What Gets My Goat

First off, I send my greetings today from Loch Lomond, in the Northern Kingdom of Scotland. Spent the better part of yesterday at a real Scottish wedding, complete with bagpipes and lots of men running around in skirts.

I kept my pants on.

But I’ll tell you thing, these Scots do know how to party! And the live band was exceptional.

Speaking of exceptional, I will be rolling out my exceptionally comprehensive beginner/novice course just after our return to the states next week. If you have not begun to play yourself, or are yet in the beginning stages of playing, you will want to take advantage of this program.

Never taken a violin out of a case? No problem, it’ll all be covered. I even have a wonderful source for instruments to rent, purchase, or lease to own. This is a great opportunity coming your way, so stay tuned!

Now for ‘what gets my goat.’

Imagine this scenario. You’re playing along in 4/4 time at an allegro tempo and you come to a measure that begins with a half-note tied to a sixteenth, followed by a series of sixteenths completing the measure.

Conventional wisdom, and you’ve probably had many conductors, teachers, or coaches tell you this, is to stop the sound on the tied sixteenth in order to not be late on the following sixteenth notes.

Well, it gets my goat! What does one have to do with the other? Since when does taking the time to stop the bow make anybodies rhythm better?

In other words, the tendency for players to be late off tied notes is not a mechanical problem of changing bow direction, but a internal problem with time-keeping.

And it is easily remedied.

Rather than putting holes into the music where they are not indicated one needs only to have a strategy for maintaining a constant awareness of the flow of time.

I can assure you that if you get in the counting habit, and specifically the one I advocate in my courses, you’ll never get caught flat-footed after a tie ever again.

But don’t expect conductors to stop requesting the ‘drop-out’. It’s a little like asking a cat to stop biting at fleas.

All the best,

Clayton Haslop

P.S. There is much more to be gained from putting Kreutzer for Violin Mastery to work for you than coming off of tied notes in time.

Lift Up Thine Fiddle

If you’re a violinist, I suppose the next best thing to lifting up thine eyes to the heavens would be lifting up thine fiddle to the heavens.

Only thing is, I would ask you to do it with your left hand and not your shoulder, or chin.

You see, there is still a little resistance to getting that chin off the chinrest out there. Before I make my case a little stronger, take a look at what a fellow subscriber had to say in an email to me yesterday.

“I was taught to rest the viola on the shoulder, then lay the head onto the chin rest. The weight of the head holds the instrument in place. No shoulder scrunching involved. Seems the same for violin, no? Viola technique pretty much = violin technique, no?

As long as the left shoulder isn’t being raised, and it’s comfortable, what’s the detriment of letting the weight of the head hold the instrument in place?”

-Craig

On the surface this seems pretty reasonable. But there are a few things you might want to consider.

A), if the head is always ‘resting’ on the chinrest there is a certain lack of freedom. A few hours ago I confirmed this while watching the video of my recent Mendelssohn performance – I will have to put it on the site so you can see it for yourself. My head is OFTEN not on the chinrest, even in the most technical passages. As a result one gets the impression my head and neck are ‘Loose as a Goose’, pretty much throughout.

B), I want the instrument’s weight IN MY HAND, just as the weight of one receiving a full-emersion baptism is in the arms of the minister (don’t mean to get sectarian here, I just like the analogy). There is a kind of surrender that must take place.

C), when you are supporting the instrument with the left hand, and fingering right into that hand, you are going to develop a strong, balanced, and flexible hand.

Now, at first there IS some trepidation at ‘letting go’ in this way. But the benefits can be extraordinary, if you persist! You WILL be more relaxed, solid, and confident come performance time.

I’m not saying the violin can’t be played by doing otherwise. It can.

I just think one who is able to do what I’m talking about brings a little something extra to the table.

Just occurred to me that YoYo Ma brings a similar strategy to the cello. Consequently we are astounded at the abandon with which he plays.

I recommend taking a few days, resolving to keep your chin off the instrument, and seeing what HAS TO happen in your left side. My bet is you will learn more in those few days about playing than you have learned in the last few years. Well, that’s IF you’ve had more than a few years of playing to from which to measure.

If not, you still may cut a few years off the time most people require to ‘get really good’ at this sport.

All the best,

Clayton Haslop

P.S. Promise I’ll stop writing on this subject now. I can’t promise to stop talking about Kreutzer for Violin Mastery, however. It’s the best instructional tool you can add to your library.

