How Fast IS Too Fast

When I was an even younger bloke, quite a few moons ago, my teachers would often complain that I played too fast. But though I understood the words they were speaking, and would try to oblige them, I usually found myself slipping back up to warp speed before I knew it.

I just couldn’t seem to help myself.

Then, I didn’t know the secret of control. In fast tempos I was like a train on a downhill roll without a brake to pull. And to be honest, a part of me thought that was the way it should be.

You know, I used to think I was getting a compliment when people said things like, ‘Wow, that sounded Hard,’ or, ‘I’m still trying to catch me breath after what your just played.’

But as I grew I finally began to realize that brakes weren’t just for sissies. But I hadn’t found one that never failed me.

Milstein used to say, ‘Vhy you run away. Play the ‘armony.’ And to a degree, and for some music, this helped. But it didn’t solve my little problem completely. In some fast music I just couldn’t seem to grab hold of the harmonies enough to use them effectively, every time.

Then I discovered counting. No, not the toe-tapping kind. No way that could keep the likes of me in check.

What I’m talking about is the real McCoy, the pure, verbalization-of-the-beat kind. It’s the kind that makes you Think, and Keeps you thinking.

Now I’ve got a monster-size brake at my disposal. And when you’ve got a brake, the listener Gets a break, know what I mean?

After all, even the fastest music has cadence and structure. If you’re rushing through it like a run-away train, none of that detail is going to register with the audience. Why, they’ll be too busy praying that when the train jumps the track it won’t take them with it.

Now, you know how I talk about velocity. I’m all for it, believe me. But not when it’s reckless, heedless, or out of control.

And this kind of control is precisely what’s needed in Paganini. You’re going to get it in spades when you spend time with Paganini for Violin Virtuosity, Vol. 1.

All the best,

Clayton Haslop

P.S. The secret of counting isn’t the only thing an advanced player will take away from the Paganini course. All manner of ‘tricks’ are revealed in ways that make them doable for just about any player.

Rubbing Your Belly and Tapping Your Head

Last night after supper my daughter and I played ‘challenge.’ It’s a little playful game we do together, kind of like ‘follow the leader.’

In the course of it I challenged her to rub her tummy and tap her head, at the same time. We both had a good laugh as she struggled to overcome the tendency for her dominant arm to over-ride the other.

Her hair got pretty messed up in the process.

After a several attempts I had her do one at a time. Then I asked her to do them both together, but slowly.

Bingo, in less than a minute she had it down.

Now, if you think about it, violin playing is really just a more sophisticated variant of this challenge. Granted, the movements of each side are much more complex and nuanced.

But the idea of isolating each side and understanding them completely before putting them together is incredibly important. And once you Do put them together it is equally important to do it Slow Enough that you can get your mind around both simultaneously.

Every time I pick up the violin I remind myself of what each side is doing. I ‘feel’, in my mind’s eye, the horizontal flow of my right hand in a straight line through space. On my left side I feel the violin freely resting on my shoulder and nestled in my left hand. And I visualize my fingers moving lightly, independently, and yet in the context of a consistent hand position.

Of course things do get a little more complicated than that. But everything you do on the violin is Vastly more doable if you keep these basics in mind.

And I mean as deeply in mind as your appreciation of beauty, and your love of truth.

You see, the love of beauty and truth are the fuel you need to stay the course, to piece through the fog of confusion.

‘Course it certainly helps to have a good example to follow – that’s what my courses are for, in case you haven’t figured it out!

This month the vanguard of my Beginners Circle are getting a very comprehensive look at shifting and vibrato.

All the best,

Clayton Haslop

P.S. In case you didn’t know. Both the Beginners Circle and the Allegro Players – my more advanced monthly program – give you weekly lessons on DVD along with music and written notes to follow. And they leave no stone unturned on the path to mastery. Find the ‘Allegro Players’ at http://www.violinmastery.com/allegroplayers.htm

Catalogue, then Keep Score

Yesterday I wrote of Kreutzer #1. Today I spent time whirling through #23, a close cousin. You might call this Caprice, ‘flights of fancy.’

The utility of it is in developing skills for cadenza playing. Held notes, with fermatas over them, are followed by extended flurries, sometimes called ‘melismas’.

Many require quick shifts of the hand. Many have an abundance of fast string crossings. And all must come off fluidly and effortlessly.

The game of mastering #23, and I assure you it’s a lot of fun to play, has two parts. One, is take the ‘flurries’ apart, piece by piece, catalogue them, and store them up in your mind.

Part two has to do with keeping score.

