The Paganini Short Cut to Mastery

Well, it has been a while since my last note to you. And by way of explanation I’ll say that I was pretty full up in LA last week doing recording sessions for John Williams – ‘Tin-Tin’ – and Aaron Zigman – ‘Sex and the City 2’.

One almost has to put John Williams in a class by himself, I must say. Not only are his scores always top-drawer, the man is just extremely skilled in all areas of the process; he conducts for himself, is very specific in his orchestrations, and writes extraordinarily well in many different styles of music.

Now, Paganini was no slouch either, as a composer. And perhaps his best writing may be found in his 24 Caprices, works he never even played in public to my knowledge.

And perhaps there was good reason for this.

You see, taken together these wonderful works are at once clues to his way of thinking about violin playing and tools for getting one conditioned to it. And during his lifetime he had a certain selfish interest in keeping these things to himself.

In any case, when I was young – I’m talking before my Milstein days – I really missed the ‘clues to his way of thinking’ part. In truth I just slammed through them believing the object was primarily velocity.

Naturally my results were mediocre during this phase. Most of the comments my performances generated were along the lines of. ‘boy, those sounds hard.’

But that is certainly NOT the response Paganini, or any great Paganini player, really wants to hear.

No, the real magic only begins to reveal itself when ones playing is informed by musical and technical understanding; something that came to me during and after working closely with Nathan Milstein for 3 years.

Naturally I have tried to communicate as much of this understanding as possible in my Paganini for Violin Virtuosity course, which I think every advanced violinist should have in his or her library.

But beyond that, however, the Caprices are valuable for another reason.

Paganini wrote that he believed one day the violin would be taught in a much more efficient way. Yet he never set down his thoughts of what this system would be like.

What I have sought to do, however, is to extrapolate backwards from his Caprices to the very beginning of the violin learning process. And by doing so to construct as direct a trail as possible from start to finish.

You see, many players will begin learning the violin with one set of ideas, and then have to make changes along the way to surmount the challenges these habits will not accommodate.

Needless to say, getting it right at the get-go saves a bundle of time over the several years the process requires.

And there’s the power of the visualization.

Today we all recognize the power contained in our imaginations where it comes to accelerating the learning of new skills. Actively visualizing what you are doing as you are doing it is an extremely effective tool, and it’s one I teach even as you put the bow to string for the first time in my Beginners Circle program.

So though I do not know for sure what Paganini would have put into his ‘Allegro Players’ program, or his “Kreutzer for Violin Mastery’ course, I do feel very confident you’d see a lot of familiar thoughts and ideas to what are in mine.

And with that I leave you to getting back to what you love best; enjoying the process of Violin Mastery.

All the best,

Clayton HaslopClayton Haslop

P.S. Oh yes, in case you are an intermediate player and do not have my Allegro Players program, here is where you can take a look at it.

The Paganini Short Cut to Mastery

Well, it has been a while since my last note to you. And by way of explanation I’ll say that I was pretty full up in LA last week doing recording sessions for John Williams – ‘Tin-Tin’ – and Aaron Zigman – ‘Sex and the City 2’.

One almost has to put John Williams in a class by himself, I must say. Not only are his scores always top-drawer, the man is just extremely skilled in all areas of the process; he conducts for himself, is very specific in his orchestrations, and writes extraordinarily well in many different styles of music.

Now, Paganini was no slouch either, as a composer. And perhaps his best writing may be found in his 24 Caprices, works he never even played in public to my knowledge.

And perhaps there was good reason for this.

You see, taken together these wonderful works are at once clues to his way of thinking about violin playing and tools for getting one conditioned to it. And during his lifetime he had a certain selfish interest in keeping these things to himself.

In any case, when I was young – I’m talking before my Milstein days – I really missed the ‘clues to his way of thinking’ part. In truth I just slammed through them believing the object was primarily velocity.

Naturally my results were mediocre during this phase. Most of the comments my performances generated were along the lines of. ‘boy, those sounds hard.’

But that is certainly NOT the response Paganini, or any great Paganini player, really wants to hear.

