Getting the Kinks Out

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.