How to Restore a Rebellious Hand

As I mentioned yesterday, my weeklong sojourn in Seville was a tremendous experience. In fact, in the coming weeks and months I believe the fruits coming from it will fully restore my playing capacities to their highest level.

Now, in case you’re confused, let me explain.

Some years ago I began noticing abhorrent movements in my left hand which seemed beyond my conscious control.

Yet through rigorous discipline, and by developing tremendously efficient practice techniques, control them I did. And for many years, nobody but myself was aware of any dysfunction whatsoever, not even my closest colleagues.

Yet the issue of controlling my hand seemed to grow more and more challenging each year. And, to add insult to injury, 18 months ago I took and serious tumble onto my left shoulder, seriously injuring it.

Now to make a long story short, I thought I’d reached the end of my line. As of 10 days ago I basically believed there was no hope of restoring my left hand to anything near its former state; no matter how much time I could dedicate to practice.

Yet as it turned out, in Spain I quickly learned how wrong I could be. In fact, much of what I developed to deal with the problem – and what have proved greatly effective to Violin Mastery adherents – were confirmed as RIGHT ON. Largely I was given a dose of my own medicne.

You see, I myself made the mistake of giving what SHOULD have been a temporary dysfunction, a permanent diagnosis; Focal Dystonia. And with this diagnosis I bought into the conventional ‘theory’ that the condition was irreversible and permanent.

So in spite of the fact that I had developed many great strategies for conditioning a left hand for EXCELLENCE, my belief system was, in my own case, working at odds to them.

Now, thanks to my time with a great man named Dr. Joaquin Farias, I am realizing the tangible results of letting go of that silly notion.

Yes, me, the founder of Violin Mastery was given a good dose of his own medicine.

I’m really only surprised it took just a week and a transcontinental journey for it to happen – just kidding on that.

Now, there IS a little something more to it.

In the case of a LONG HISTORY of dysfunctional movement patterns there can be a need for inverting the patterns, for going in the extreme opposite direction. This is something that never occurred to me in my years of experience with the ‘dis-ease’.

There is also, in some cases, a need for prolonged retraining at hyper-slow tempi until the conscious mind ‘unwinds’, and the dysfunctional patterns are broken. You see, in my own case I had not gone far enough in the right direction; again, the product of a mistaken belief system.

Yet for the great MAJORITY of players, like yourself, the secrets of fluidity and velocity are PRECISELY what I have said they are, and what Milstein said they are.

Imagine that.

So those of you that have my courses take this as a word to the wise. The system WORKS. Yet you must have the confidence, patience and commitment to ALLOW it to work.

All the best, Clayton Haslop

P.S. You know, recently a gal wrote in about how she applied something I wrote in a newsletter to her playing, and immediately received a special compliment from the conductor of her orchestra. This, in turn, made her open up Kreutzer for Violin Mastery’ and begin reapplying herself t

To Pinch or Not to Pinch

I received a couple of interesting notes in my inbox in response to yesterday’s newsletter. One, coming from Kenton, down Florida way, was the ‘violin’ entry in an old Webster’s Dictionary.

And though the accompanying illustrational was quite odd indeed, the text was right-on in its characterization of the violin hold I thought. It said, ‘…held nearly horizontal with the player’s arm with the lower part supported against the collarbone or shoulder.’

It did not say, ‘held between the chin and shoulder’, as many might believe.

In another response Stephen asked ‘whether one pinches the neck between the thumb and base of the index finger horizontally, or whether the thumb should be under the neck so that you can squeeze into the notes and roll the vibrato like a cellist’.

Now it is certainly easy to dismiss the former, I’ll have no pinching of violin necks in any coaching or master class of mine. Pinching of violins or violinists is strictly verbotten.

Doing this not only tightens your hand, it severely limits your ability to get around the violin. Not a good thing.

The latter concept is almost all good, however. There is just one little thing. I like to think of the thumb and base of the index finger as forming something of a ‘V’, with the violin resting between and atop the first joint of the thumb and the base of the index finger.

And yes, I do like the idea of squeezing or, better yet, massaging the fingerboard with the fingers – note that both these images imply pliancy within the hand and fingers.

Nothing is ever stiff, locked, or unyielding in the hand.

In yet another emailed response Al referred to the sweet spot where the violin rests as a ‘birth’ for the violin. I like that.

