This is an introduction to Bill’s YouTube Channel
Video transcription:
I believe that we as instrumentalists are constantly searching to find the balance between developing skills, practicing those skills and then using those developed and practiced in skills to perform at the highest level possible. Take for example the idea of “visualization”… You see one evening, while a student at Juilliard, I ran into my friend Shlomo Mintz who said, “Billy, guess who’s performing at Carnegie Hall tonight?” I had no clue and he said… “Dietrich Fischer-Deskau. I said that thats wonderful and Shlomo said that he’s singing Brahm’s lied!” Knowing how much I admired Deskau, Shlomo then asked if I wanted to go with him. I reluctantly declined, explaining that I had no money and had a lesson with Ms. Delay in the morning and did not feel prepared so I needed to practice. He responded with… “Billy, Jorg Demus is the pianist!”. He then said we would get in free so I finally decided to attend with him.
As Shlomo promised, we were able to enter without charge and we had great seats. The performance was incredibly beautiful. At one point I turned to whisper something to him and saw that his eyes were closed. I immediately gave him a swift nudge and at the next break I frowned and said “So you brought me here with you and you sleep?” He replied that he was not sleeping but had closed his eyes to better imagine what he would have to do with his bow to make the sounds he was hearing!
We need to understand that our minds basically think visually using pictures and images. You see our subconscious mind doesn’t know the difference between something real and something vividly imagined, so whatever picture you consistently think about will drive your actions to create that exact picture. Using visualization has stuck with me ever since! Whenever I come in contact with something that I wish to learn how to do on the violin, I close my eyes and imagine what I would have to do to produce it! These videos are centered around the ideas found in this and other concepts, my experiences, the many ideas passed on to me from Stephen Clapp and Dorthy Delay and all the other influences I have had during my 50 plus years of teaching. So take care and I hope that you enjoy taking this visual journey with me.
Oh yes I publish new videos on this channel on a regular basis so to keep up to date, subscribing and turning on notifications is highly recommended. Ciao!
