Daring to Dream…

There are two types of dreams. There are the ones that come unbidden in our sleep and there are the ones that we conjure in our minds in waking hours. Obviously I’m here to talk about the latter.

Now, one must be very careful and honest about waking dreams.

What is commonly referred to as ‘day-dreaming’ can be an insidious form of addiction. It creates in the dreamer a false sense of empowerment.

Daydreamers, as a rule, never act on their imaginings. With chronic inaction the disparity between dream and reality grows. The result can be a confidence diminishing, spirit-debilitating spiral toward frustration and, ultimately, a failed life.

Ironically, the daydreamer can reach a point where the friction between reality and fantasy drains away the ability to dream altogether. It’s a place nobody wants to be.

Now for the good news.

The fact that you are here reading this missive should be proof to any of you that your dream power is quite intact. And the dream is to achieve violin mastery.

The question now is how to break the dream down into specific, step by step goals leading inexorably toward dream fulfillment.

Well, for intermediate to advanced players reading this, I have some good news.

You don’t have to reinvent the wheel. Kreutzer has already quite brilliantly broken violin mastery down, from the point you are at now, into 42 progressive ‘goals’ – anything beyond them is icing on the cake, REALLY.

Next step, the mastery of these goals.

And this is where my course comes in. In order to fully master each etude you first need a vision, a very detailed vision, of what it should sound and feel like. You inform that vision by watching me play a given etude and then by listening carefully to me talk about it. You not only want the sound of it in your ear but the feel of it in your hands as well.

Even as you inform your ‘vision’ of an etude you begin taking stock. My counting method is one of the best ways for you to get accurate feedback on where you really stand with a piece of music. Of course you should have your ears wide open as you do this.

To bridge the gap between where you are and where you want to be, you breathe and you image. Again, many violinists are held back by inefficiencies in their playing. Let go of those, and actively use your Mind to lead your fingers, and you are there.

Yes, we might have physical challenges. You can push through them. The keys are passion and commitment. Practice well, my friends.

All the best,

Clayton Haslop

P.S. Still haven’t picked up your copy? Your dream is waiting…