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 musician. If I came off sounding a little harsh on him in yesterday’s newsletter I didn’t mean to. Yet it is true he is a stickler for detail, to the max.

The fact that I’m spending 3 days playing pianissimo is appropriate to a question raised a couple days ago. I was asked about the weight transfer as one travels up the bow to the frog, and visa-versa.

Specifically, when does the ‘pinky’ become engaged, when is the index finger coming into play, does one ever supply more than just arm weight to the bow, etc.

Naturally all these factors are determined by variables; the dynamic, the bow speed, even the string you’re on. One exercise I suggest to develop a ‘feel’ for the balance shift in the bow is to play some pianissimo strokes on the G string.

On the G string the bow is naturally traveling most parallel to the floor. It is the string on which the transfer of weight to the pinky on the up bow happens earliest.

After doing a few strokes pianissimo increase the dynamic and notice how the transfer point moves toward the frog.

Do the same thing on the E string. Because the bow travels more perpendicular to the string here the need to take up weight in the pinky, even in pianissimo, becomes negligible.

Now let’s look at the other side of the dynamic spectrum, playing fortissimo. In my comments about sound production I refer to ‘arm weight’ as the primary source of tone. Yet when the requirements for volume climb beyond Forte the weight of one’s arm may not be sufficient. As I said yesterday, the violin is a physical process, and muscle is required.

If you want to experience this directly go back and play some forte whole notes on the G and E strings. Start with arm weight, and then increase the pressure by ‘drawing down’ on the string with the large muscles in your back and under your arm.

Breathe and feel the Horizontal flow of the bow as you experiment with this. The idea is to get the maximum of tone with the minimum of tension.

And again, you will probably notice the relative position of your bow to the floor – G more parallel, E more perpendicular – will affect the amount of muscle you actually use to produce the same dynamic.

You’ll also notice that the bow will track loser to the bridge as you add energy to the string.

One last thing, I do allow my pinky and index fingers to lift off the bow now and again when they are not being used. This is fine Providing your wrist, elbow, and shoulder joints are fluid, and your overall hand position relative to the bow remains consistent.

This should be pretty evident when you watch me demonstrate, I think.

Now it’s time to go make a movie.

All the best,

Clayton Haslop

P.S. If you found these comments useful, and you’d really like to ‘take it from the top’ and revisit ALL the fundamentals, Violin Mastery Beginners Circlemay be just the ticket you need. Those investing in the full year subscription may request that I send all the months currently available right off the bat to accelerate the process.

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 my body while I’m moving around.

For those newcomers who don’t know what I’m talking about – it’s the aftermath of a dislocated shoulder.

In some ways it’s like I’m beginning to learn the violin all over again; getting it into position, forming my left hand, drawing a tone, moving the fingers independently, stretching out the hand, etc.

As I go through this I’m reminded of something one of my teachers said years ago. I was in high school at the time, and playing quite a few competitions. After one of them, in which I suffered a defeat to a very excellent cellist, he said of her, ‘She cannot do everything you can do, but what she does she does extremely well.’

Now that’s interesting. And I’ve never forgotten it.

You see, I am naturally coordinated and athletic. All well and good. Yet those attributes were only able to taking me so far.

Here was a gal with less natural gift who more than made up the stagger through mental calculation. She was further along in the mental game than I. And good things came to her as a result.

So, back to my rehab practice sessions. As I play I’m focused on two things; holding a crystal clear image of what I’m after musically and sonically, and keeping my form absolutely perfect.

In my condition it is even clearer than usual how important it is to frame what you want to do in your mind before attempting to do it on the instrument.

After all, it’s so easy to begin sawing away on some piece of music that’s in front of you without any real guiding thought behind one’s actions.

Watch out for this. Stop. Play it in your head, sing it out loud, see yourself playing it. In short do whatever it takes to get a strong, detailed mental image going.

Next, as you put the violin up and play, take score. Is your left hand well formed, your fingers contacting the strings independently, your right hand moving freely through space, your wrist, elbow, and shoulder relaxed allowing the hand this freedom, the violin resting in the ‘V’ formed by the thumb and base of the hand.

Yea, it’s a lot to think about. No need to rush yourself, take your time, and stay focused in the moment.

After you call these things to mind a few times the process begins to happen very quickly.

Reminds me of learning to ride a motorcycle last summer. At first the number of things to remember, that are different from a car – brake locations, clutch, shifting pattern, seemed overwhelming. I had to put forth some real mental effort the first day and a half.

By the end of day two, however, the same mental gymnastics were bringing me pleasure, not pain. The same is true on the violin

With the dislocation, by the way, I stretched the heck out of the nerves going through the shoulder and down the arm. As a result of this the signal strength to the tips of my fingers is presently quite reduced.

That’s another reason I’m breathing like a dragon; to push signals from my brain through the weakness down to my fingers.

Now go and figure out what you need to do to get the results you want. If you need new ideas you know where to find them.

All the best,

Clayton Haslop

P.S. For some reason I’m thinking there is someone reading this who’s been thinking about investing in the Kreutzer series. Well, there won’t be a better time than right now to begin putting it to work for you.

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! I’m just joking, of course, but really, why not move on to other unread emails and save this for the beginning of your next practice session.

OK, here we go. I want you to play a few long tones on your violin. When you play these tones the first time I want you to do them very casually. In other words, play basically without thinking beyond which finger you’re going to depress and what speed you’re going to draw the bow.

