Strings and Bow by The Dysania Concept (2022)
The modern violin has been around for approximately 500 years. Throughout this time, composers such as Johann Sebastian Bach, Nicolo Paganini and Johannes Brahms have created some of the most beautiful and extraordinary violin pieces. Consequently, Violinists such as Jascha Heifetz, Hilary Hanh and Anne-Sophie Mutter have performed them as close to perfection as a human can. So, in this edition of The Mindsets, we’ll explore the qualities, virtues and skills required to be a Violinist. As Samuel Butler famously said, “Life is like playing a violin solo in public and learning the instrument as one goes on”.
1. Discipline
There’s a direct correlation between a Violinist’s discipline and sound quality. Discipline is committing to a way of life; for a Violinist, that usually means practising around eight hours daily. A devoted, perseverant and dedicated work ethic is the best method for anyone to reach their striving standard. So, how can you apply discipline in your life? Using the same approach a Violinist does. Start with reasonable standards by understanding your limitations. And then commit to those, aiming to increase them over time until you reach your goal. For example, if you want to do a 10k marathon, don’t commit yourself to running 10km every day starting tomorrow, but start with a reasonable distance, and as your physique, resistance and strength increase, do the same with your standards.
2. Emotional Intelligence
As Joshua Bell said, “When you are playing a violin piece, you are a storyteller”. All Violinists must be able to connect with the music they are interpreting and use their instincts and intuition to find the most appropriate way to tell its story. All Violinists must use their emotional intelligence to dissect the piece before them and understand the story it’s trying to convey. And once they have, along with their discipline, work towards reaching their perfect interpretation and performance. How is this relevant to you? When working towards a goal, understand and work with the emotion it carries. Be aware of your feelings and of the ones who surround you. Control them and express them most appropriately. Live within a balance of thinking and feeling.
3. Openness to Criticism
Different to many instruments, the violin is microtonal. That means it doesn’t have specific labelled sections to produce particular notes, but a millimetre difference can change the pitch of the sound produced. Hence, playing in tune can be tricky, and mistakes can be made easily. Additionally, you have to focus on how you use your bow: the pressure, the length, the angle, etc., and that also creates space for mistakes to occur frequently. That’s why discipline is needed to take the time to work on these, and emotional intelligence allows Violinists to understand how to approach the piece to produce adequate expression. But throughout all this discipline and analysis, one must learn from the mistakes one makes. Hence, Violinists need to be open to criticism to understand how to perfect their craft. Criticism usually comes from a teacher, your audience or the critics, but be aware it can and should come from yourself, too. So, as Violinists need to be able to criticise themselves and accept other’s criticism to improve their craft, one must be able to do the same regarding their life. If I realised I’d made a mistake, I must ask myself, why did I make that mistake? How can I avoid it next time? What did it teach me?
To be a Violinist requires many qualities, virtues and skills, but these are at the core of the activity. Now that you understand how Violinists work with their instruments, music, and themselves, you can apply similar ways to your daily life. So remember to be disciplined, use your emotional intelligence to create a balance between thinking and feeling, and be open to criticism, as it’s a doorway towards growth and improvement. Finally, remember to always strive towards your best performance.
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