No, the real magic only begins to reveal itself when ones playing is informed by musical and technical understanding; something that came to me during and after working closely with Nathan Milstein for 3 years.

Naturally I have tried to communicate as much of this understanding as possible in my Paganini for Violin Virtuosity course, which I think every advanced violinist should have in his or her library.

But beyond that, however, the Caprices are valuable for another reason.

Paganini wrote that he believed one day the violin would be taught in a much more efficient way. Yet he never set down his thoughts of what this system would be like.

What I have sought to do, however, is to extrapolate backwards from his Caprices to the very beginning of the violin learning process. And by doing so to construct as direct a trail as possible from start to finish.

You see, many players will begin learning the violin with one set of ideas, and then have to make changes along the way to surmount the challenges these habits will not accommodate.

Needless to say, getting it right at the get-go saves a bundle of time over the several years the process requires.

And there’s the power of the visualization.

Today we all recognize the power contained in our imaginations where it comes to accelerating the learning of new skills. Actively visualizing what you are doing as you are doing it is an extremely effective tool, and it’s one I teach even as you put the bow to string for the first time in my Beginners Circle program.

So though I do not know for sure what Paganini would have put into his ‘Allegro Players’ program, or his “Kreutzer for Violin Mastery’ course, I do feel very confident you’d see a lot of familiar thoughts and ideas to what are in mine.

And with that I leave you to getting back to what you love best; enjoying the process of Violin Mastery.

All the best,

Clayton HaslopClayton Haslop

P.S. Oh yes, in case you are an intermediate player and do not have my Allegro Players program, here is where you can take a look at it.

Setting a Shoulder Free

Much is said regarding the relaxation of the right shoulder in teaching studios. Yet the quality of relaxation and freedom in the left shoulder often goes neglected.

If you watch any of the truly great violinists play virtuosic music; that is, music that requires quick leaps from lower to upper to lower positions, you will notice how free and unencumbered the upper arm must be.

And in case you’re thinking, ‘but I’m just an amateur, and I don’t plan to make such death-defying maneuvers on the fingerboard’, consider this. It is simply much more enjoyable to play in ANY position when the instrument simply floats on your shoulder and the neck and chin are left free.

You know, I did a considerable amount of experimenting this past weekend to satisfy myself thoroughly on the subject. I played with the violin held firmly by chin and shoulder and with it supported largely by my left hand.

Well, there is just no way in the world I’m going back to play in the former way; held between chin and shoulder. The violin just doesn’t feel like the light extension of my body it should be when it’s all penned up.

My left arm must be free, from fingers to shoulder. And my head free to move as the spirit takes it.

You see, the point is not really about shoulder rest or no shoulder rest, although if one is used it should be as flat as possible and NOT conforming to the shape of the shoulder. Why? Because conforming shoulder rests are the Worst for immobilizing the shoulder and upper arm.

If you like having the space taken up with something, fine. Just do it with a benign shape that is flat. Remember, it’s just like the running shoe theory of the past few decades I talked about, that more cushioning and more ‘support’ translates into better comfort, performance, and fewer injuries.

Turned out to be wrong on all three counts.

Now, during these few days I have also been spending a good deal of time with my ‘glissando technique’. To give it it’s full due here would take pages, and you still wouldn’t see it demonstrated, which is worth another few thousand words.

If you really want to understand how I use this technique to get around the instrument effortlessly, you’ll either want to subscribe to my Allegro Players program, or come spend an enjoyable weekend with me at my June Masterclass/Seminar.

Actually, doing BOTH would make for an excellent duet.

In any case, for today I simply encourage you to breathe, allow BOTH those shoulders to relax completely, and see where your passion takes you from there.

All the best,

Clayton Haslop

P.S. I really have just 3 or 4 seats left for the Masterclass/Seminar; I’m thrilled by the level of participation.

The Vibrato Twitch, part 2

Don’t know if you tuned in to the Oscars last night. It was great to see the very talented Michael Giacchino take home the award for best musical score. There is FEELING dripping from every note of the score to the movie ‘UP’.

This morning finds me still thinking about vibrato, however. You see after my last newsletter I received one response that seemed to question the sense of starting the motion from below the pitch.

