How to Draw a Living Tone

Just as the way we take someone’s hand in welcome reveals what feelings we hold for that person, the way we take up our bow to produce a sound determines what result we will achieve on the violin.

The other day I entered a recording studio in Los Angeles after an absence of several months. Needless to say I was seeing many colleagues I hadn’t seen for some time.

I did quite a bit of hand shaking.

Suddenly I realized something Very profound. I was sending a powerful communication through my handshake. Sometimes it was warm and embracing, and sometimes it was forced and quite artificially vigorous.

Once I realized this I took a nice deep belly breath. Then I asked one fellow, whose hand I had only moments before released, if I might take it again.

Yes, he was taken aback for a moment. But when I smiled at him and stated that I had something more to supply his hand, he smiled back and entered into the spirit of a new exchange.

During the moments it took to breath, I had given him my full attention and considered what my highest aspirations for him were. When I took his hand in mine for the second time, there was a difference.

Now, think of taking up your bow.

You want to have in mind your highest aspirations for your sound when you do. Anger, tension, insecurity, fear, judgment, all can be released in one good breath and replaced with whatever it is you desire in that moment; strength, flexibility, curiosity, caring, the list goes on.

The quality and quantity of energy you transmit through your hand and into the bow is the quality of energy that gets transmitted from the violin to the listener’s ear. It’s as simple as that.

All the best,

Clayton Haslop

P.S. The Masterclass/Seminars are really taking shape now. Come get on board express train to virtuosity!