Mirror Mirror on the Wall

MIn our living room hangs a fairly good size mirror with a beautiful frame of hand-painted glass. It was made in Argentina. And you can find me standing in front of it quite frequently.

Yea, sometimes it’s to see if I look any better than I did the day before – hope springs eternal. Yet a far greater amount of time is spent there with violin and bow for something a little more purposeful.

It then becomes my mirror of truth, letting me see, with a perspective other than over my nose, what is really going on in my body when I play. Unnecessary or even counterproductive things that may be so habitual I’m not even aware of their presence.

Yesterday a very fine violinist came to play for me – I was still in LA finishing a few recording sessions. His purpose was to familiarize me with his playing; thinking I could facilitate his getting more opportunities in the recording industry.

After playing for me he had the good sense to ask for my comments – a very good practice I might add, especially when work might hang in the balance.

And one of the few things I had to say was accompanied by the suggestion he spend some time in front of a mirror watching for it.

You see, quite a few violinists have an unconscious habit of reinforcing the vertical movements of the bow when playing chords with an up and down movement of the body.

The unfortunate result of this can be an effect somewhat reminiscent of chopping wood, not something one wants in the music of Bach – I exaggerate in this particular case.

So I drew this to his attention and suggested he get in front of a mirror and actually watch for it.

What one needs to get the violin ringing is HORIZONTAL energy, not vertical energy. The explosive, fleet movement of the hand away from the body is what gives triple and quadruple stops life.

Now as regards mirrors, I do have a warning to go along the use of them in practice.

In the end it must be about what you are feeling in your body as you play. When you perform there will not be a mirror in front of you to help deflect the self-consciousness threatening to unseat you.

The attention you place on the mirror must be light. The bulk of one’s awareness is on feelings. The determinations to faithfully adhere to the Good Feelings you have so rigorously cultivated in practice is what will carry the day for you.

All the best, Clayton Haslop