And the writer is right in noting that this does not conform to traditional thinking about vibrato. I, myself was taught to start at the pitch and oscillate down and back up, in fact. And it worked for me.

Yet it is clearly not working for a number of folks out there who have tried this for a considerable amount of time and still can’t make the ‘jump’ from slow, measured motions to quick, automatic ones.

So I did more experimenting over the weekend. And I noticed two additional things. First, when I ‘twitch’ my hand toward my body it more readily reassumes a relaxed state on the rebound than the reverse; something that is very important.

And secondly, if you think of the vibrato as a series of automatic ‘twitches’ of the wrist, you will hear the strongest sound indication at the apex of the twitch. If the twitch energy is sent downward, then, the result is a note that sounds flat and best.

Combine that with a reluctance of the hand to relax on the rebound and the effect is even worse.

Now, having said that, bear in mind that the twitch upward is quite rapid and coincides right with the first beat of time. In other words, the apex of the first twitch and the beat are simultaneous to the ear.

Once you can do one ‘twitch’ quite cleanly, as I outlined in my last email, you indeed have the beginnings of a fine vibrato – if you missed my last newsletter you may see it at http://www.violinmastery.com/violinsecrets/index.html.

So yesterday I experimented further with this twitch approach. At first I measured and ‘counted’ each one, pretty much as I outlined in the last newsletter.

Then I counted on every OTHER twitch, every third twitch, every fourth, and so forth.

Doing this had the result of giving little pulses to the twitches. And the ‘weak’ twitches – or rebounds – became the ‘automatic’ motions that I think are so elusive to some players.

So you see, it’s never a bad thing to pulse your twitches!

Yet seriously, even if you have a decent vibrato, this sort of practice and control is useful. It ensures that the hand remains relaxed as you vibrate, and that the vibrato is even and purposeful when it is used.

Now all this being said it is important that the twitches I’ve been talking about have a certain form. And that form is what I demonstrate quite clearly in month 7 of my Beginners Circle program.

Of course the program provides a whole lot more instruction than what you need to master a beautiful vibrato. In fact it’s truly a one-of-a-kind resource for the novice violinist who wants to PLAY the instrument and not just dilly-dally around with it.

All the best,

Clayton Haslop

The Vibrato Twitch

The past few days I’ve been doing the spring cleanup around our property. And let me tell you, there isn’t a plant in Arizona that doesn’t have at least two ways to scratch, poke, bite, or otherwise draw blood from you if you try to alter their personal destiny in the slightest way.

Fortunately, none of the insults to my physical being have proved life threatening, so far.

Now, during my off time I’ve been taking another look at vibrato.

It seems that some folks have difficulty going from the slow, deliberate motion to the quick, automatic oscillation that characterizes a true vibrato.

Today I believe I have an approach that will solve the matter, once and for all.

Here’s what you do.

Place your hand in first position and take a pitch with one finger, you choose.

Actually I want you to begin with that finger ‘rolled back’ slightly, on the pad of the finger, with very light pressure on the string. And since the finger is ‘rolled back’ the pitch should actually be about a quarter of a tone flat from what it normally is.

Ok, now, with your hand and arm relaxed, I want you to send a quick impulse to your wrist such that it gives a light, fast twitch toward your nose.

When you make this twitch you will notice a couple things; the finger you’re playing will be pushed into the string slightly and released, the pitch will rise to ‘in tune’ and fall back down, and your wrist will return to the relaxed state it was in just before the twitch.

This little ‘event’ should be like the blink of an eye.

Now, once you have done this a few times without trying to measure it in any way, see if you can repeat it once a second.

After this is managed, on each finger, move to twice a second.

Up to this point each twitch, or pulsation, is controlled consciously.

Now you are going to twitch four times within a second. And at this point the first impulse will be given consciously, yet the second will be almost a reverberation. And as such, it will be automatic.

The final step, and one you may already have taken, is to string several beats together. And there you have it, vibrato.

Now, one of the mistakes people make in trying to master vibrato is to force it. Uh-uh.

