The Global-Thinking Approach To Violin Playing
Recently I have been studying a very esoteric form of Chinese philosophy called Hwa-Yen. It is the philosophical basis of Zen Buddhism.
In the process I have learned something about the way Asian language systems, Chinese in particular, conceptualize and name the objects we see in our every day world.
So this morning I was reflecting on this a little bit while I was practicing, and it struck me that my thinking about violin playing mirrors the Chinese approach to language and conceptualization very closely.
There is a subtle and interesting difference between the East and West in this, and if you stay with me I think you'll get something worthwhile out of it, something that may indeed benefit your violin practice.
You see, in Chinese the word for 'train' translates, literally, as 'fire car'; automobile, as 'gas car'; and bicycle, as 'foot-stepping car.' In English we use quite different and distinct words for each of these things; etymologically they are quite unrelated.
In the Chinese mind, then, the linguistic construction first identifies 'train' as a generalized vehicle for transportation. This generalized term is then modified by an adjective to describe one requiring fire for operation - at least they did in the old days.
So even from the way our language systems are constructed you can see that the Western mind tends to compartmentalize, to identify in a specific and definite way. The Eastern mind, on the other hand, tends to generalize, and then differentiate through the use of an adjective; this so-and-so is BOTH as these many things AND, simultaneously, as its own thing.
Now let's talk violin playing. Many violinists I have taught have wanted to 'nail things down' when they came to me; this is THE way the fingers of the left hand articulate, this time, every time.
And for such players it comes as a surprise that in one Etude I will talk of fingers tapping the string, while in another, of the combined four fingers as a constant motion machine; the former implying a digital type of articulation, the latter something quite analogue.
And BOTH, in fact, must be available to you to reach the highest levels of performance.
The world of form IS full of contradictions and the message of music is, by definition, transmitted within this same world of form.
There's no getting around this.
So, though I say there are contradictions does not mean one surrenders to chaos. There are, after all, ways of playing the violin that are more efficient, effective and conducive to getting even wildly different types of music across than others.
The point is, however, that your technique must be fluid, dynamic, and able to embrace and effortlessly represent a great range of textures and expressions.
So there isn't just one way to articulate with the fingers of the left hand. And there isn't just one way to 'take the string' when initiating a tone.
The challenge of a violin system, however, is to provide for all these 'contradictions' within something of a generalized framework, otherwise you have hopeless confusion in place of a technique.
In short, you need a method of approaching the instrument that is BOTH superbly straight forward and simple, AND supremely flexible and adaptive.
When we listen and watch a truly great player effortlessly moving through a vast range of expression we often can't help but think, 'and they make it look so simple.' And so it has become, for them, and now for you. - 18423
In the process I have learned something about the way Asian language systems, Chinese in particular, conceptualize and name the objects we see in our every day world.
So this morning I was reflecting on this a little bit while I was practicing, and it struck me that my thinking about violin playing mirrors the Chinese approach to language and conceptualization very closely.
There is a subtle and interesting difference between the East and West in this, and if you stay with me I think you'll get something worthwhile out of it, something that may indeed benefit your violin practice.
You see, in Chinese the word for 'train' translates, literally, as 'fire car'; automobile, as 'gas car'; and bicycle, as 'foot-stepping car.' In English we use quite different and distinct words for each of these things; etymologically they are quite unrelated.
In the Chinese mind, then, the linguistic construction first identifies 'train' as a generalized vehicle for transportation. This generalized term is then modified by an adjective to describe one requiring fire for operation - at least they did in the old days.
So even from the way our language systems are constructed you can see that the Western mind tends to compartmentalize, to identify in a specific and definite way. The Eastern mind, on the other hand, tends to generalize, and then differentiate through the use of an adjective; this so-and-so is BOTH as these many things AND, simultaneously, as its own thing.
Now let's talk violin playing. Many violinists I have taught have wanted to 'nail things down' when they came to me; this is THE way the fingers of the left hand articulate, this time, every time.
And for such players it comes as a surprise that in one Etude I will talk of fingers tapping the string, while in another, of the combined four fingers as a constant motion machine; the former implying a digital type of articulation, the latter something quite analogue.
And BOTH, in fact, must be available to you to reach the highest levels of performance.
The world of form IS full of contradictions and the message of music is, by definition, transmitted within this same world of form.
There's no getting around this.
So, though I say there are contradictions does not mean one surrenders to chaos. There are, after all, ways of playing the violin that are more efficient, effective and conducive to getting even wildly different types of music across than others.
The point is, however, that your technique must be fluid, dynamic, and able to embrace and effortlessly represent a great range of textures and expressions.
So there isn't just one way to articulate with the fingers of the left hand. And there isn't just one way to 'take the string' when initiating a tone.
The challenge of a violin system, however, is to provide for all these 'contradictions' within something of a generalized framework, otherwise you have hopeless confusion in place of a technique.
In short, you need a method of approaching the instrument that is BOTH superbly straight forward and simple, AND supremely flexible and adaptive.
When we listen and watch a truly great player effortlessly moving through a vast range of expression we often can't help but think, 'and they make it look so simple.' And so it has become, for them, and now for you. - 18423
About the Author:
Clayton Haslop is the Concertmaster on many Hollywood movie soundtracks including The Matrix movies, Titanic, Avatar, Ratatouille, The Incredibles, Star Trek, Up, Jurassic Park, Apollo- and The Perfect Storm. Clayton Haslop's bestselling Instructional DVD courses are used by beginning violinists to professionals worldwide.
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