure to bring my violin. And sure enough, Gerry wasn’t going to be denied.

One of his favorite pieces in the world, it turns out, is the D Minor Partita of Bach. So I began with the first movement.

Having not played it for some time, and feeling rather stiff of hand, I played with my eyes closed, intensely visualizing as I went. I knew I couldn’t fight with the stiffness, so I went with it, altering my phrasing in some surprising ways.

I let the notes come out when my hand was ready for them, and yet at the same time I stayed conscious of each beat as it passed by.

When I finished playing and opened my eyes I found both Gerry and Linda in tears. Mine flowed to join them.

Gerry then said, ‘Clayton, I can’t remember when I last heard music.’

Well, I can tell you this, hospital or no hospital he’s going to be hearing music now. Later in the evening I called my mother, who had a serious health episode herself a few years back. At the time my wife and I bought an inexpensive I-pod and loaded it up with all kinds of wonderful music and brought it to her.

Chances are, Gerry is listening to it as you read this.

You know, it amazes me that ‘houses of healing’ rarely, if ever, bring the power of music to bear on the treatment of illness.

It’s a major mistake.

All true healing begins and ends with the heart. And there isn’t a better way to appeal to the heart than through music.

All the best,

Clayton Haslop

P.S. The music of Bach and Kreisler is wonderful for lifting spirits. And I have a little course that takes you, measure by measure, through a piece by each of these masters.

I Meet Leonard Nimoy

We had just completed a very emotional and moving cue. The door to the control room opened with its usual clank, and there, walking to the conductor’s podium, was a man with a face you can never forget.

Even without the fake ears.

The orchestra broke into thunderous applause. Nimoy quickly waved us down, thanking us with obvious sincerity for the contribution we were making to this installment of the Star Trek legacy.

When the break was called he lingered out on the scoring stage giving several of us the opportunity to chat with him. A truly gracious human being.

After we were called back to work he returned to the control room where we could see him through the glass, his arm affectionately draped around his wife of many years.

I tell you, the feeling you get from this production team, from the top down – I spoke at length with the producer – was absolutely top-drawer. No false airs, no Hollywood slickness, no pretension.

For the entire week it was like having a family reunion, a barn-raising, and a jam-session all rolled into one.

Now, to my surprise, the film will not be released until May. I think the time delay has a lot to do with the secrecy surrounding the project. Usually the music is the last element of the film to be added, and it usually gets recorded a month or two prior to the release date.

I imagine that this production is moved up due to commitments of some or other of the principles.

As for the music itself, it’s tremendous. Full of little innovations, challenging, and yet fun to play, it’s not always so in Tinsel-town.

Now last night I attended the annual bash the Recording Musicians of America (RMA) throws for its members and the industry. At dinner I sat with one of our first-call percussion players – who happens to be a son of a very accomplished violinist of years back – discussing time, amongst other things.

He was saying how useful it is to him, as a percussionist, to have a concertmaster in front of the orchestra who really projects an accurate sense of time.

I found that very interesting.

Here’s a guy who’s got a metronome clicking away in his ear, who’s spent his life dealing with rhythm, who has as good a view of the conductor as anybody, and yet who keeps an eye on the concertmaster chair to see what else he can learn.

We talked about a former colleague and concertmaster in town, now retired. His name was Israel Baker. Israel had that awareness of time my friend was looking out for. I sat with him on numerous occasions, and benefited greatly from his example.

His technique was unassailable, and he was Always thinking. When I sat with Israel I not only performed my best, I came away slightly better. And again, a more generous, likeable man you could never meet.

Well, that’ll have to be it for now. Time to head off for the day’s record session; for Keyshia Cole, if that name means anything to you.

Your DVD Is in the Mail

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.

Now, at the moment I’m sitting in ‘The Conservatory,’ next to MGM/Sony Studios, getting a dose of high-octane espresso. In 2 hours a 100 strong orchestra of Hollywood’s finest will begin recording music for the next ‘Star Trek’ film.

Should be quite a few notes in this score, and rest assured, I’ll be putting into practice Everything that gets talked about on those very same DVDs coming to your mailbox in a few days.