Now, all this being said, I don’t want to give the impression that I make a religion out of the neck’s location in the hand either. When I play there is quite a bit of flexibility in my hand, and the neck may indeed rest on the thumb, at times, or deeper in the ‘V’ now and again.

Yet the exceptions prove the rule, as the old saw goes.

And a good deal of my practice is spent relaxing and balancing my left hand as I perfect challenging passages.

I want to arrive at the point of maximum efficiency, minimum effort, and minimum hand distortion for anything I do.

I certainly look to keep my chin free of the chinrest if at all possible – downshifts, as I have said, are the one exception in this.

In any case, yesterday I mentioned ‘Kreutzer for Violin Mastery’ as an excellent tool for assisting a intermediate/advanced player in freeing up his or her hold.

All the best, Clayton Haslop

Avoid THIS Playing Pain

Just returned from a quick weekend jaunt over to Santa Fe, New Mexico, where I cavorted in the back-country with a friend. On Sunday we ran through snow showers, arriving well above the 10,000 foot level before making the turn for home.

Got a great, old-fashioned ‘Rocky Mountain High’ on THAT one let me tell you.

Today, however, I’m sitting at my desk facing the red-rock buttes of Sedona. And I just spent a good hour or so reviewing some wonderful videos on YouTube.

Amongst them was one featuring Zukerman in an interview on violin playing and the importance of learning to play properly.

The interesting, or perhaps a little confusing thing about this particular video, however, was that Maestro Zukerman begins his remarks by saying how much physical pain he suffers while playing. And it is within this seemingly ironic context of pain that he expresses the need to learn to play ‘correctly’.

Now, Zukerman is an extra-ordinary violinist, and my comments here should in no way be taken as a criticism of his playing or musicianship.

I also don’t want to give you the impression that I don’t experience any discomfort whatsoever when I play. As Zukerman himself points out, the very positions we take when raising the violin are undeniably unnatural to the human body.

Yet there are things we can do to keep the discomfort to a minimum; to where it does not overwhelm or detract from the pleasure of playing the instrument.

After all, one of the great pleasures of the playing the violin or viola is the close proximity they have to our ear while we play them.

We are literally enveloped by the tone.

The irony of Zukerman’s comments, however, arise from his emphasis on learning correctly, on the one hand, and the specific pain he experiences in his neck and shoulders from his ‘hold’ on the other.

You see, Zukerman was taught to secure the instrument to the shoulder with his chin. Most of us have been taught this, actually.

Yet fortunately for me, and now potentially for you, 3 decades ago I came under the tutelage of a fairly decent fiddler by the name of Nathan Milstein, who had something quite different to say about this important subject.

He said, very matter-of-factly in his heavy Russian accent, ‘hold the violin with your left hand, not with your chin.’

Wow, what a concept. ‘Can this really be done,’ I thought to myself.

Yet there the man was, standing in front of me playing the G Minor Caprice – he always referred to them by key, not by number; #16, in this case – playing with the violin slid half down his shoulder with absolute ease. It would have taken the neck of an ostrich to reach the chinrest from where it was.

Ok, I’m exaggerating just a tad.

Yet the point remains, you can alleviate much of the neck pain and chin abscess issues you may be experiencing by weaning yourself away from the constant reliance on the chin, and to keeping the instrument pinned to your shoulder.

In the process you may also learn a thing or two about how to balance and organize the fingers of your left hand. And guess what, by doing THAT your playing immediately becomes more seamless and fluid.

Not a bad addition to the bargain, I’d say.

So, if you’re having the issues I mentioned, and are up for liberating yourself from the ball and chain of a ‘chin hold,’ come take a look at a great program I have to help you accomplish it and much more.

It’s called, ‘Kreutzer for Violin Mastery.’

All the best, Clayton Haslop

P.S. By the way, last Thursday we finished recording the music to ‘Avatar’ after some 60 or so hours of recording over the past couple months. I also learned that I will be given screen credit for the violin solos. Keep your ears open, and your eyes peeled as the credits roll, on this one.

Perspective

Recently I’ve been hearing education discussed in various public forums as this administration implements new standards and national funding policies.

It’s a circus, but one with serious consequences.

So I’ve been mulling over the catch phrase given to the Obama program, namely, ‘The race to the top,’ as it might apply to a life in music.