A Little Down-Shift Secret

As you know, I’m of the school that the violin should be supported in large part by the left hand, with minimal pressure exerted by either the chin or the shoulder.

I pick the violin up out of the case with my left hand and just rest the lower bout on my shoulder and collar-bone. That’s about all there is to it.

Now, when it comes to shifting I really do visualize the exact pitch location I’m going to move to, and trust my hand to find the shortest, most efficient route. That being said, there are one or two additional things I can say here that might be of interest.

When I shift to a lower position I think of lifting up slightly as I move the hand back. This is because the act of straightening tends to pull the violin down slightly. If you think of raising the arm, again, just a little bit, as you move the hand away from you, the violin stays in a neutral position.

And that’s a good thing.

Further, if string crossings are involved in the shift, resist the temptation to swing your left elbow in concert with the bow movement. It is better to reach with the fingers from one string to another to the extent possible. The hand just moves straight back in line with the neck.

OK, if your hand is very petite you may need a small amount of lateral elbow movement. Keep it small.

By the way, I was experimenting with how much ‘pressure’ I use with my chin to shift, in either direction. It is only enough to compensate for the frictional force generated by the hand sliding along the neck and string.

If your hands are clean, this should be less pressure than you would require for your chin BONE to engage the chin rest!

The left hand, then, is responsible for holding 50% of the weight of the violin and all of the finger pressure needed to depress the strings.

All the best,

Clayton Haslop

P.S. There is nothing better for developing the strength, flexibility, and independence of the left hand fingers than the double-stop exercises concluding Kreutzer’s book of Etudes. I have been doing them again myself to get back in top playing form after my time off. What I have to say and show you about double-stop playing in Kreutzer for Violin Mastery will give you startling results for the time invested.

When It Doesn’t Just Happen

Yesterday I received an email from a woman in her sixties who has made excellent progress on the violin in three short years. She is, however, having some difficulty cultivating a vibrato, and asked my advice on the subject.

Previously she had been told that it would ‘happen naturally.’ Well, it hasn’t and she asked what she could do to help it along.

Unfortunately, the way I teach vibrato cannot be imparted in an email. One must see the exercises to really appreciate the motions of the wrist, arm, and fingers. I referred her to Kreutzer, Vol. 3 where I lay out my approach in some depth.

Volume 3 also addresses another query that arrived yesterday concerning shifting and the violin hold. Again, all the factors involved are impossible to impart in an email, but are covered in some detail on the DVDs.

These are excellent cases for the old adage, ‘a picture is worth a thousand words.’ In our case we’re talking MOVING pictures, which are even better. Mind you, I do have plenty to say while you watch my demonstrations. They’re both important.

So, if vibrato and shifting are techniques you want assistance with you know where to go. Online, Volume 3 is available only with Volume 4. Those of you reading this, however, may call in your order and purchase Volume 3 individually, should you wish to do so.

My recommendation is to take advantage of the multi-volume discount, get the whole set, and Go To School On It.

You see, it all works together; the left hand techniques, the right hand techniques, the practice techniques, all of it.

Recently a review was posted on Violinist.com which really sums up the value of the Kreutzer course beautifully. If you have the Kreutzer course I hope it inspires you to continue practicing what you have seen. If you don’t have it perhaps this will inspire you to claim it for your library.

So here’s what one fine player had to say:

“I congratulate Mr. Haslop on a job well done! This is an ambitious project in the undertaking. He is an outstanding teacher — one of USA’s best kept secrets (but hopefully for not too much longer)! I can see that he clearly wants to pass on his wonderful knowledge. There are only a few former Milstein pupils around, including Oliver Steiner and Dylana Jenson.

I have examined the dvd’s that a friend purchased and was impressed. It was nice to see that Mr. Haslop and I shared similar teaching ideas. The video is very well organized.

There is a lot to be said, and this is a video that you can’t just “turn on, watch, and then expect to miraculously turn into a Milstein, Jr.”. You need patience and need to work hard. I think if you follow Mr. Haslop’s suggestions, you’ll find that your practice time of the Kreutzer etudes will be cut in half.

In addition, if you feel that you’re already a “Kreutzer expert”, then try to take the technical principles from these videos and apply to other etudes and repertoire. These principles just are not for Kreutzer. The successful students are the ones who can take Mr. Haslop or any teacher’s ideas and “apply” them.

Thank you Mr. Haslop for your wonderful contributions. Your dedication is so much appreciated. You’re a teaching genius!”