And it’s powerful stuff. From bow management to upper arm control, from an introduction to baroque ornaments to the expressive slides perfected by Heifetz; those little discs are going to open up your playing in some wonderful ways.

Tomorrow I’ll give you an insider report on the score for what will be a hit movie. Meanwhile, I must leave you now and get these old hands scampering around a fingerboard instead of a laptop keyboard.

Have yourself a beautiful day.

Oh yes, if you’ve been thinking of getting into one of the programs mentioned above, now’s the time to do it. This month I complete a full year of Beginners Circle instruction. It’s a watershed moment. For a full year I’ve been holding the fee down on this course, yet I must increase it soon.

And the Allegro Players, for lower-intermediate players just keeps getting hotter every month. This month the ‘repertoire’ includes the inimitable transcription Heifetz made of Claude Debussy’s ‘Beau Soir.’ It is a masterpiece, and I take you through it measure by measure to enjoy every drop of juice in it.

They Don’t Charge by the Yard

Got up early today and have been enjoying the moon-set and sunrise. Fantastic.

And doing so I began thinking about what separates the amateur, or student player, from the real violin performer. First thing that came to mind is a bow moving back and forth, yet never coming within 8 inches or so of either the frog or the tip.

I remember one conductor in my youth saying, ‘You’re not going to get charged by the yard, my friends, go ahead and use the whole bow.’

Of course, this is a case of ‘preaching to the choir,’ where folks using my courses are concerned. Getting that right arm relaxed and flowing from tip to frog is a priority in all my courses.

One of the critical elements in approaching the frog is the ability to relax the shoulder and allow the upper arm to follow the forearm and hand. Another is allowing the wrist to flex forward which keeps the bow in a straight line parallel to the bridge.

Interestingly, both of these are much easier to accomplish, and feel much more natural, when one’s breath is moved by the diaphragm.

As soon as the abdomen releases and the diaphragm muscle draws down it’s like permission has been given to the whole body to relax. It truly is a remarkable feeling and one we could do well to remember even after the violin has been returned to its case.

To me, having access to those last few inches of bow under the hand is akin to witnessing a dancer that projects a timelessness to his or her extensions; where they linger in the imagination long after their existence in real time.

This is where true artistry begins and ends, in my opinion; where your breath can enliven another’s soul.

All the best,

Clayton Haslop

P.S. Time is drawing short to register and make plans for attending the Sedona Master Class/lSeminar. This will be a wonderful experience which will bear fruit for many months and years to come.

How to Hang Music on a Beat

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 the street. It’s quite another to have the precise control required to dance on it.

I’ve got my sights set on the latter.

Eventually, perhaps even tomorrow, I will venture out with a violin under chin to see if I can hold the basic waltz step pattern whilst playing Fritz’s ‘Liebesfreud.’ If I can, I’ll begin the next phase; coming up with some real choreography to make a show out of it.

Yet the real point of all this, other than exercise and good ole horse-play, is to increase my physical relationship with time.

As the famous saw goes, ‘timing is everything.’

Now you don’t really need to ride a unicycle to become a musical master of time. And the real keys to acquiring a keen sense of time, as I counsel in all my courses, are relaxation and the ability to live in the present moment.

Those of you working with my courses will recall how I always make a point about ‘labeling’ the beats, when you first begin to get your hands around a piece of music. When you’re doing this you’re associating a given physical move with a specific point in time. And, as you well know, at first I do not care whether the time is strictly kept or not. I just want the movements and the call of the beats to be a matched pair.

It’s the old ‘Body and Mind as one’ thing.

Only after that crucial link is established can real mastery evolve.

Whoops, I almost forgot one thing; Form. Yes, form is important, especially for a classical violinist. Without form one’s technical potential is limited. So when I speak of physical movement, as I did above, I’m talking about well-formed movement. Movements that will set you free, and allow the fire of your passion to burn its brightest.

Sometimes good form has to be reached for. And for the thinking violinist the mind plays an exquisite role in leading the body, through visualization, to that higher level of function.

Mind you, it doesn’t necessarily happen over night. After all, there is another old saw that goes, ‘the spirit is willing; the body is weak.’ Yet I firmly believe that those with serious intentions, and a willingness to stretch forth their creativity, will win the day in the end.

