Pound of Flesch

November 30, 2011 at 9:46 AM

Phoebe pulled up a chair across from me as I flipped through Flesch's Art of Violin Playing at the coffee shop. I remembered he had some good advice on double stops, and I wanted to glean his take on it.

"Whatcha reading?"

"Oh, I think I've just been sentenced to three months of boot camp. I've got this technical hurdle I'd like to nail down once and for all. See, look here. It says, 'The whole problem can be mastered in about three months with daily half-hour practice of the following material...'" One month would be dedicated to studying the falling movement of the fingers without shifting or string changes. The second month would focus on the shifting motions, and the third month would be devoted to string crossings.

Phoebe's not a violinist, but she seems to be intrigued by the subject. "Wow, I guess practicing can't always be fun, huh?"

"Ah, but the secret of being a violinist is to enjoy the pain and suffering. So, basically, if you're a masochist, then you should be playing the violin."

I thought for a moment. "Hey, maybe if I log two sessions per day, I could be done in a month and a half."

"Better yet, you could do three and be done in one!"

"Oooh, non-stop double-stops and I can achieve results in just 45 hours!"

Too bad you can't just up and run a marathon of thirds, sixths, and octaves and cross the finish line with a medal. Training for a marathon takes foresight and lengthy planning, coupled with follow-through and daily commitment. You pay for your objective, one diligent step at a time.

Pound the asphalt. Pound the fingerboard. Train for your marathon, little finger peeps.

From Emily Hogstad
Posted on November 30, 2011 at 6:03 PM

"So, basically, if you're a masochist, then you should be playing the violin."

This.

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