How to Improve Tone

It’s not often that I have dreams related to violin playing. Rather surprising, given the amount of time I spend thinking about it.

Last night was one of the exceptions that ‘proves the rule,’ though.

In it, my first violin teacher, by the name of Sybil Maxwell, was showing me a device for developing a straight bow arm. It was a strange contraption where a shuttle was moved back and forth on a horizontal track laying in front of us.

No, it’s not something I’m going to patent anytime soon.

Yet the dream did get me thinking about the bow arm. And just what needs to be in mind for the bow to move smoothly and efficiently from tip to frog.

The first thing that came to mind is sound. You really must be ‘hearing’ the tone you will produce BEFORE you even raise the instrument to your chin.

This is VERY important, especially as you begin learning the instrument or make changes in old habits.

Now, become aware of your breathing as you hear the note – I’m hearing, and breathing, a whole note ‘G’ as I write this.

OK, next you will raise the violin to playing position while you continue to hear that tone and breathe. As you do, you will also be holding in mind an image of the position you want to arrive at as well.

Remember to stay focused on breathing the whole time. This is your ticket to relaxation.

Now, the really challenging parts of the bow to handle well are the extreme frog and the extreme tip. As you bring your right hand toward the violin – up bow – there comes a point somewhere just after mid-bow where you the wrist begings to flex forward.

Soon after, perhaps 3/4s of the way up the bow, the upper arm must come into play. And this is the point where many folks begin to get into trouble.

The upper arm must move laterally, totally within the ‘plane of motion’ established by playing solely on the G string. So it goes laterally up, and then laterally back at the beginning of the next stroke.

And in order for the bow to remain straight your wrist will FLEX laterally in the same plan of motion.

If this is getting too complicated, my apologies, you’d do well to head back to month 1 of Violin Mastery Beginners Circle or Dynamic Breath Control for the pictures ‘worth a thousand words.’

Yet if you are with me, let’s forge ahead.

The next point of challenge comes in continuing the down bow. Remember that you are in one ‘plane of motion.’ And remember to breathe.

In others words, you want to relax, and think of pushing the bow horizontally away from the body – the hand, forearm and upper arm remaining in a 2 dimensional zone.

Well, this is getting long, now. I will say one last thing, however.

There IS a point, in down bows particularly, where the bow wants to ‘chatter’ on the string. I won’t go into WHY it happens because then we start in on physics, and who needs that right now.

What you need to now, however, is that you’re best shot at keeping this ‘chatter’ well below an audible level is by ‘thinking horizontal’, as I like to put it, and staying relaxed.

All the best,

Clayton Haslop

And Where THAT Leaves Relaxation

This morning I further amplified something I’ve been doing in my practice for many years. And if you are working with one of my courses – and PRACTICING – I’m happy to say that you are doing it too.

And you might not even realize what it is.

But whatever it is, and I’ll get to it eventually, it doesn’t answer the question posed in your inbox today. Specifically, where does ‘timing is everything’ leave relaxation?

It doesn’t leave it. In fact, without relaxation there can be no timing. Not really.

You see, trying to time, or coordinate, the many precision movements the body makes to play without relaxation is about as hit or miss as duck hunting with a blindfold on.

So getting relaxed is something that by all rights should ‘go with the territory’ when it comes to violin playing.

When it comes to ANYTHING you are becoming effective at, in fact.

And what, may I ask, is the greatest single tool God gave us for staying relaxed. Why, the ability to breathe.

When I type and breathe, like right now, it sure feels good.

The only thing is, we – yea, you AND me – often forget what’s good for us. We forget how potent and important this gift of breath truly is.

Some folks are so forgetting, in fact, they won’t Consciously draw air into their lungs for weeks on end. They’re too busy loading up their shoulders with the weight of the world.

Well, if this is you, too, all you’ve got to do right now is chuckle, and then draw a nice, deep sweet breath of air all the way down to your toes. I bet you’re feeling an order of magnitude better.

All the best,

Clayton Haslop

P.S. Now, don’t let the following take your breath away. The Saleabration I’m having on my website right now WILL END in 36 hours. It’s way more than the time required to make a decision, and ACT.

