Keeping the ‘Beginner’s Mind’
I don’t know about you, but sometimes, usually during a sustained period of practice on one work or limited body of repertoire, my practice may become rather stale and predictable. I notice that progress on whatever I’m working on is stalled.
When this happens you can do one of two things. And both have their place.
You can put the violin on the shelf for a few days and take a little time to rejuvenate, or you can do some serious ‘spring cleaning of the mind’.
A spring-cleaning of the mind involves throwing out everything you think you know and making a conscious decision to start afresh with whatever it is you are studying. In Zen it is called regaining your ‘beginner’s mind.’
When Thoreau, or was it Emerson, said to ‘question authority’, I think this is what he was referring to.
It can take some courage to do this. We may have accumulated a lot of vested interest in the ideas and beliefs we hold about how to play this or that. Or what I can or cannot do.
What I have found, however, is that whenever I have made this decision, and made it decisively, I get a big return.
Now, I don’t mean for anybody to go changing horses midstream, one after another, so to speak. It takes some self-knowledge to know the difference between the need for greater discipline and the need for a fresh approach.
Acquiring this kind of knowledge is one of the great benefits of attending one of the masterclass/seminars.
Though less than a month remains before the start of the novice/intermediate seminar – somewhat more for the Intermediate/advanced seminar – there is still space available for you, should you want to gain more insight into the process of playing.
But let me leave you with this gem from Bill, one of our subscribers – he will be present in Asheville next month. He writes;
‘Finally, I am so happy that you introduced me to Nathan Milstein! Since you are teaching many of his philosophies and techniques, I have taken it upon myself to learn as much as I can about this extraordinary man. I obtained a CD called “Nathan Milstein in Portrait (Some memories of a quiet magician). It contains an extended interview, by Pinchas Zukerman, of Milstein, as well as the last concert he performed. Viewing this interview of this amazing player, one cannot help but begin to develop an affection for him, his music, as well as his philosophy of playing. He says that in order to play you must know how to invent better ways of doing things. He gives the viewer a glimpse into something that goes beyond technique that allows the performer to produce a musical effect that is derived from the spirit, for lack of a better way to explain it.’
That is great stuff. Particularly where he talks about ‘inventing new ways of doing things.’ Absolutely the result of having the ‘beginner’s mind.’
All the best,
Clayton Haslop
P.S. If you’re ready to adopt the beginner’s mind and bring it to the practice of Paganini, there isn’t a better time to reserve a copy of my latest, and most comprehensive course ”Paganini for Violin Virtuosity”.