– Sung-Duk Song

Well, there you have some thoughts of a very accomplished violinist. And just so you know, we have never met.

Get a copy speeding your way.

All the best,

Clayton Haslop

P.S. If you’re already a Kreutzer Master you may want to go right into Paganini for Violin Virtuosity, Vol. 1.

How to Sharpen Your Vision

No, I’m not going to tell you to eat more carrots, clean your glasses, or consider Lasiks surgery. It’s vision of the musical sort I’m talking about today. And for it you don’t need those two, miraculous orbs in the front of your head.

Musical vision really takes place within the theatre of the mind, you see. And it can involve colors, picture painting, narrative, or even more abstract content.

But whatever it is, it had better be compelling to an audience when channeled into your instrument.

And it should be fun to do!

It’s the ultimate play, in many respects; like solving a puzzle, going on an adventure to a place you’ve never been, or mixing colors and playing with finger-paints.

I like to engage in this process even whilst doing scales – I certainly do it while playing Kreutzer and Paganini.

All you need to do to get the ball rolling is to open your mind to possibilities…and breathe.

Then, begin listening to the music, before playing a note. Once ‘the theatre’ is up and running let the inspiration flow down to your hands. Then the real fun can begin.

When something comes out of your instrument that doesn’t agree with the program, just stop, breathe again, and let your imagination find the adjustments to be made.

Then try again.

Sometimes you must really stretch yourself physically to get a result. This is good.

Sometimes you must take a risk musically – do something that is not even indicated. THIS can be thrilling!

Toscanini was famous for exhorting, “Play as written, now PUT something.” Both require images formed in the theatre of the mind.

You can bet your bippy we’ll be doing quite a bit of vision forming at the Masterclass/Seminars in January and February. Don’t miss out on these one-of-a-kind opportunities.

All the best,

Clayton Haslop

P.S. Those of you already registered in the masterclass/seminars will be receiving information on Hotels and Car rentals very soon. Cheers!

Keeping Your Fiddle Ship-Shape

During my stay in Vermont I happened into the very excellent violin shop in Burlington. Good thing I did.

After playing one of the luthier’s own instruments I remarked, ‘You know, the strings feel a little low on this instrument.’

He did a quick check on them, said they were spot on, and then measured mine. They were high enough to be on a cello!

Now, you’d think after 4 decades of playing that I’d sense when something was going amiss with my fiddle. Normally I would, but in this case it was a very gradual change. The neck of my violin was gradually sinking toward the top.

Actually I do prefer my strings about a millimeter higher than normal – but not three.

There was nothing to be done about this before my concerts, so I played with a little cello under my chin.

I’m relieved to know, however, that my beautiful Storioni is in good hands now, and will be restored to perfect health in another week or so.

The bottom line here is that it’s important to have a trained expert take a look at your instrument, now and then. But there are a few things you can keep an eye out for.

Take a look at your bridge periodically to make sure it is at a 90 degree angle from the top and shows no sign of warping. Also look to see whether the strings, particularly the e string, are cutting into the wood.

If you hear a ‘buzz’ while playing you may have a seam open. And no, you don’t want to apply glue to any part of your instrument yourself! Any obvious cracks on the top or back should be addressed as soon as possible to keep them from spreading.

If the fingerboard seems loose; or is easily moved by grasping the neck and applying some pressure; or the strings are either excessively high or low, then a trip to a qualified repair-person is in order.

The key word is ‘qualified.’ If there is any doubt in your mind, do a computer search for the ‘Violin Society of America’ and locate a member in your area. If you live away from a major city you can SEND your instrument via one of the shipping companies. Just be sure you know someone will be present to receive it when it arrives, and that it is packaged properly – your repair person should again be able to advise you.

Of course you’ll want to change your strings at least every six months – I rarely go more than three.

It’s quite comforting to play an instrument that is in good health and set up properly. Last week I was forced to put aside my concern and do what needed to be done. Fortunately the neck held.

Now, I don’t normally do this, but I was so impressed with the Burlington Violin Shop and its staff – they have all trained and worked at internationally recognized shops – that I will give you their website. It is; www.vermontviolins.com

Try to speak with Kathy if you call, and tell them Clayton sent you.

 

When to Belly Breathe

First things first, I’d like to thank all the people who have written in these past few days. I’ve had some wonderful responses to recent newsletters about the goings on in Vermont, and violin matters in general. Time has not permitted me to respond to each and every one, but rest assured, they have been appreciated.

