Why Deliberate Action Rules

Late in his career the legendary American pianist Mieczylaw Horszowki – isn’t that a mouthful – was asked if there was anything in particular he did or thought before going on stage.

He said, ‘I step out with my right foot.’

I’ve never forgotten that statement. To me it speaks volumes about the mindset one wants when setting out to do anything extraordinary.

It’s the mindset of Deliberate Action.

Now, there are performances I’ve attended where the performers had a different mindset. Something more along the lines of ‘cavalier’, I might say.

Rarely have I heard anything I wanted to hear again, from such players.

Nope, the greatest ones I’ve seen are those that ‘take the stage,’ from the first step. And they don’t surrender it until the last bow.

THAT is when I feel I’ve gotten more than my money’s worth at a concert.

Now, this mindset doesn’t just happen. Deliberate action is something to be practiced from the moment one has the intention to practice.

How you walk to the case, open the same, tune, and draw the bows are setting you up for the entire session. And, believe it or not, for every performance you play from then on.

The more practiced in deliberate action one becomes the more effective, and affecting, one’s performances will become.

So, if you have the false belief that X amount of practice, or X amount of repetitions, or X amount of music played through are the prerequisites for success, think again. It’s the quality and richness of the ‘deliberate actions’ you take that will determine your artistic and technical growth.

And, in the face of ‘performance anxiety’, it is deliberate action that will make the difference between less than your best and more than you ever thought possible.

Today I took some ‘deliberate action’ on several Paganini Caprices. Eight of them, #1, 2, 9, 13, 14, 16, 23, and 24 are taught in volume 1 of my Paganini for Violin Virtuosity course. And every bit of what I say in the four instructional DVDs is geared to get you in the mindset that produces real results, both in the practice room and on the concert stage.

All the best, Clayton Haslop

P.S. I’m aware that there are other instructional DVD programs now available for violin study. Most, if not all, even cost less than mine. And some have worthwhile things to say. However, I don’t know of any that bring the professional experience and training I’ve had to bear on the subject of violin playing. And that is the difference I care about.