After you’ve done a few whole notes this way I want you to stop and do the following. Play the notes you just played again, but only in your mind. Not only do I want you to FEEL the bow moving through space and the sensation of your finger tip on the string, I want you to get your head ringing like a bell with the sound of the tones.

I want the experience to be nothing short of glorious, utterly relaxing, and deeply gratifying.

OK, go ahead and do it.

You must be feeling pretty good now.

Now, look over at your violin and imagine how you would pick it up to play as you just played in your head. Take your time. Feel the neck in your hand as you grasp it. The bow in your right hand, all the fingers embracing it as one.

Now place the violin under your chin. Bring the bow up to just where you want it to be before starting to play.

Good enough.

The last part of this little exercise is to take up the violin just as you visualized doing it. Put it under your chin and play the tones for the third time.

While you’re playing I want you to send out the sound you visualized previously to meet the sound of the violin coming at you. There will be a joining of the external and internal the takes place in the process.

If you’re anything like me, you will find this whole experience rather cool.

Do you think it might help you master the repertoire you’re studying, if you did this as part of your daily practice?

All the best,

Clayton Haslop

P.S. The inspiration for this newsletter came whilst creating ‘vibrations of the Mind’ while I played Kreutzer #38. That would be Kreutzer, Vol.4, in case you’re wondering.

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 film, period.

And it was particularly stirring for me to watch during this time. As you may know, I have not been able to hold a violin up for two weeks. My left shoulder and arm are yet sore, weak, and tingly from the dislocation of two weeks ago.

John Corrigliano’s score for the film was brilliant. And of course wonderfully realized by Joshua Bell’s solo playing. As I listened I wanted to get hold of the music and enjoy mastering all its intricacies, now.

But then, with a squeeze of my hand, reality bit me strong and hard. The possibility to do so feels many weeks off.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not crying for sympathy. I plan to come back from this stronger, and with more to offer as a violinist, than ever before.

It must be so.

Now, I also wasn’t watching alone. A friend here in Asheville has been on my case about this film for many months. Finally he just brought it over and sat me down to enjoy it with him.

After it was over I asked him to wait around a few minutes while I looked for a little something to play for him. It was almost midnight.

The ‘something’ was a cassette ‘demo’ my wife and I had created some 17 years ago to promote my career as a soloist and her career as a composer.

The project entailed hiring a full professional orchestra, LA Phil members and top studio players, and recording movements from 4 violin concerti; among them one written for me by my wife, Tania Gabrielle French.

To say there was a tremendous amount of pressure on both of us would not be hyperbole. The cost for the project, some 27 thousand dollars came out of our own pockets. Additionally, I was standing in front of 60 of my colleagues ‘putting it out there.’

We had 3 1/2 hours to rehearse and record the music. One of the works had never been played or heard before. And to make matters even more challenging, the conductor I’d selected surprised me greatly by not having a handle on Tania’s movement.

Ultimately I had to lead the orchestra with my violin while the conductor played catch-up.

At the end I was completely wrung out. Mentally exhausted.

But last night, as I played Tania’s movement, entitled “Sacred Journey” for my friend, we were swept away. Her music has every bit the sweep and expressivity of Corrigliano’s score, yet it was written several years before.

Anyway, it made for a sweet encore to the movie.

All the best,

Clayton Haslop

P.S. Only a few days ago I was going through our basement doing a little Spring cleaning. I found a box of these cassettes, and I had put them aside to be discarded. What I was thinking I don’t know. Thankfully I was brought to my senses. Now the question is, how to get them in the hands of folks who can truly appreciate them?

P.P.S. Can’t bear to leave you without giving you a chance to benefit your playing in a very real way. Today I’ll just give you the link to my best seller, Kreutzer for Violin Mastery. Take a look for yourself.

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 remember the misadventures of Ka, the snake. Every time Ka thinks he has the little man-cub, Mogli, firmly in his coils, the tables get turned quite suddenly.

And Ka ends up creaking away, coils kinked in all directions.

Well, I’ve seen quite a few kinked-up bow arms over the years. They’re the result of sticky joints. And sticky joints are the result of unwanted muscle contractions.

Fact is, you DO need muscle to control the bow. Your bow hold requires muscle; weighting the string to produce a strong tone requires muscle; Counter-weighting the bow to play very quietly requires muscle; changing bow direction requires muscle; and changing strings requires muscle.

That’s a lot of muscle activity.

So what’s all this about being relaxed?

Well, the trick is using only the muscles needed for each action. Take a look at the bow hold. Many folks, particularly beginners, have difficulty holding the bow without tightening the muscles in the wrist as well.

And when arm weight is needed for tone, many tighten and raise the shoulder unnecessarily.

Now, it is certainly my hope that you who are coming to the violin through the ‘Beginner’s Circle’ are avoiding these problems from the get-go. And that the rest of you in my various other courses are effectively ‘getting the kinks out’ by slowing down, internalizing the elements of a fluid bow arm, and breathing those kinks away.

People have often said to me, ‘you make it look so easy.’ That’s because I take the time to think, and Make it easy. It easy doesn’t necessarily come over night. But with the right kind of practice it is imminently doable.

No, not everyone will play the Sibelius Concerto like Heifetz, or the Tchaikovsky as Milstein, but we can all make a beautiful tone on a violin, and in so doing give pleasure to many a listener.

All the best,

Clayton Haslop

P.S. Remember, if you’ve played for some time and yet would like to go back and ‘take it from the top’ to correct bad habits, you can receive all 8 months of the Violin Mastery Beginners Circle by investing in a years subscription.