June 2010

Just don't try

June 10, 2010 04:03

"Dimitri your trying too hard"

What?

I had an interesting lesson tonight.

"Focus on your left toe"

"umm...ok"

I played the exerpt I was given

"Wow what an improvement, how did it feel?"

"I don't know I wasn't paying attention"

"Good! Now focus on playing the violin"

...and as I played, I even cringed...

"Dimitri that sounds really laboured ... Ok focus on your back this time"

and I played ... slowly catching on with what he was aiming at

"Hmm sounds good again. Ok focus back on your left hand again"

...and I did ... for some reason I tensed up, or rather I wasn't in the relaxed state as I was when I wasn't focused on the violin.

"Again that sounds laboured."

"Dimitri you play better when your not trying to play at all. You have the technique, you have the intonation, you learnt the timing but you keep trying too hard - you just have to let go"

~ This brings me back to the concept he taught me when playing the arpeggios; to let go, relax and just play.

Again, the same thing was happening - I was focused too much on playing and it ended up messing with my vibrato; but for some reason everything fixed up when I wasn't paying attention.

He said this has to do with relaxing, your letting your muscle memory take over - I have it in my body, its just I'm accessing it wrong.

I thought it was pretty interesting and worth sharing.

Just don't try, let your body do it naturally.

Of course, thats to say you have to practice mindfully and focused, just when your peforming it is a good idea to focus on something else and let the body take over.

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More entries: May 2010

June 2010

Just don't try

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