Now, on the one hand, I certainly don’t have a problem with being the best one can be. Am I’m sure you feel the same.

What I do have a few reservations about, however, is the implication of self, or group improvement being a race; that we are continuously in competition with each other.

When such thinking becomes endemic within a national psyche it comes with a price, sometimes witnessed in horrifying tragedy – such as the recent student suicides in Korea preceding their national examinations – yet more often in a pervasive, underlying feeling of stress in the society.

Gradually the fun of learning and growing is replaced by a feeling that nothing is good enough.

And with this ultimately self-defeating mindset, the soul gradually forgets how to breathe.

When I practice, now, I am no longer ‘racing for the top’ – yes, I was at one time a victim of such thinking. Today I begin by merely becoming present with the feelings inherent in drawing a pure and well-tuned tone from the violin.

Only after I’ve ‘tuned in’ on this very basic level do I begin to stretch myself, and think, ‘where does it make sense to move from here.’ Sometimes this is a very easy decision, the session flows easily into an etude or piece of repertoire.

Sometimes, however, my left hand is reluctant, tight. If I were ‘racing to the top’ on such days you can imagine the frustration and impatience I could feel.

Totally counter-productive and useless.

I must necessarily inhabit in a world of incremental changes on some days, and be thankful for those just as I am for the great leaps in insight or performance that accompany others.

It all begins and ends with being present and excepting of the moment. Not in a complacent, flaccid sort of way mind you, but one that is dynamic, inquisitive and attentive to unrealized potential, small OR greatly profound.

Bottom line is, I’m sad, in a way, that our public discourse on what should or shouldn’t condition the conduct of our lives must be reduced to such simplistic, desensitizing catch phrases.

You are welcome to disagree with me, of course.

At the same time, whether you are ‘racing to the top’ or enjoying a life of unfolding potential, I do think your practice will benefit greatly through engaging with the instructional DVD programs I’ve created for your level of playing.

All the best, Clayton Haslop

How to Play Ponticello

A couple days ago I fielded a question from Jackie asking how to play ponticello easily and with a great sound. So here goes, a few words about ponticello.

Now, in case you didn’t know this, ponticello is a special effect. And it is produced when the bow tracks so close to the bridge that the string produces many higher frequencies not part of the normal spectrum of sound.

The result is a kind of eerie, windy color to the sound.

There are two issues that make the execution of this effect a little more challenging than drawing a pure tone.

First, it is critical that the bow track right next to the bridge without deviation. You’ll notice that when you draw a normal tone, the bow can wander back and forth between bridge and fingerboard to some extent without negatively impacting the sound – one likes to avoid this, put it can happen.

As soon as the bow wanders from the bridge in ponticello, however, the effect disappears immediately.

The second issue is control. Because the bow is not fully ‘in the string,’ as we say in string parlance, there is, in fact, a greater tendency for hidden tensions in the bow arm to manifest in just the wandering mentioned above.

Sometimes, as when the bow suddenly passes OVER the bridge – and this happens to everyone at one time or another – this ‘wandering’ becomes more akin to an alarming betrayal.

So, how to practice this technique so it is secure and well behaved.

First thing I would do is some slow, quiet, long bows ponticello to get in touch with the purity of my bow stroke – if you are having difficulty with this may just want to pick up a copy of ‘Dynamic Breath Control for Violinists’, which has a lot to say about drawing a straight, relaxed bow. http://www.violinmastery.com/order_breathcontrol.htm

Now once you’ve gotten a sense of the bow placement down, you can begin playing some scales and arpeggios using just the upper-middle on the bow; very smooth, no spaces between the notes.

Gradually you will increase the weight on the string – relaxed arm weight – and increase the speed of the bow strokes.

This being said, ponticello is often called for in combination with tremolo, a fast, repeated stroking of one note. I recommend arriving at tremolo by starting at a slow rate of speed, using just fore-arm, and gradually increasing the speed and narrowing the travel of the bow. As you stroke more rapidly begin to add arm weight, if, that is, you need to perform the effect in forte.

So the secret to all this, really, is purity of your detaché. I do not even use my wrist – unless I’m feeling Very lazy – to produce the tremolo; simply the forearm.

Now if you REALLY want to get into the mechanics of the bow arm from the ground up, right through to a high level of control, I suggest that you get started in the ‘Violin Mastery Beginners Circle’ program, the first month of which comprises the ‘Breath Control for Violinists’ material.

