Shine A Bright Light On Your Shifts

This morning I received an email from a fellow by the name of Jordan. He had a question about rapid shifting. Here’s what I had to say to him.

Jordan,
Visualization, maintaining your hand position, being ‘present’, and staying relaxed are key to successful shifting. When we are faced with difficult moves on the violin, we tend to avoid dealing with them on a subconscious level. Milstein used to call it ‘running away’.

So, play the passage slowly but execute the shift fast, as you would do it at tempo.

Now, you have to be vigilant and honest with yourself. When you play the note before the shift, ask yourself a few questions. Can I ‘see’ the next note; can I ‘feel’ and hear it; am I relaxed and breathing?

Now, shift.

Do you avert your eyes, at the moment of your shift; are you absolutely relaxed on the note you have shifted to; is your hand position exactly as it was before the shift; did you arrive where your ‘vision’ told you to arrive; does your ‘image’ need adjustment?

I concluded by recommending that he spend some quality time with nos. 11 and 12 on my Kreutzer course.

All the best,
Clayton Haslop

P.S. Remember, a shift is an arm movement. An extension is a hand movement. Know the difference by seeing some moving pictures worth a 1,000 words.