Yes, it’s a lot.

Or rather, yes, it is Rich; as indeed the violin IS.

Hopefully this has given you a pause for reflection, a little inspiration, and a good dose of motivation. It is certainly my wish for you.

All the best,

Clayton Haslop

P.S. You know, I do have a little gem of a DVD here called Dynamic Breath Control for Violinists. If you don’t have it in your possession today, you could have it in your possession real soon. And I know good things would come of it.

Handel for McCain, Bach for Obama

I can’t even begin to explain how I arrived at the title for this newsletter. Fact is, though, if you know anything about the lives of these two composers, and you think about it, you’ll agree the statement has merit.

Handel was an early poster boy for capitalism. Yes, he had patronage, as a composer and performer, but more importantly, he was an excellent small business man, and quite a risk taker.

At the time of his passing he was worth some 20,000 pounds sterling, a very large fortune, in his day. And that’s after he went through a very bad patch in which an opera company he was heavily invested in went belly up.

Bach, on the other hand, was more of a ‘company man;’ for the nobility in his earlier years, and the city of Leipzig later. No close encounters with entrepreneurism for him.

Now here’s a funny twist.

Handel never married, and was extremely private about his intimate life. Bach had twenty some-odd children.

I think these two facts speak mountains as to their likely positions on the hot-bed issues of family planning and abortion.

So let’s take a look at their music.

Much of Bach’s output championed a spiritual life centered around Christianity. It was a happy union, no doubt, as most of his employment demanded it, and his personal views harmonized with it.

Handel, on the other hand, was probably more of a secularist – he certainly favored popular music, for most of his life. In fact, his composition, the ‘Messiah’, only came about after public interest in opera waned in England and he was forced to move sideways into the dramatic, ‘got religion’ concert works known as ‘Oratorio’.

Purely a business move, on Mr. Handel’s part.

So there you have it. Hope I haven’t offended or burst anyone’s bubble where these two titans of music are concerned. Both offer violinists absolutely wonderful vehicles for growth and expression.

And, as luck would have it, Beginners Circle players working on Month 11 material are getting a good dose of Bach this month with a charmingly elegant dance known as a ‘Loure’.

Month 6 Allegro Players are taking on a whole, 4 movement Handel Sonata; at once regal, stately, meditative, and jolly-romping good fun.

All the best,

Clayton Haslop

P.S. The days are growing shorter, and so is the time left to register for the biggest question-answering, tail-kicking, technique-building, expression-expanding master class in the South-West of North America. I won’t be able to say, ‘all aboard!’ too much longer on this one folks. Come do what you need to do now.

Yes, Go for It!

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 at the opening of the Brahms violin Concerto, and, YEOW – set it right back down.

No, that’s not the way it happened. Just kidding.

Not to say there isn’t some talking back from my body these days. It’s really still quite upset with me for slamming it into the hard-top 3 months ago.

Clinically, for those of you interested in my case, I’m dealing with the after-effects of a shoulder dislocation informally as ‘frozen shoulder.’

That means I’ve got some muscles under my scapula that are locked up. In my case these muscles enable one to cross the arm in front of the chest.

And after a period of ball-dropping on my part I’m back on recovery road, big time. Got a Chiro/Energy man and a sports medicine masseuse on the case. And they are the supportive players to the violin therapy sessions I put myself through daily.

Good news is, after warming up and pushing the night-time muscle waste out the area, why, I’m started to sound pretty good. Might even be ready for the next major playing challenge heading my way. The recording of the music for the next Star Trek movie.

I can tell you. There will be notes on this one.

So, as I sat down to write just know I first had a glance at email. Got a real nice note from a gal down-under. No, not talking Australia here, but South Africa way.

And as she had a question to go along with it that a number of you might like answered, thought I’d share it with you. Here’s what she said;

Good Morning Mr. Haslop,

My name is Natalie and I live in Cape Town, South Africa. I grew up in a musical family. I played the Violin since I was 10 years old and I’m 31 years at the moment. Just before my exams for Grade V111 in 1994 my mom passed away. She was my whole world. I haven’t played since then. My dream was always to play in our orchestra and then to teach. Do you think that it’s too late for me to study music and still become a music teacher? I have a full time job and a family. And when I think about what spare time I have left, I don’t think that it will be sufficient time to practice everyday.

