The 3 Pillars of Violin Playing

Many people talk about a ‘God given talent’ when it comes to playing the violin. I think, rather, that a good mind, the ability to tie your shoes, and a few guiding insights may suffice to fool an awful lot of people.

You see, I the process of playing the violin is much like a stool. It must have 3 legs to stand.

The first leg is insight into the mechanics of the body as they pertain to playing the violin. One must have, whether gotten intuitively through ‘God given talent’ or through insightful instruction, a detailed picture of how to move the parts of the body necessary for playing in the most efficient manner possible.

The second leg is an effective method of practice. Your practice is not just for conditioning your body to a set of automatic movements through shear repetition. It is, rather, to inform the mind so it can be ‘pro-active’ in the process of playing. This is where people without ‘God given talent’ can often make up a lot of ground – I consider myself to be in this group.

The third leg is musical understanding. Of the three this is the most difficult to counterfeit. In fact, if you don’t love playing – you wouldn’t be reading this if you didn’t – it’s a hopeless cause. But if you do love playing, and the elements of musicality – timing, phrasing, ect. – are not intuitively ‘known’ to you, there is much that can be supplied through close contact with a master.

There is one last thing. Having the ability to tie your shoes merely affirms that the manual dexterity is in place to begin or continue the process.

The Kreutzer course is the best way I know for someone without access to a really excellent teacher to craft at least two legs of the stool. If you’re ready for leg number three, ‘Bach and Kreisler’ is your ticket to get started.

Following these you must consider joining me at the next masterclass/seminar.

All the best,

Clayton Haslop