When it’s time to put all the pieces together and give it a whirl, you’ve just to conjure those catalogued ‘bits’ and tick each one off as it flies by.

‘But I’m sure it’s not so easy as all that,’ I hear you object.

Well, not quite. You DO have to understand how to shift with absolute efficiency. You DO need to know how to cross strings without creating huge waves in your wake. And you DO need to understand some rather important things about bow control and finger velocity.

But those secrets are the very stuff of Kreutzer for Violin Mastery volumes 3 and 4.

Now there IS a small fee involved, ‘tis true. But violinists of a certain accomplishment, who nonetheless lack critical bits of insight, will find them worth every shekel.

And, as I said yesterday, there’re another 20 Caprices in the volumes. Should keep you growing as a violinist for some time to come.

All the best,

Clayton Haslop

P.S. After getting my juices flowing on old #23 I skipped over to Paganini #16 and had a more stormy romp. Got some secrets to share with you on that in Paganini for Violin Virtuosity, Vol. 1. Are you game?

What Is Your Range of Expression

This past Sunday I opened the door to a violinist come all the way from Hartford, Conn.. Two flights and a night in a local hotel were just part of the admission price, but she wasn’t agoin’ to allow anything to stand in the way of her pursuit of excellence.

I felt honored and inspired to give her the best I have to offer.

She’d brought two exquisite Caprices of Kreutzer to play as well as the Joachim cadenza to the Mozart A Major. I say ‘caprices’ because Kreutzer himself titled his best-known opus ’42 etudes or caprices’. These two, #1 and #23, are most definitely in the category of the latter.

Oh, and in case you don’t know. A caprice is more than an etude. A caprice has Musical value, and as such is often worthy of concert performance.

Kreutzer #1 is extraordinary. Technically it requires tremendous bow arm and left hand control.

The tempo is Adagio Sostenuto. The phrases unfold in slow motion. A player must possess extreme patience, self-discipline and pin-point accuracy.

This caprice begs every ounce of passion a soul can offer, but while doing so he must account for every millimeter of bow spent, every gram of arm weight applied, and every meeting of finger and string.

The faint of heart stand will forever remain on the surface, like little water bugs flitting about the surface of a pond. The reckless, who greedily plunge into the waters like hungry ducklings, will find themselves quickly bobbing back to the surface gasping for air.

Kreutzer #1 is for the sober minded; for the violinist with deep, self-directed passions. And it’s for the violinist with a keen appreciation for detail, subtlety, grace and nuance.

In volume 3 of Kreutzer for Violin Mastery I share a great deal of the wisdom I shared on Sunday morning. No, I won’t lie and say it’s Everything I can say in a 2 and 1/2 hour ‘intensive’, but it will surely get you well on your way.

AND you have the benefit of going on to great coaching on 20 additional etudes and caprices.

All the best,

Clayton Haslop

P.S. Yesterday month 7 of the Violin Mastery Beginners Circle program went out, This month it’s vibrato, third position, and entry level shifting that’s filling the instructional DVD and notes. And any new comers who invest in a one year subscription can have this and all the previous 6 months sent out together in one, arm-straining package.

A Well Disciplined Ego

Yesterday I received an email that got me to thinking. It seems one our subscribers has a little challenge with nerves. Well, maybe it’s not so little.

His bow not only shakes, his right hand has a rather distressing way of creeping up the bow while he is playing – must admit, this is a new one for me.

In any case, this certainly doesn’t sound like a very enjoyable experience.

So what is this thing with nerves that gives so many of us trouble.

This morning it hit me.

It’s a Lack of Self Discipline.

Alright, alright, don’t get all upset at me now, most of us DO feel nervous before a crowd of listeners. For some it takes only one.

But the fact remains that the fear of judgment can only exist where ego exists. And what good is an ego doing you if it’s causing you the loss of pleasure, just because some Jack or Jill is within earshot?

Not much.

So let’s get rid of them I say. They represent wrong seeing. A mistaken set of priorities. A misunderstanding of self worth.

Everyday you practice, seek only after joy. Don’t be content with mere self-satisfaction.

True Joy is untouchable by ego. It vibrates on another level. In order to experience joy you cannot be in conflict. You cannot compare your accomplishment against another’s.

Therefore you exist in a state of peace.

It’s all well and good to have goals; to be the best you can be. But if your goals are a sword by which you live, surely you will die by it.

Only a fool rich in pride thinks this becomes a life.

The measure of an artist, in my book, is authenticity. Authenticity is informed by the love of truth.

The truth is that, ultimately, you can take no more credit for drawing a bow across a string than you can the creation of the heavens.