Though I arrived back in Asheville without my number one fiddle, and determined to take a much needed break from playing, I’ve been more occupied than ever.

For one thing, the kind of preparation and focus needed for last weeks concerts left my five-year-old daughter getting the short end of my attentions for at least a good fortnight – I’ve been doing my best to even the score these past days.

And secondly, you wouldn’t believe how tall the grass was when we got home Monday night!

But let’s talk violin playing.

One of the questions emailed in this week concerns breathing. This interested client says he’s made great progress since incorporating the counting and visualizing habit into his playing, but is yet having a little difficulty with breathing. Specifically, he asks, WHEN do I breathe in a given phrase of music.

Before I answer let me just say how invaluable belly breathing is to your musicianship. It relaxes you, and it opens a clear channel from your heart to your brain and on down to the your hands.

Now, in the open string exercise that begins the Kreutzer course I do give some instruction on when to breathe for the purpose of that exercise.

But when it comes to playing actual music, and the counting is being done in my head and not spoken out loud, I allow my breathing to follow its own course. That is to say I just focus on using my diaphragm and on keeping the air stream moving, in and out.

The LAST thing you want to be doing as you play is HOLDING your breath. When you find yourself holding your breath you can be sure you have unwanted tension mounting inside of you.

Let it go!

You will NEVER play better for holding your breath in difficult moments. You must be ever mindful that your breathing is free and full. It’s as simple, and as challenging, as that.

Before I leave you I have just one last bit of critical information. The Novice/Intermediate masterclass is filling in beautifully, and I have sold out of the special low-tuition seats. I have, therefore, decided to open the advanced/professional class up to ALL-COMERS.

This should be great news to any serious violinist. Your tuition at this class, and this class only, will include a Full-Length Recital by yours truly and one tremendously gifted concert pianist. The wisdom I’ll be imparting after this special event will be out-of-this-world great. You can be sure of it.

All the best,

Clayton Haslop

P.S. What I do require for attendance at either class is familiarity of at least one of either the Kreutzer or Paganini courses.

All the Passion, and Solid as a Rock

Greetings from Newark airport. Last night I completed the last of my performing duties at the Vermont Mozart Festival by playing the Mendelssohn Concerto, in picture-perfect conditions, on the grounds of the Trapp Family Lodge in Stowe, Vermont.

Yes, the same Trapp family of ‘The Sound of Music’ fame.

After leaving Austria the family eventually settled under the shadow of Vermont’s highest peak, Mt. Mansfield, where they established a thriving world-class resort.

One of the Grandsons of Baron von Trapp was present for last night’s concert.

As I walked off-stage, the conductor, a fine maestro by the name of Peter Leonard, embraced me with genuine warmth, and exclaimed, “You are a true artist. You play with all the passion and yet are solid as a rock.”

Obviously, I was very touched by the compliment.

But the fact remains that what I’ve accomplished in music is the result of being ever on the lookout for better ways of doing things and for new sources of inspiration. I haven’t sat on my backside for the past 25 years thinking, ‘Yup, studied with Milstein, guess I know it all now.’

Can I still improve? You bet. One of the beauties of the violin is its inexhaustible depth. I love it.

I can say, however, that in the course of it all I have found some sure-fire practice techniques and playing fundamentals. They’ll get the job done in just about ANY circumstance.

In seven appearances in five days – one sprung on me with just 90 minutes notice – the venues ranged from a sweltering dry-docked ship, to a windy open-sided tent, to a stage under the stars, to a cavernous gymnasium.

The repertoire was as varied as the venues – two Mozart Concertos and his Symphony #32, led by me without conductor; the Mendelssohn Concerto; Milhaud, Piston, Bach, and Handel Sonatas; several Paganini Caprices; Ferdinand the Bull (violin unaccomp. whilst narrating the story); Bartok’s “Roumanian Folk Dances”; and the “Marriage of Figaro” and “Gondliers” as concertmaster.

And, of course, each performance had rehearsals as well. I was quite literally playing from morning ‘til night for 7 days.

The experience was a true test of not just my endurance and the way I play, but of the way I prepare as well.

Happily, I am more certain than ever of the value imparted in both the Kreutzer for Violin Mastery and Paganini for Violin Virtuosity, Vol. 1 courses.

By the way, have you seen “Ratatouille” yet? Got to listen out for the violin solos when you do. It’s a wonderful film. Pixar’s best so far.

