Havas (1973: 5) points out that stage fright is nothing more than an exaggerated symptom of anxiety. Problems in violin playing are not really caused by technique as such, but they originate in the mistaken idea that some kind of superimposed pressure
PB PB I PB KE R U-i
103 or force is necessary (Havas, 1964: 2). This leads to faulty movements, which cause an overall state of anxiety. “And the awful thing about anxiety is that, at the slightest provocation, it can spread like wildfire, paralyzing the mind, crippling the body, until everything seems unduly difficult and all artistic expression becomes nothing but a monumental struggle” (Havas, 1964: 2).
The causes for anxiety seem to fall into three categories: physical, mental and social, and are all interlinked and equally deep-seated (Havas, 1973: 16). According to Havas, the cure lies in the following three steps, within the context of continual training and development:
The first step is to clarify the causes of each aspect of anxiety within its own entity. The second step is to find the appropriate cures with the relevant exercises for each cause. The third and last step is to inter-relate all three of the causes and cures. Once this is achieved, stage fright will give way to a feeling of freedom and confidence. (Havas, 1973: 16.)
Understanding the origins and causes of the problems is essential in order to release them, and the cure involves both physical and mental re-education. Attitudes to the physical handling of the instrument need to be changed, as the root of most problems concerning stage fright lies in forced and flawed physical actions (Havas, 1973: 127). The concept of a violin hold and bow hold is systematically eliminated – allowing the instrument to become an extension of the body - with no tension blockages in any of the limbs or joints, but a reliance on what Havas calls the fundamental, motivating balances for all movement.
Due to the close connection between the mind and the body, tension and anxiety in violin playing can only be released through combining a positive, constructive mind- set with this active physical balance (Havas, 1973: 16). Therefore, apart from the release of physical tensions, the New Approach explores mental attitudes that can trigger anxiety, such as the fear of not playing fast enough, the fear of memory lapse and the power of words and the imagination either to inhibit or to liberate. The impact of the competitive attitudes in society on performers is examined, especially relating to the striving for success and the fear of not being good enough. False beliefs can also cause anxiety. For instance, misleading information from the eyes can lead to a
U-m D-I I D U-m I D-w PB D PB EG SA-u
104 false perception of an abnormally long fingerboard or thick neck, causing tension and anxiety, without any conscious awareness of this being so. In each instance, Havas (1973) gives comprehensive and practical advice for eliminating the particular anxiety.
Once physical and mental release from anxiety has been achieved, the final stage in this process is to eliminate the self “by dissolving it into a free-flowing musical communication” (Havas, 1973: 127).
Havas, 1973: 77:
The more a player learns to summon the power of the inner ear, the more he is able to forget about the extraneous part of his playing, such as his technique, his tone, the impression he makes on his listener, etc., until eventually he can forget about himself. And that is when real communication begins. For with the elimination of the self he is able to reach the very core of the music and through the interplay of co-ordinated balances is free to transmit it to the audience.
A central point of control, which has the power to co-ordinate not only the diverse physical actions required, but also the workings of the mind (Havas, 1973: 81), is essential if this free artistic communication is to take place. Havas (1973: 82) found one of the deepest causes of stage fright to be the attempt to achieve the desired musical effects through conscious physical efforts. Many musicians know that the more one tries, the less success one seems to have, as “overcontrol” easily leads to interference (Green & Gallwey, 1986: 9). The artist’s musical intent will be realized without any conscious physical effort only if all the musical information and physical movements can be unified in a single co-ordinated activity.
Havas, 1973: 81:
This central point of direction which has the power to create total co- ordination of mind and body, lies in the naming of the notes….the accumulated information relating to each note is aural, visual and tactile…(and) it is the name of the note which will synchronize all this information.
The naming of the note, in conjunction with the imagination of the inner ear and the shaping of melody in the left hand finger action, is the key control once all the
SA-l I CF-p CF-p PB D-w EG U-m D-w D D
105 physical balances have been co-ordinated into a final whole (Havas, 1964: 68). This aural-tactile connection, where the inner ear directs the left hand finger action, leads to eventual spontaneous music making, the ultimate goal of Havas’s teaching. A mind so concentrated on the music that there is no place for mental anxiety or interference, together with a body in balance, free of tension and conscious physical control, can finally give release from the tyranny of stage fright.
These features of the New Approach, briefly summarised in this discussion of stage fright, will be examined in greater detail in the following section.
4.4 The method
Kenneson, a renowned cellist, pedagogue and author, writes in A cellist’s guide to the
New Approach (1974: 10):
(The) New Approach is not a ‘method’ in the general sense, but a meaningful organization of thought processes which focuses the mental concentration on a musical idea, the physical realization of that idea coming from a logically- conceived use of the body’s natural balances. (Kenneson, 1974: 10.)
Havas identified tendencies that are common to many players, in that they generally result from the body’s physical response to touching the instrument, and arranged this information along with solutions developed through the use of New Approach principles (Kenneson, 1974: 11). Essentially an approach to tone production, the New Approach teaches precepts that are often demonstrated by naturally gifted players, such as Pablo Casals, who instinctively make use of natural physical balances while their musicality predominates over technical demands (Kenneson, 1974: 10).
The most prominent features of the method are described in 4.4.1 to 4.4.7. This is a summary of the most important concepts, and is not intended to give a comprehensive and specific account of all the New Approach exercises and procedures, for which the reader is referred to Havas’s own writings, especially The New Approach to violin
playing (1961), The twelve lesson course (1964) and Stage fright (1973).
PB D CF I PB U-i D D-w PB U-m D-I PB D
106 4.4.1 Easy or impossible
One of Havas’s favourite sayings is that “playing the violin is never difficult; it is either easy or it is impossible” (Havas, 1973: 136). While all violinists desire to be able to express themselves musically with ease and freedom, this seems to happen only rarely and ostensibly by chance. The harder one tries, the more elusive this state of bliss seems to be. This communicative ease is only possible through finding movements that are self-propelled, as no amount of practise with tense, overworked muscles can ever ensure complete freedom or assurance in performance (Whitman, as cited in Havas, 1968: 96). Through the New Approach, the origins of inhibiting tensions are first uncovered, followed by a step-by-step process whereby they are eliminated. This allows for the development of natural coordinated movements based on balance, not superimposed effort or force.
This approach is applied from the very beginning, as the basic problems are the same for all violinists, whether beginner or advanced (Havas, 1964: Introduction). Havas (1964: 12) likens playing the violin to tightrope walking, where “the right balances must be controlled and coordinated from the very beginning, regardless of whether the rope is stretched near the ground or high in the air”. Through learning balanced movement and avoiding the use of force from the beginning, a violinist can have a beautiful singing tone right from the start – it is a fallacy to believe that it is inevitable for beginners to “screech” on the violin (Havas, 1964: 2). She does recommend, however, that they should not practise on their own until the basic balances are well established (Havas, 1964: Introduction).