But what you CAN do is allow the bow to be drawn.

Find the spirit, the passion in the music, and allow yourself to be moved by it. At the same time question the Authority of your ego. By what right does seek to censure your true birthright, the expression of joy.

Now, I know what I’ve just been moved to write is not quite what my subscriber expected from me. But it is truly at the root of his discomfiture.

Naturally it is good and decent to put your best foot forward when you go out to perform. Toward that end you must prepare well. You must warm up before going on stage.

You must breathe.

And you must surrender your ego at the stage door.

All the best,

Clayton Haslop

P.S. Yes, preparation is essential. And many a secret of successful preparation can be found in Kreutzer for Violin Mastery.

From a Resolution Comes the Resolution

I was struck by an interesting thought, just now. You’ve got to GET resolved before you CAN resolve.

For the past several days I’ve been wading into some pretty deep waters, technically speaking. Specifically it’s a brew of Paganini Caprices; V, VII, XI, XV, XVII, XX, and XXI, to be specific.

Yes, I’ve gone through these before, a couple of them in considerable depth. But this time I’m looking to raise the bar a couple of notches.

It’s also said, by the way, that necessity is the mother of invention.

A few days ago it became clear that my body needed better direction from my brain. The input my hands were getting wasn’t sufficient to get the job done with some of this stuff.

Greater powers of resolution were called for.

So I ramped up the fires of my resolve and began SUB-dividing every beat as I played. Even whilst playing FAST. And as I do this I’m being quite decisive about it, let me tell you. There is no question that my hands will not know what to play, and when to play it. Period.

Sometimes counting just the beats isn’t enough. The hands can ‘get lost’ in the in-between notes. So you’ve got to get right in there, at a cellular level, and tell them what you want. And with some Energy behind it.

Go ahead, kick a little rear-end.

If you’re working with one of my courses presently you already know how much stake I put on this. Now I’m encouraging you to ‘ramp it up’, for even greater results.

All the best,

Clayton Haslop

P.S. Now, some of you have a question in your mind as to where you fit in with my various courses. Kreutzer for Violin Mastery is best suited to players beginning to get into the upper positions – fifth and above. Violin Mastery’s Allegro Players is for those becoming familiar with the lower positions. And the Violin Mastery Beginners Circle is for those beginning, or who are familiar with first, and maybe third position.

What I Get From Shadow Playing

You may find this a little hard to believe, but just a few months ago yours truly found himself striding through the hallways of the Tampa ‘Marriott’ working up quite a head of steam, whilst playing through the Bach Chaconne.

Now as odd as that may sound – in the Hallway of a Hotel? – I was doing it without making so much as a peep.

I was, in fact, playing on thin air, not a violin in sight.

I guess you could call it ‘shadow playing.’

But at least I can say this for myself. I wasn’t the only one looking quite silly on that day.

You see, my wife and I were attending a ‘personal development’ seminar. We had been given the assignment to ‘shadow play’ an activity around which we had fears or mental blocks.

For 15 full minutes we all scattered ourselves around the ballroom and immediate hallways gesticulating in all manner of silly ways.

Writers were pounding away on imaginary keyboards; fearful public speakers were giving silent orations, arms sweeping to and fro.

And then there was the violin player.

At first I was astonished at how foolish and awkward I felt. After a minute or two I dropped my arms with the thought, ‘this is too ridiculous’.

But then, looking around and seeing the others still going at it, I shouldered my imaginary violin once again.

This time I exercised myself on that invisible fiddle. I willed every note into being. I felt the bow travel over the strings. I put my vibrato on ‘ultra-passionate’ mode. And the fingers of my left hand were held accountable for every note of every chord.

Let me tell you, I worked up quite a sweat in those few minutes.

I also exposed many a weak spot in my armor. I thought I KNEW the Chaconne when I started. But I was forced to concede that I didn’t know it beyond a ‘shadow’ of a doubt.

If you think you know a piece of music, try putting you violin aside and shadow playing it with every finger placement and bow stroke in place. You just might be in for quite a surprise.

Now I’ve found this to be a powerful exercise to use at all stages of learning a piece.

If you give it a try, don’t be discouraged if you find it difficult at first. But do ‘hold your feet to the fire’, as it were. It takes a lot of mental toughness to move your fingers correctly with a violin in place. It’s even tougher to do it without.

But the payoff can be huge.

All the best,

Clayton Haslop

P.S. Speaking of big payoffs. I’m just putting the finishing touches on the 1st month of the ”Allegro Players” intermediate program. It’s still not too late to be part of the vanguard of players who will benefit tremendously from this instructional DVD course.