Velocity 201

Maybe you’re wondering, ‘what happened to Velocity 101,’ or, ‘I’ve got Velocity 201, I just can’t get myself quite up to Velocity 301, or X-01.’

The fact is, though, at times music calls for us to rise up off our backsides and haul arse, to put it poetically.

And 99% of violinists asked if they’d like to play with greater velocity and precision in fast tempos would answer ‘yes, most definitely’.

So here we go.

Preparation is everything.

And often we’re wasting much of that time trying to play fast too soon.

Sometimes it’s boils down to basic things, like taking the time to REALLY know the notes, where they fall relative to the beat – are you counting? – and whether we’ve considered all the fingering choices available.

There may be an issue with our left hand, the fingers not being out over the strings.

Or maybe we’re articulating too hard generally, or hitting harder with one digit than another.

Or our shifting isn’t dynamic and efficient – perhaps the left wrist is flexing during shifts, introducing inefficiency in the movement.

Or our bow stroking and string changing aren’t concise and knit to the movements of the left hand fingers.

Or we haven’t connected to the patterns and harmonic movements in the music that promote ‘flow.’

Yes, there are a lot of better ways to increase facility in fast passages other than by ‘running over them’ again and again.

And fortunately this kind of error is quickly shown the light of day when you begin practicing with my instructional DVDs.

All the best,

Clayton Haslop

P.S. In case you’ve just tuned in. Right Now there is a double-birthday Saleabration on at Violin Mastery; mine a few days ago, my daughter’s just ahead. I won’t say exactly which day hers is, but when it has passed this golden opportunity passes with it.

This Sale Is Just Sooo Grand

Yes, I’m happy to report that the Saleabration is continuing; and thrilled to see so many taking excellent advantage of it - the post office in Sedona will be able to keep its doors open for at least one more week.

This morning I was reflecting on some the highlights from the past weekend’s master class. There were quite a lot, so it’s taken me the better part of the morning.

There was one, however, that really sticks out in my mind.

We were talking about that peculiar phenomenon where you can do something only if you Don’t think about it. Like vibrato for some.

The thing is, though, you DO want the pleasure of thinking about it, indeed upon everything you do on the violin. Doing an activity only whilst you think of something else is a pretty empty experience, I’d say.

The question is, how do you coax your attention on to something without freezing up solid.

Very interesting, really. One thing’s for sure, it isn’t going to happen unless one knows how to relax.

This is one reason I suggest that folks have water, a cup of tea, even a glass of wine handy while practicing – anything that spells relaxation in your mind when you put your attention to it.

As a matter of fact, I say it’d be a good idea to retrieve a glass of your favorite beverage to enjoy Right Now as you click over to the special Sale page I’ve got up on my website.

You won’t be able to grab so much for so little for a good while.

All the best,
Clayton Haslop

So What’s in a Bow Hold

Pretty funny scene here. I’m seated in the library of a high school writing, and in walks my daughter, along with 20 or so compatriots, to rehearse their role in a Missoula Childrens Theatre production of ‘Princess and the Pea.’

They are ‘dust bunnies.’ Decibel level just went up about 12 fold.

Ok, concentrate.

Now, a good bow hold can be rather elusive, in spite of all the schools of thought that have developed over the years. In fact, what makes it elusive for many players has little to do with the shape or form of it.

Understanding how to use balance, friction, and tactility to control the bow is the real secret of the bow.

It’s a continual game – how to do more with less.

You see, challenging movements of the bow, if met with a clench, will spread tension right up the arm, into the shoulder, across the upper body, and even down the opposite side into the fingers of the left hand.

And the tone that comes out won’t be too good either.

Thus grasping the bow as if in a caress, with all the sensitivity this implies, is exceedingly important. And to do so one must never lose the ability to relax; I ‘breathe’ my bow hold in the same way I ‘breathe’ music.

There is no separation.

So when you find your right hand in a clench set the fiddle aside for a bit and get in touch with how you’re breathing – some very valuable help with this, and the specifics of a good bow hold position, may be found here. http://www.violinmastery.com/order_breathcontrol.htm

Once you get yourself breathing from your diaphragm allow the relaxation to flow up your torso and down your arms, right to the tips of your fingers.

