Dig Deep

Try again. Fail again. Fail better. –Samuel Beckett

As I stated in the first installment of this blog, first, there is art. But for art to reach the listener’s heart, there needs to be a limited amount of filters between the artist’s conception of a work and his/her audience’s ears. Technical mastery of basic elements will give the performer the freedom to interpret music , beyond merely playing notes.

Good practicing habits are at the core of the progress of all students. Young violinists who can learn to analyze their pieces, mark out the patterns, plan exercises to work on the difficulties, and mentally memorize the feeling of successfully playing problematic passages will see tremendous progress in just a few months. One needs to hasten slowly and dig deep!

First, ask yourself this question: do you know how to practice? It is important to pause and ask yourself if the problems reside in a lack of technique or in the way you are practicing a passage. In the case of the former, a long term plan is required. For the latter, a methodical, thoughtful, and often creative approach can yield immediate results.