I regularly ask my violin students to stretch far past their everyday boundaries.
Sometimes those lessons produce an unanticipated effect. A sense of overwhelm. An unanticipated jitter. Even an unexpected welling up of tears.
The results, even if less than perfect, are irrelevant. It is the resolve to pursue the path and the will to endure your inner resistance that is transformational.
That’s the whole point of undertaking the violin journey.
How a violin practice transforms your life.
1. Learning how to truly master specific skills leads to a fulfilled life.
2. Motions and actions are how you shape your basic approach to the instrument. Using simplicity, ease and mastery moves you through life gracefully.
3. Practice is defining specific goals. Defining. Specific. Constant clarity.
4. Practice strategies are the pathway to your mastery. Thus choosing work that matters and doing that work mindfully, will produce a high quality result.
5. Performing is creating work that is important to other people. Like sales and marketing hinges on understanding others interests, problems and aspirations.
6. Performing is also facing up to your challenges. Life presents us with such challenges on a regular basis.
7. Choosing the violin (or any instrument) teaches you to define and implement large projects.
The violin or any instrument becomes transformational when (and only when) you approach it from this larger perspective.
If you’re in it just to learn a couple of songs, that’s OK too. Just don’t expect any more than a quick diversion.
Here’s a simple music practice shortcut for your consideration. It’s simple, but it’s not easy. And I can promise that you’ll achieve your current results and still cut your practice time in half. Or easily get twice as much done in the same amount of time.
It’s simply this: protect your practice as a sacred oasis from day to day life. It’s a place filled with curiosity, experimentation, discovery and a wonderful spacious feeling. In this place, impatience and frustration simply melts away. In this place the quality of your practice always exceeds expectations because any agenda exists only for the sheer joy of the work itself. It is truly immediate success on a new level.
On the other hand, you can continue to push and drive forward by force. Practice when over scheduled, exhausted or compelled. Accept gigs and auditions that cement unrealistic expectations into your life. We all know how that goes.
Violin Practice Hack: The 5 Minute Bow Stroke demonstrated by Dr. David Wallace
Level: Novice to Expert
Got only 5 minutes to instantly grow your technique?
This Learn the Violin in 5 Minutes practice hack is just the ticket.
Dr. David Wallace explains this powerful practice hack as it was originally taught by the famous pedagogue and perfumer, Josef Gingold.
Bonus Benefit: Do this just before walking on stage to perform and you’ll be amazed at how it can reduce or eliminate your stage fright.
Follow @InViolin for more Violin Playing Hacks (or join our mailing list)