I think as I get older, the music increases in me all the time. And I know that classical music is needed in our community and our schools. I just don’t want to start something that I won’t be able to finish.

Please can you give me some feedback on your thoughts.

Thank you so very much.

Natalie

Well, Natalie, I am sorry for the loss of one so dear to you. I’m sure your mother would be absolutely in agreement with what I’m about to say to you.

Go ahead, MAKE your day. Let out all that abundance of beautiful energy you’ve held back for your mother’s resurrection. Fact is, and forgive me if this sounds strange to you, your mother is all she ever was and will be, Right Now. The Truth of your mother exists quite beyond time and is thus eternal. And the same can be said of you, I might add.

Now where actually practicing the violin is concerned I have this to offer. It’s not so much how you play as with what understanding to you play. I, myself, play about an hour a day now. Yet there is more Perception in that one hour than there were five of 30 years ago.

Teaching is always good. Just like how surgeons are trained, ‘see one, do one, teach one.’ Remember, though, to keep your mind and senses in gear all the while. Don’t just do what your muscles remember from years ago. ‘Question authority,’ as the good Ralph Emerson used to say; even when you’re mind thinks It’s the authority.

I’d also recommend you acquire Kreutzer for Violin Mastery or get involved in my Allegro Players at your earliest convenience. I feel quite sure that these programs would inform and accelerate your growth greatly.

All the best,

Clayton Haslop

P.S. Twas thinking about my Beginners Circle this morning, and about how much has been accomplished in just shy of one year. Why, to go from where we started to where we are today is quite remarkable.

The 500 Things Not to Think While Playing

Well, you might not believe this – I have difficulty myself – my computer tells me this is newsletter number five Hundred.

That’s the magna 5-0, who can appreciate that sort of thinking.

So the question I asked myself, as I settled into thinking of a topic, is, ‘Have I learned anything NEW in all this.’ And as soon as the question was asked the answer came flooding to me in a resounding yes, yes, YES.

So that felt good.

I thought, ‘why not celebrate by writing up the top 500 things I think about while playing.’ And then, as a little smile passed over my lips I though, ‘Ah, maybe the number’s too small.’

I mean, over the years hasn’t my mind wandered to over a million different things while I fiddled the hours away, most of which had nothing to do with violin playing.

Yes, guess I did do that a lot at one time.

On the other hand, doesn’t happen too much now. And that’s essentially the message of the day; shrinking the number of thoughts that get between you and mastering how the violin and YOU tick.

Together.

Violin playing is a real-time skill, as I’ve said before. For it you must have a real-time mindset. That means a high level of awareness as to what your body is feeling and doing. It also means supplying a great amount of intention each and every moment it’s under your chin.

And finally, it means keeping score. You’ve got to be present enough to gain instruction when intention meets with less total satisfaction.

My feeling about achievement is this. If you can Think it, and it Matters for you to have it, then it’s there for the taking.

The mind can move mountains, my friends. It’s the most powerful muscle in the human body.

So let’s open our case and have a Ball with it!

All the best,

Clayton Haslop

P.S. Fact is, there ARE about 500 things I’ve learned about playing since I began creating instructional DVD courses. And I’m going to cherry pick the best and juiciest to have on-site when folks show up for the Sedona Masterclass/Seminar next month. It really is the place to sort out any and all unresolved playing issues. And to receive the musical and inspirational council of a Milstein protégé. Come get registered NOW.

Living Inside the Music

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 world on her shoulders. Not a good place from which to perform your best.

In contrast we saw how Shawn Johnson and Nastia Liukin remained in the ‘zone’ through the entire competition, hitting one amazingly complex routine after the next.

The difference, in my opinion, boiled down not to ability or physical conditioning, but to what you might regard as the third leg of the stool of success.

Mindset.

Last night those two had the mindset of Michael Phelps; an unwavering vision of the task before them. There was no room for the expectation of others or the bitter seeds of self-doubt.

