Magnify Your Intentions, Part II
Just looked up the definition of ‘intention’. He’s what it says about it in my Webster’s – ‘a determination to act in a certain way.’
Now let me tell you what I did in my practice session this morning.
I processed, and I trotted.
Sounds odd, doesn’t it; but here’s what I really accomplished. I enlisted the aid of my lower body to bring greater intention to the task of playing the violin. I felt incredibly strong and vitalized after doing this. And the music making went Deep, let me tell you.
There was, actually, an additional reason I chose to move during my practice today.
Tonight I will play the Adagio and Presto movements of the Bach G Minor Sonata for attendees at a seminar being conducted here in Asheville by a friend. Most of them won’t be what you might call ‘classical music affectionatos.’
But all of them will have some familiarity with breathing, movement, and using their imagination.
This is what I have in store for them.
In the Adagio movement I will have them visualize a large pendulum swinging back and forth at the rate of the quarter tempo – it’s Very broad. Simultaneously they will be encouraged to ‘belly-breathe.’
In the Presto movement I will suggest they visualize themselves riding in a horse-drawn buggy. The horse will be moving at a quick trot – e.g. the eighth note tempo of the movement.
They will be invited to allow these to inform their experience of the music.
As they do those two things I will be processing, and trotting, around the room playing the movements.
In essence, the experience will be a meditation – listening consciously to great music always is, actually.
I don’t know about you, but I think Bach would approve. He certainly wrote plenty of processionals in his time. And I bet the various gaits horses move in were an integral part of his life experience.
In any case, try bringing a little lower body movement into your practice. See if it doesn’t magnify your intentions.
All the best,
Clayton Haslop
P.S. Well, volumes 3 and 4 of ”Kreutzer for Violin Mastery” are spreading out all over the globe, even as I write this. If you did not order yours during pre-publication I can still assure you it is a tremendous bargain; even if I’d doubled what I ask for it – don’t worry, I didn’t. And the fee fo