Start flat, toward the pad of the finger, relax everything, and pulse. Each pulse should be clean, quick, and return the finger to the starting point; that is, BELOW the pitch of the note. And everything is relaxed.

You see, the pitch level that is audible to the ear is the one where the finger is at its apex. Why this is so is simply that that is where the finger is most pointedly in the string. If you start from the pitch and go up from there, as some folks do, you will have a tendency to sound sharp to everyone else.

Good luck, and…

All the best,

Clayton Haslop

P.S. If there are any questions remaining after this explanation, I hope I will see you at the Art of the Violin seminar/masterclass in June, where I’m going to illuminate every violin technique in the book. Please come join in the fun!

Imagine, Experience, Think

This morning, as we do every morning, ‘Star’ the dog and I went for out for a little walk/run about. In the course of it we did 4 hill sprints; about 600’ of vertical climb.

It was enough to trigger an endorphin rush in me. Star just wanted to eat.

So then I pick up my violin. Now, you might think you can imagine what I experienced when I lifted it to my shoulder.

I don’t think so.

My fingers felt so stiff and slow I thought I thought of calling 911.

Fortunately, things got better. And fast. Over the course of an hour-twenty I went from playing ultra-slow scales, with measured wide vibrato in triplets, to whizzing around Sarasate’s ‘Zapateado’ like a liquored up Marti-Gras celebrant.

And this is how I did it.

I imagined.

I experienced.

And I thought.

And then I did it again. And sometimes, again.

You know, it’s a good policy to give yourself a maximum of 3 tries to execute what you have in mind before making a conscious decision to change the picture.

That really ties in to the ‘thought’ side of the process.

Now with a completely new skill the ‘imagine’ part will be pretty sketchy; unless, that is, you’ve really done your homework and reviewed my DVD instructions on the matter.

Yet nonetheless, once you have an working image of your goal you must ‘put one down’. You must ‘experience’ it. And what I mean by this is to execute the skill based on your image of it, while really paying attention to the actual physical feelings generated by the doing.

Stage three is merely to reflect on the difference, should there be one. If there is you go back, refine the image, and experience again.

As I say, sometimes the brain doesn’t grab anything ‘new’ from an experience, even though the result is clearly not up to snuff.

In such cases I give myself one additional try. If, after 3 tries I’m not making progress, either I change the context of the image – i.e. go slower – or I move on to something else, temporarily.

Now I recognize that this is very likely ‘old hat’ to you. Yet when a skill we are seeking feels ‘out of our depth’, it is tempting to abandon imagination and thought altogether. And ‘practice’ quickly becomes one empty repetition after another.

The good news is this needn’t happen. Yet if it is, and you feel the time has come to ‘jump start’ the creative process of violin learning, I highly recommend that you join me and a bunch of other passionate individuals for a special weekend this June.

It is where ‘perfect practice’ will acquire a whole new meaning.

All the best,

Clayton Haslop

P.S. The Art of the Violin Masterclass/Seminar is filling up quite nicely, and I wouldn’t delay too much longer in making a decision to join us. I think you’ll be particularly thrilled when you see how I’m going to draw on musical examples taken from my instructional DVD courses during the Seminar sessions.

Left Hand Conditioning

Before I get into the main subject of this newsletter I’d just like to say a few more words about the June Seminar and Masterclass. This event will absolutely be ENABLING and INSPIRING for players of ALL levels.

Now, I won’t go into WHY I know this, you’ll just have to trust me.

You know, just a few hours ago I concluded one of my ‘Intensives’ with a gal who flew out from Connecticut to spend a couple days with me.

She’s a professional player who also teaches. And she’s planning to come back for the seminar because she knows how much it will add to her teaching skills; above and beyond what she will take away for her own playing.

And if you’re a beginner, well, I think you should be beating down the door to get into this event. After leaving here you’ll have a terrific overview of violin playing; literally from how to lift your arms when putting it to your chin to all the ‘tricks’ of bow mastery.

It will be a breathtaking panorama, an unforgettable vision, and an event that will inform your practice for many, many years.

So let go of that self-doubt, there is no need for it. Just come, and have a ball!

