Why Violin Mastery Doesn’t Work
Believe it or not, there are people who will get nothing from my courses. I hope you’re not to be one of them.
But just for the sake of argument, let me make a case for such a person. Oh yea, I’ll give him a name; how ‘bout Liaf.
Liaf, ‘I believe the breathing exercise is a little weird, and a waste of time. After all, playing the violin is about moving fingers, hands, and arms. Changing my way of breathing and staying aware of it doesn’t seem like it’s going to help me at all’.
Liaf, ‘I’ve done a lot of slow practice over the years. It gets me nowhere.’
Liaf, ‘the counting thing; I tried it for a while, but I keep misspeaking and getting confused. I can’t see as how it will ever help me improve.’
Liaf, ‘and trying to visualize; I should be able to just play. It’s too much work for me to create mental images as I play. When I see great players they make it look so easy. It doesn’t seem possible they are going to such trouble.’
OK, you get the picture. The problem with Liaf – have you read his name backward? – is, he wants some easy answers. Ones that won’t require him to question his fundamental relationship to the violin; toward the process of learning in general.
This takes a great deal of maturity.
The folks that are getting results from my methods, and I trust that you’re one of them, are passionate, committed, and are not resistant to going about things quite differently.
In fact, they’re embracing the challenge of it because they sense long term benefits.
They aren’t hell-bent on playing this or that concerto, they’re interested in deeper, more meaningful relationship with their violin. One that transcends What they’re playing; one that is all about How they are playing.
For the past several days my mother has shared her room with a woman dealing with the unfortunate effects of diabetes. She may be down, but she is most definitely not out.
Until November 7, as Barbara tells it, she had not missed more than a hand full of days in 25 years as a special education teacher.
She is one lively, passionate, and fiercely independent lady.
In early November, however, the diabetes she had kept under control for some 50+ years struck with a vengeance, requiring emergency vascular surgery to save one of her legs.
Now one of the deep incisions just won’t close. She’s currently on a constant drip of powerful intravenous antibiotics.
In any case, a couple of days ago I was practicing in a staff room just across the hall from their room; my door was open, theirs was closed while my mother napped.
Since I was playing with a practice mute I figured I was pretty much inaudible, unless someone entered the room in which I was playing.
Suddenly I looked up to find Barbara sitting near the door.
‘I could hear almost every note you were playing, even with the door closed’, she said, ‘and I just had to come over and watch you.’
Bear in mind, Barbara is not knowledgeable about ‘classical music’. But there she was, drip and all, totally enthralled by the music of Bach.
After sharing her observations I realized just how sensitive and conscious a woman she is.
I was inspired to continue.
What came to me was the ‘Adagio’ of the G Minor Sonata. As I played I counted, in a very broad four. Within that beat I felt the music undulate, ebb, and flow like the long ocean swells following a passing storm.
I have rarely felt myself play the movement with as much understanding and feeling as I did in that moment.
Barbara’s grace and acute interest, made all the more potent by her inescapable vulnerability, literally drew it out of me.
Both yesterday’s and today’s emails point to the importance of sharing your music with interested, sympathetic people. It’s certainly not about showing off. It is simply about the mutual expression of love.
And if you ever find yourself short of an audience, you’ve only to visit the nearest nursing care facility and offer your services. They’ll be begging you to play.
All the best,
Clayton Haslop
P. S. As of this writing we have only 8 copies left of Kreutzer Volumes 3 and 4 at the special prepublication rate. I know you will derive years of use and pleasure from this course. And there won’t be a better time than right now to insure it becoming a valued part of your musical library.