All the best, Clayton Haslop

P.S. Yea, ponticello really forces you to separate vertical weight from horizontal thrust. It requires absolute freedom in the joints of the right arm. These make it an excellent tool for sharpening the workings of your bow arm .

The Chinese-thinking Approach to Violin Playing

Recently I have been studying a very esoteric form of Chinese philosophy called Hwa-Yen. It is the philosophical basis of Zen Buddhism.

In the process I have learned something about the way Asian language systems, Chinese in particular, conceptualize and name the objects we see in our every day world.

So this morning I was reflecting on this a little bit while I was practicing, and it struck me that my thinking about violin playing mirrors the Chinese approach to language and conceptualization very closely.

You see, there is a subtle and interesting difference between the East and West in how ‘things’ are given names, and if you stay with me I think you’ll get something worthwhile out of it, something that may indeed benefit and shed light on your playing of the violin.

In Chinese, to give a few examples, the word for ‘train’ translates, literally, as ‘fire car,’ automobile as ‘gas car’, and bicycle as ‘foot-stepping car.’ In English, however, we have quite different and distinct words for each of these things; etymologically they are seemingly quite unrelated.

In the Chinese mind, then, the linguistic construction first identifies ‘train’ as something belonging to a group, in this case, a vehicle. This generalized term is then modified and given specificity by the addition of an adjective, in this case describing one requiring fire for operation – at least trains did in the old days.

So even from the way our language systems are constructed you can see that the Western mind tends to compartmentalize, to identify in a specific and definite way. The Eastern mind, on the other hand, seeks to generalize first, and then to differentiate; this thing is both like these AND, simultaneously, containing in something quite different.

Now let’s talk violin playing. Many violinists I have taught have wanted to ‘nail things down’ when they came to me; this is THE way the fingers of the left hand articulate, this time, every time.

And for such players it comes as a surprise that in one Kreutzer Etude I talk of the fingers lightly tapping the string, and in another of the four fingers moving as if some kind of a constant motion machine; the former implying a digital type of articulation, the latter something quite analogue.

And, in fact, BOTH and more must be available to one seeking to reach the highest levels of performance.

The world of form IS full of contradictions and the message of music is, by definition, transmitted within this same world of form.

And thought there is no getting around this, it is also true that underlying the contradictions are a great number of similarities and parallels.

So, though I say there are contradictions does not mean one surrenders to chaos. There are, after all, ways of playing the violin that are more efficient, effective and conducive to getting even wildly different types of music across than others.

The point is, however, that your technique must be fluid, dynamic, and able to embrace and effortlessly expand through a great range of textures and expressions.

So there isn’t just one way to articulate with the fingers of the left hand. And there isn’t just one way to ‘take the string’ when initiating a tone.

The challenge of a violin system, however, is to provide for all these ‘contradictions’ within something of a generalized framework, so hopeless confusion is avoided.

In short, one needs a way of playing the instrument that is BOTH superbly straight-forward AND supremely flexible and adaptive.

As proof, when we listen and watch a truly great master moving effortlessly through a vast range of expression we often can’t help but think, ‘and they make it look so simple.’ And so it has become, for them, as it must for you.

One such method, for experienced players who want to take it up a notch or two, can be found in my ‘Kreutzer for Violin Mastery’ program.

All the best, Clayton Haslop

P.S. Now, players not-quite-ready for the 42 Kreutzer Etudes would do well to take a look at my very comprehensive lessons called, the ‘Allegro Players.’

Why I Hang on My Violin

I am sure you would agree with me when I say, the players you most enjoy listening to sound uncompromisingly ‘at home’ on the violin. They seem to inhabit the violin.

Well, I have news for you. I believe we all have the capability of experiencing and projecting this; of internalizing the process of playing in a way that allows our expressive potential uncompromised freedom.

Now there are a couple of things that are critical to this, and one of them is the complete relaxation of the shoulders while playing.

I’ve seen many a player in my time that look as though they have a band of non-permeable rock running from shoulder to shoulder while they play. And as a result their playing comes off forced, stiff, and generally lacking in real substance.

One of the great keys to ‘tearing down that wall’, as Ronald Reagan might have put it, is breathing.

And the RIGHT kind of breathing. Of course this is something I’ve written of many times so I won’t go into it here.