When at first you don’t succeed

Today’s title is the beginning of an old adage. Let me give you the whole thing, in case you’ve never heard it.

‘If at first you don’t succeed, try, try, try again.’

Like any such ‘saw’, it can be true, and it can be untrue. After all, as Einstein one said, insanity can be defined as repeating the same action over and over, and expecting the outcome to change.

So, to get at the truth one must take the lesson from each and put them together. In other words, when practicing, yes, you will repeat things many, many times. But in doing so you must be making conscious adjustments with EACH repetition, constantly refining your purpose and intention to reach Meaning-Full outcomes.

Outcomes that COMPELL a listener to pay attention.

When you have someone’s full attention you have, in essence, a client. No matter whether you’re selling a musical performance, an instructional DVD course, or shoes.

As you know, I arrived here in Vermont a couple days ago with a lot of repertoire on my plate. There were two sonatas – for violin and harpsichord – that I was having great difficulty feeling any connection to.

My partner in crime felt the same way as we began rehearsing yesterday. First rehearsal provided a good deal of improvement on one of them. Through creative repetition we found the way in, so to speak.

The other sonata, by Darius Milhaud, proved more elusive. After all, neither of us play 20th century music for this unusual combination with any regularity. Well, never, actually.

Today things took off. It was very much akin to my motorcycle riding experience of last weekend – Attention to a goal + Creative repetition + Relaxation + Rest = PROGRESS. By the end of the session today we were both grinning from ear to ear, and eagerly looking forward to bringing this music in front of an audience.

So, keep these 4 things in mind as you practice. When the creativity begins to drain away it’s time to rest. When the creative juices are strong don’t forget to breathe and stay relaxed – burn too hot for too long and you risk burning out.

Just for the record, I did not select these two works. In this particular case it seems to be working out for the best. Normally I want to know in advance that I have the ability to, in my mind, say something meaningful with a piece of music.

But before you can do anything with anything, you must have some technique. Pure, efficient fundamentals are the name of the game in this regard. Get yours honed to a razor’s edge with ”Kreutzer for Violin Mastery”. And we just happen to have a little elf in Asheville who can have a copy headed your way tomorrow, even while I fiddle away up here in Vermont.

All the best,

Clayton Haslop

P.S. And if you’re wanting to get up to Paganini speed, Volume 1 of ”Paganin for Violin Virtuosity” is the ticket. In either or both cases the same little elf will be doing what needs to be done.

Keeping Your Legato Pure

There are few things in this world more pleasing than a truly legato line played well on the violin. If you can do this deceptively simple thing you will never lack for enthusiastic listeners hanging on your every turn of phrase.

But, as I said, this is a deceptively simple task to accomplish.

It requires a solid understanding of bow and left hand technique. And you must have some ‘musical vision’ even before you set bow to string.

Last night I spent a few hours with a very gifted young man working on this very ability. He played some beautiful phrases by the end of the session, and we both enjoyed a heart-warming sense of accomplishment at the conclusion.

So, what did we focus on?

Well, first and foremost we needed to even out his bow distribution. The open string exercise I placed at the beginning of Kreutzer, Vol. 1 is excellent for achieving this.

Many folks will unconsciously slow the bow down just before a bow change and speed it up just after. This results in the kind of ‘unsightly bulges’ in tone that’ll disturb a legato line like a stone dropped in still water.

We worked with vibrato as well. When you want to create a singing line you must decide exactly what the ‘color’ of vibrato is going to be, and then make sure you are using it consistently.

Again, there is a tendency to vibrate some notes more than others due to level of comfort, or discomfort, felt by each finger.

Once aware of this tendency it is surprising how fast one can make the small adjustments needed to balance the left hand and get the vibrato consistent from note to note.

Now, the ‘guiding light’ to all of this must be your musical vision. You can help inform that vision by breathing well, just as a good vocalist would do. It feels good and immediately transforms what comes out of your instrument.

In the course of the 3 hour ‘intensive’ we went considerably further than what I’ve just outlined. In fact, due to my new friends interest, he went from a ‘Franco-Belgian’ bow hold to a ‘Russian’ bow hold within the course of the lesson.

It was quite a transformation and one he was thrilled about.

In short, this is the kind of progress that comes from both the three-hour intensives, and the masterclasses.

The Novice/Intermediate masterclass is well on its way to selling out. So if you are serious about your playing and are still contemplating where you want to be come January 10, 2008, I’d get off the fence now and secure your seat.

We are going to have a great time!