The Biggest Shifting Error

Do you remember the song from the old children’s film, ‘Mary Poppins’, ‘I Love to Laugh’? Well, today my practice was about ‘loving to shift.’

And I brought all the gusto to it that shifting deserves; which is to say, a lot.

So pay head, I only want to go through this once.

Most of us have one of 2 challenges; we either feel we are inadequate to the task – and thus are afraid, or we are lazy – our frustration transformed to apathy.

Both involve fear, when you look closely. And fear leads to the biggest shifting error folks trying to learn the violin make; Anticipation.

You really see this when you ask someone to slow down a shift he or she feels insecure about. The mind just doesn’t want to Deal with it.

So, whoop, the brain switches to autopilot and the hand bolts up or down the string, with nothing more than a prayer to land in the right place.

I’m know I don’t feel good playing that way – or praying, either – and I’m sure you don’t care much for it.

The fix is to reach in with your mind and take control of the situation, no matter how uncomfortable it might feel, at first.

When I say, ‘don’t move until you’ve got a mental picture of where you’re going,’ I mean don’t move a muscle.

You must be firm with yourself – No good picture, no good shift; want good shift.

Start by getting a clear image of the new note. So clear you can lift the violin and take the note out of the air with security. This may take some study. Good, pleasing study, actually, because it must involve recalling positions and sounds that are ‘just so’; until they are ‘second nature’ to you.

Next you’ve got to get interested in the real estate lying between the two notes. Remember, you’re dealing with a continuum. At every point along the way the sensation(s) must be graduated such that you remain ‘on balance’ from one end to the other.

So go ahead, make your day by taking pleasure in the whole journey.

And test yourself, play expressive shifts quickly. Play quick shifts slowly and expressively. Notice that, either way, the arm/hand/fingers must move succinctly and ‘knowingly’ from one note to the next.

Now, there are things to say and demonstrate about playing positions and such that can be helpful. These I cover in every course I’ve put out.

No, not in the same way. I’m constantly coming up with new angles and ways of experiencing movement. Plus, I expect an advanced player to have a different level of connectedness than I would a beginning player.

But the underlying fundamentals remains unchanged.

All the best,

Clayton Haslop

P.S. Can’t believe I’m saying this. But I still have the Holiday Sale up on the website. You know what That means.