Once you’re breathing properly you’re experiencing the natural tendency of the shoulders to relax DOWN as you draw in breath; something so very different from the experience of many people.

The thing to remember, as you feel this however, is to allow the weight of the arms to follow the shoulder’s lead.

On the right side this is what leads to the natural weight of the arm transferring onto the strings via the bow, giving depth and ‘body’ to the tone you produce.

On the left side the relaxation of the shoulders frees up the arm – yes, I realize certain muscles are yet engaged to support the violin, we’re not going to let the violin slide to the floor – allowing greater freedom of movement and increased lightness and sensitivity in the fingers.

So once you’re shoulders are relaxed the sensation of hanging on the violin begins to make real sense. On the left side it’s just the very light mass of each finger hanging on the strings; on the right side the full weight of the arm.

Now bear in mind that once you’ve loosed the weight of the right arm on the string, the game becomes all about the active management of the horizontal travel of the bow; the seamless folding and unfolding of wrist joint, elbow joint and shoulder joint, transforming arm weight into tone.

Yet that will take us into a different story, one better left for another day.

In any case, I sure recommend taking a few minutes at the beginning of your practice session to get into this feeling as you play – some slow scales and arpeggios are perfect for it.

Remember, breathing is key. And what good news that is.

All the best, Clayton Haslop

P.S. In my Beginners Circle program, for new players to the instrument, and Allegro Players program, for more intermediate level learners, this approach to violin playing is integrated into every lesson.

Milstein, His Most Important Words

Yesterday afternoon I gave a coaching session to a very accomplished professional violinist. This is a man who, as a former member of a world-class string quartet, has toured around the world many times over.

He has also taught in major universities, in this country and his country of origin, and played in numerous professional orchestras.

He has truly lived a life of music.

Now I’m telling you this to reflect something of an attitude that I greatly admire. This gentleman is currently in his mid-sixties, and he is still seeking guidance and council from people he respects.

I was honored to work with him.

And if in the course of our session there was a central theme, it was to underscore the most valuable insight Milstein imparted to me.

Actually, if you read Milstein’s memoir, ‘From Russia to the West,’ it is there for ANYONE to see.

What he said was, ‘the most important thing in playing violin is how you Think.’

Now, I know I go on quite a bit about this. Yet it is a concept that almost cannot be emphasized too much; mainly because it is frequently understood in only a partial way.

You see, quite often I notice folks CONCEPTUALIZE something fairly clearly about violin playing, they talk a good game; yet when the violin goes under the chin and the action begins, the feedback from the body seems to crowds whatever they were thinking right out the window.

You know, it takes real presence of mind to hold an intention through the distractions presented by the force of habit or, in the case of the novice, the haze of the unfamiliar.

The mind gets easily overwhelmed, it tends to ‘run away,’ as Milstein used to say. And this tendency, in my experience, even grows stronger as we approach the critical point of a breakthrough.

And I think this due to the fact that the closer the unnecessary muscles movements are to those that ARE necessary, the greater the apparent challenge to central control; i.e. our mind.

So necessarily, the final 20% of mastery requires the lion’s share of commitment.

The good news is, and I know you’ve experienced this in one area of your life or another, the more deeply you go into something the deeper the satisfaction and meaning that comes out of it.

This is as true of drawing a long, sustained bow as it is playing a Paganini Caprice.

The important think is to burn completely, without conflict, in any endeavor. To surrender completely to an intention, until it is fulfilled.

All the best, Clayton Haslop

P.S. Recently I heard from the oldest sibling in a family of Violin Mastery learners. She had initially begun with Kreutzer for Violin Mastery, yet had moved herself back to the Beginners Circle to properly absorb the new approach to playing fundamentals. This was a mature and courageous move on her part.

A Hand Like Greased Lightning

Well, I trust you survived the Halloween weekend intact and no worse for the wear. In Sedona you’ll find literally thousands flooding into ‘uptown’ where the business owners hand out the treats and street performers provide the tricks.

Our daughter stayed in character as a fairy only until we encountered a African drumming ensemble, where upon she transformed into a whirling, twirling, Zulu princess. It was something to behold.

So, on to greased lightning.

You know, there are 2 ways one can use lightning as a metaphor for the goings-on of a left hand.

