Violin Video Lesson: Crossing the line...

You know what I think is one of the hardest things to manage as a violinist? Our egos. Think about it. How could we walk onto a stage and perform for all those people if we didn't have one? But what would happen if after a few successful concerts our egos started to swell a bit? You know, get out of control? That out of control ego could lead us to believe, for example, that we were the best violinist in the world.

That happens. Does it mean we've crossed that line? The line where our ego makes us believe things that maybe aren't true? On the other hand, our ego can give us the courage to find solutions to problems.

It can keep us believing we'll figure things out, and like this, it shields us from our doubts and fears.

So without question, having an ego is a very important element to our survival as performers.

But while ego can help us solve problems and push forward, it can also lead us into dangerous territory where we start comparing ourselves to others.

For example, if we compare like that, does it take us over the line? Well, that depends. If we're using the comparison to help give us a marker to aim for, that's a good thing.

But if we're using it just to prove we're better, then we've definitely crossed the line.

It takes an incredible amount of work to be a performer, but shouldn't we be careful that our ambitions don't creep over that line? Where it's no longer about what we've accomplished, but about how much more we've accomplished than others.

So how does judgment fit into all of this? Well, we need to judge in order to make decisions when we practice, to understand what we need to do to improve.

But if we start using judgment to determine if we're better than other violinists, that's where we've crossed that line.

All right? What about staying motivated? Is stubbornly pushing ahead despite failures really helping? Or is it just our ego hiding reality, making us feel like we've accomplished a lot when we haven't progressed at all? Some might say, though, that it's not about being stubborn, but about being determined.

You know, being determined, meaning being persistent with a willingness to adapt and explore new options.

Stubbornness, though, is like a bull of a china shop, charging ahead without adjusting to what's around.

Being this myopic almost always pushes you over the line.

So being determined seems like the better path, don't you think? Well, I'm a violinist, but I love sports.

Over the years, I've found that there are many books on sports psychology, and a lot of what they discuss can also apply to us as violinists.

In researching them, I've noticed that violinists and athletes both wrestle with their egos.

I mean, athletes train and train, and violinists practice endlessly.

But when athletes step up to bat or shoot a free throw in front of a stadium full of people, are they putting their egos on the line? And when we perform the Brahms concerto with an orchestra, are we doing the same thing? Well, in sports, one difference is that they use the final score as a metric for what they've accomplished to measure their success.

But for us as violinists, we don't have a scoreboard in the hall to measure our success.

Consider this.

A basketball player who hits nine out of ten shots in a game is considered an excellent shooter and might even get MVP for the game.

But if we hit only nine out of every ten notes we play in a performance, well, the audience would start to leave.

But does that mean that if we play every note perfectly in a concert, we've given a meaningful performance of the Brahms concerto? Well, mistakes happen in games and concerts, but in the end, how important are they? Well, I guess it's about how you look at it. I mean, great ballplayers love playing the game just like we as violinists love playing Brahms.

But when the performance becomes more about winning and not making mistakes, that's when our egos cross the line.

So I guess you could say that it's more about the journey than the outcome.

Well, with that in mind, next time you're preparing for a concert, maybe take a moment to ask yourself, is my ego helping me create a beautiful rendition of Brahms? Or has it pushed me over that line and I'm just chasing applause?

Automatic video-to-text transcription by DaDaScribe.com

Thank you for your comment, question or request!

Comment/Question deleted successfully.

Post a comment, question or special request:

Comments or questions must be between 3 and 10,000 characters long.

You may: Login  or  

Otherwise, fill out the form below to post your comment:

Add your name below:


Add your email below: (to receive replies, will not be displayed or shared)


For verification purposes, please enter the word MUSIC in the field below

---