Now, today I want to say a few more words about vibrato. Recently I suggested you use some warm-up time playing scales and arpeggios while measuring the vibrato, either by counting the oscillations as duplets, triplets or quadruplets.

What I’ve done in recent days is to bring that same discipline to actual pieces. In other words, playing phrases while maintaining and tracking the vibrato through every note and every shift. If you are ‘hearing’ the vibrato as triplets, then each beat of music must have one, two, or however many triplets of vibrato is appropriate to the tempo.

Just remember, you cannot play faster than your hand can execute a full, down/up oscillation of vibrato on the shortest note value. If the shortest note value is a sixteenth then you will be playing rather slowly and deliberately, even if only one oscillation is given to each sixteenth.

Now, as you get control over the music in this way you can begin to narrow the range of the vibrato, quicken the oscillations, and advance the tempo at which you are playing.

And if you do this with focus and discipline you will see how quickly your hand and vibrato can become ‘toned’, and how much more rhythmically accurate and ‘singing’ your phrases become.

Now if this seems a little out of reach for you at the moment, not to worry. At the Art of the Violin Seminar/Masterclass I’ll plot a course of action for you to get you there in no time.

All the best,

Clayton Haslop

P.S. Now I only have just 2 spots remaining for Masterclass performers at the Seminar. If you want one of them to be yours I’d get on board soon.

The Unruly Vibrato Fix

After a bracing early morning walk and training session with our new pup, I did my own training session, on the violin. It’s amazing how similar the work ethics are to produce good results in each.

And recently I’ve been focusing on vibrato, this after uncovering some unruliness in mine. It’s something that just goes with the territory. Guess I’d simply call it skills maintenance.

Yet whether you are reconditioning this particular skill or training yourself to it for the first time, the following little exercises can be very helpful.

Of course to begin with you do want to ensure that your hand and wrist are relaxed, and that the motion of the hand is clean. Now if you are uncertain HOW to the hand and wrist work to produce vibrato you will find a great deal on the subject within my Beginners Circle course, along with instruction on all manner of violin essentials.

So the exercises to ‘top-off’ your vibrato have to do with gently, yet firmly, conditioning it to be constant and even. And I do it at two speeds.

Now which speed you begin with has to do with the natural rate at which your hand oscillates. If you have a lot of fast-twitch muscle fiber you will tend toward a fast vibrato, so begin at the faster speed.

If you suspect the opposite, then let your hand begin with a slow vibrato.

The exercises consist of playing adagio – think slow walk – whole note scales. First position is fine. And as you play I suggest you count the beats, quietly.

If you are in the slow vibrato mode you will be listening for 3 oscillations of the hand per beat. In the fast mode listen for 4.

Remember, the idea is for the hand and wrist to be absolutely as relaxed as possible. No tension in the fingers that are off the string, and the minimum of pressure to make a good tone for those that are on the string.

The challenge is to maintain the speed of oscillation through all 4 fingers. Once you have it at one rate of speed, switch over to the other.

Now, you can do the scale with only one finger in contact with the fingerboard at a time, and you can do the scale where fingers remain on the string as you ascend. Both are very useful.

Of course you will note that having all four fingers down while you play a 4th finger will necessarily limit the range of motion of the vibrato. It needn’t affect the rate of oscillation, if the hand remains relaxed.

For an additional ‘variation’ you might move between forte and piano dynamics as play, noting that forte only requires a slight increase in pressure from the finger being sounded.

When I began doing this a few days ago I felt somewhat challenged doing all that I have outlined here. In fact, it was a couple days before I could pick the fiddle up cold and execute a two-octave scale without glitches at either speed.

Interestingly, just like training a puppy, the ‘pack leader’ is most effective when a clear vision precedes any choice of action. When I raise the violin to my chin whilst seeing/feeling my hand relaxed and in the rate of speed of my choosing, success follows very quickly.

All the best,

Clayton Haslop

P.S. I only have 3 spots remaining if you want to attend the Art of the Violin Masterclass/Seminarand perform during the masterclass portion of the event. This is a very special opportunity and I really don’t want you kicking yourself because you missed it. Time to get of that fence and register!