On the less-than-flattering side, Aaron Rosand once quipped, after the performance of a student, ‘you have fingers like lightning, they never strike in the same place twice.’

And then there’s an entirely opposite use, a way that describes perfectly the workings of Milstein’s left hand. It’s called ‘greased lightning.’

I love that one. And I’ve invested quite a bit of time, over the years, understanding how to condition my left hand to convey the same impression.

And one secret to this kind of fluidity, one that you won’t hear about in most teaching studios, is the concept of the left hand as ‘perpetual motion machine’.

So often we think of the fingers as little digital devices, either on or off. We don’t think to groom the in-between movements of the fingers.

Yet for scales, arpeggios, and many kinds of figurations – Kreutzer #9 being a perfect example – getting control over the entire range of movement of the fingers can ramp the ease of playing, and upper end of one’s velocity, to a whole new level.

Instead of seeing the fingers as either on or off, imagine them to be as four parachutists descending to the fingerboard in series. And, upon raising them, like balloonists rising from the string one after another.

Now if this image makes sense to you, you’ve got some fun and challenging practice ahead, practice that will amaze you when the results are counted – yes, don’t forget to do that.

And if you’re not entirely sure how this is to play out from what I’ve written, you may want to invest in volume 1 of Kreutzer for Violin Mastery and take a look at my chapter on Kreutzer #9. It’s all there, a whole new way to approach this legendary etude.

How to Liberate a Bow Arm

Today’s message should be very helpful to you, IF, that is, you are like most violinists and can always use an insight or two to keep your right arm technique sharp.

You see, most players have four main challenges where it comes to their bow-arm; keeping it straight, keeping it horizontal, achieving clean, non-disruptive string crossings, and coordinating changes of string and direction with the left hand.

Now, you may think of disagreeing with me. You may be thinking, ‘my biggest problem is with spiccato, I can do all those other things.’

If that’s the case, I’d say, you’d be wise to pay attention, your spiccato difficulties may have more to do with these things than you think.

Actually today I’m just going to discuss the first two challenges; keeping the bow straight and keeping it horizontal. For most of us ‘straight’ is pretty well understood to mean parallel to the bridge. What is less understood, in my experience, is the need for the components of the bow arm to facilitate the horizontal travel of the bow.

And for these to happen there are exactly 3 joints we have that must ALLOW them to happen; the wrist, the elbow and the shoulder.

Take the wrist, one of the most common no-nos I see is a raising of the wrist at the frog. Raising the wrist immediately takes one component of your bow-arm out of the horizontal plane of movement that is so necessary to an efficient, seamless bow.

So how should the wrist flex. The wrist must flex forward, remaining within the ‘plane of motion’ the bow arm inhabits whilst also maintaining the bow in a position parallel to the bridge.

This idea of staying in the plane of motion extends to the elbow as well. I see a lot of players introducing unnecessary complications to their bow-arm by elevating and lowing the elbow in the course of drawing a full bow.

And then they wonder why the bow ‘chatters’ on the string, or they have difficulty with quick string crossings and such. Well, there’s just too much going on, and all that contrary energy is getting fed right into the bow stick.

And last, there’s the shoulder. Oh yea, the shoulder. How fresh is the memory of my father standing next to me tapping my shoulder to get it to relax during my early years of practice.

Though relaxed, the muscles in the shoulder must nonetheless control critical movements of the upper arm that comes into play at the lower part of the bow and during string crossings.

I’ll talk more about string crossings tomorrow, yet for now it is important to understand that although the shoulder is bearing the weight of the arm and bow, it must nonetheless be relaxed, at it plays a critical role in moving the bow straight and horizontally at the frog.

This is to say that one cannot confuse the vertical movements involved in string crossings with the lateral movements of the upper arm involved in bowing.

This morning I again made a worthwhile investment into my practice by playing Kreutzer #2 at the extreme frog. And you might be interested to know, that for me to accomplish it, at tempo, from top to bottom with a really smooth detache bowing, I ‘belly breathed’ like a stallion in heat. You’ve got to keep the upper body absolutely relaxed to do this, and belly-breathing is a secret every violinist should know facilitates this.

What I’m talking about here is covered in one little instructional DVD that I’ve ‘lifted’ from my ‘Beginnings Circle’ weekly learning program. It’s truly a must-have for every modern violinists library.

All the best, Clayton Haslop