The Inner Violin

This guide to the mastery of violin technique offers a path to the authenticity that all artists strive for. Dominique Hoppenot, celebrated for her personal, original, and humane approach to violin teaching, observed what she called "le mal du violon" - the violin disease. Very early on she understood that this problematic rapport with the instrument was a common condition of musicians who associate the violin with physical pain, anxiety, and frustration. This book demonstrates with acute clarity the connection between body and mind when playing the violin and interpreting music. Le violon intérieur, first published in French in 1981 and now available in English, is the culmination of her long experience as a violin pedagogue. A teacher of both professional instrumentalists and amateurs, Hoppenot challenged traditional academic teaching methods and her many workshops influenced a generation of string instrumentalists.