This ability is not something one acquires overnight. Especially so if one has a history of becoming the victim of self-doubt. Yet no one need remain in that space if they decide enough is enough.

Thankfully there is a way to train out of it.

For a gymnast this means learning how to LIVE inside a routine. For a violinist it means living inside a piece of music.

Now, I don’t just mean getting into the feelings aroused BY the music. Any listener can do that.

I’m talking about living in the stew of physical sensations that arise within the process of playing the music. Of course, the sensations you have are a direct result of your technique. The purest, cleanest, most efficient techniques give tremendous advantage.

Yet technique is not the whole story either. One must also have a way of ‘hearing’ the music; translating it into physical actions; and then storing all these detailed instructions in a part of your mind that gives you instant access on demand.

Every time.

– Heifetz used to challenge his students to wake themselves in the middle of the night and play their repertoire, cold, out of a deep sleep –

In any case, this morning I reflected on these things as I took breaks in my practice session. As I did so I recognized how much of value as regards the physical AND the mental side of playing is in my instructional programs.

Now, since I was preparing for my taping of the next installment of ‘Allegro Players’, I’ll give you the link to it right here.

All the best,

Clayton Haslop

P.S. One last thing, my wife pointed out that the Sedona Masterclass/Seminar tuition was never raised after the June Saleabration. Well, I’m going to leave it there for just a little longer so YOU can hop on board..

Are You REALLY Hearing Your Tone?

Wow, what a competition it was. Women’s all around gymnastics final, not determined by mistakes made, but rather by one young lady’s brilliance outshining the rest of the field.

Nastia peaked at the absolute perfect time. Flawless form, breath taking grace and amazing difficulty coming together in a way that left my heart soaring and my pulse racing.

Awesome.

Now, this morning I was transported to lofty heights myself. And guess what, I was only playing a couple etudes from Kayser, book 1.

Hold on, before you think, ‘this guy must be deluding himself – you can’t reach ‘lofty heights’ with the likes of Kayser etudes,’ hear me out.

First of all, H. E. Kayser was a master violinist and a very gifted composer. His etudes have formal integrity as well as harmonic, contrapuntal, AND dramatic interest. Makes them quite rewarding and fun to play.

Second, when the fullness of one’s Attention is combined with the maximum of one’s Intention, and both are brought to bear on the sonority of one’s sound, well, one is hard pressed NOT to become transported into ethereal realms.

And I mean that.

Now the question is, are you ‘hearing’ your tone in the fullest sense of the word. Doing so implies you’re allowing yourself to be a resonator, right along with the violin itself. At the same time you must also be an activator; the one ‘driving’ the tone forward from moment to moment.

Once that connection is established one has only to add fuel to the fire.

One’s ‘hearing’ expands outward and inward looking for increasingly agreeable and efficient ways of getting to the core of the tone. When resistance is located, light is shed on it and solutions are found; usually through relaxation and increased clarity on how the bow is being moved across the strings and the fingers of the left hand are being brought into contact with the strings.

When I began the practice session, the pain, stiffness, and restriction lingering from my shoulder injury were intimidating. I didn’t know if I could get anywhere.

Yet after 45 minutes with Herr Kayser and the mindset outlined above, I felt like a different person. Yes, there was soreness and muscle fatigue. But a wonderfully beauteous light had pierced through the heavy fog of discomfort; right to the inner recesses of my soul.

Naturally what I’m saying here would Seem to speak more to a developing player than one considering him or herself to be ‘accomplished’. Yet beware, many are the players that become complacent, take too much for granted, and in the bargain break connection with a sacred, and dynamic Law of Creativity.

All the best,

Clayton Haslop

P.S. The real ‘nuts and bolts’ behind today’s observations will be found in the soon-to-be-released Month 5 of my Allegro Players. And a word to the wise. What with the packed instructional DVDs, accompaniment CDs, music and written notes that go into each and every month’s installment, the tuition for this program won’t remain where it is much longer. I’d jump on board Right Now if you even SUSPECT it is right for you. You may always cancel at any time should your trust prove unfounded. I doubt it’s going to happen.