When you pick up the bow again I think you’ll find things have changed for the better.

Just keep breathing as you set bow to string.

Now, you may be surprised to learn that, though my hand is as soft as fleece on the bow, my fingers are quite still; you will rarely even see my fingers flexing at bow changes. What you WILL see is a flexible wrist, elbow and shoulder joint.

These are the real heroes of a fluid bow arm.

Now, before I leave you I want to remind you to keep an eye on your inbox. Summer’s about to arrive in a big way.

All the best,

Clayton Haslop

P.S. Wow, I never knew that ‘dust-bunnies,’ those little balls of fluff you find under beds, could sing and dance. Pretty cool.

A Great Way to Enjoy Time

Well, here I am. And I’m happy to report the master class went extraordinarily well over the weekend. Matter of fact I’d say it was, as promised, the best so far.

‘So what were the differences that made it so,’ you may be thinking.

Each time I conduct one of these I become clearer on how to best structure the class, how much to allow folks to play versus how much I demonstrate and explain.

This class went seamlessly and fluidly, covering virtually are aspects of violin playing in a way that could benefit many levels of playing.

That’s no small feat, me thinks.

In fact I was so inspired by what took place I’m thinking to celebrate the arrival of Fall with another one. So do stay tuned.

Now, one of the marvelous accomplishments of the class was bringing home what it means to ‘play in time.’ In order to fully enjoy playing the violin one must, after all, understand something of playing in time.

And as you yourself may feel, quite a number of players find this challenging to do, when the music starts filling up with black – you know what I’m talking about, the fear of getting behind or losing time when you’re confronted with difficult passages.

Most folks actually rush forward and get ahead of ‘the time’ when confronted with a lot notes. Fact is, there is more time than you think.

And that’s just for starters.

The trick to overcoming the tendency to lose track of time is the trick of learning how to breathe.

It’s the trick of truly learning how to take possession of the beat.

It’s the pleasure that comes from understanding and taking the time to enjoy the rich combination of pure, efficient movements that comprise violin playing.

Funny thing about the whole thing is, the more one enters into all the above, the more enjoyment and gratification gets extracted from each passing moment.

Well, that’s about all I have to say today. But before I go let me just leave you with this little tidbit. In a couple of days it will be celebration time for a couple of other reasons than the completion of a master class.

And I’m going to bring you into the celebration in a very SPECIAL way. Maybe you know what I’m getting at. In any case, don’t go far from your computer this week. You don’t want to miss what I’ve got heading your way.

All the best,

Clayton Haslop


P.S. This is a very unusual newsletter for me. I’m not even giving you a link to one of my unique courses and programs. ANOTHER reason you want to pay attention to your inbox.

Radical Acceptance

In just two days, now I’ll be sequestered with a small group of violin doers looking deeply at the process of playing the violin. I wish you were going to be here.

There is, however, one concept that will be central to the weekend that I can share with you right here and now.

It’s the title of this newsletter.

The concept of personal acceptance is certainly not new; one can find it in any number of self-help books. What may be new, as it was for me, however, is to hear it paired with the adjective ‘radical.’

Yet to make real, substantive progress on the violin I think it very true that a radical acceptance of what is, in this moment, is essential.

To RADICALLY accept a way of playing something is to know it and take possession of it at a very deep level. The ‘wishful thinking’ type of violin playing gets checked at the door.

Radical acceptance implies owning up to and indeed taking possession of that which is, in an inspired and creative way.

Surprisingly, many violinists, those raised in a censorial environment particularly, have difficulty doing this.

The self-criticism born of this reaches such heights, in fact, that often fear and denial preclude any real creativity and enjoyment from the process; meaningful growth, as you can well imagine, quickly grinds to a halt.

Well, happily, this will not be the case for those spending the weekend with me. The violin, like life, is a game to be played for fun and enjoyment. And knowing ‘what is’ is just the first play in the game.

All the best,

Clayton Haslop

P.S. One of the secrets of practice is knowing how to find out what you really know versus what you fool yourself into thinking you know. For an intermediate player this secret is revealed in Kreutzer for Violin Mastery, my best-selling course to date.