A violinist in one of my recent masterclasses said this, and it perfectly captures what happens when you work *with* your Primary Instrument—your whole self—instead of against it.

Samantha came to the class to work on the opening of a Brahms sonata. She wanted more ease, steadier rhythm, and more fluid phrasing. Like most highly trained musicians, she began by trying to make the first note extra clear, believing it needed to “set up” everything that followed.

In the Alexander Technique, F. M. Alexander called this “end-gaining”: an over-focus on the desired result (clear intonation, a beautiful sound, “getting it right”) while you’re actually playing.

The irony is that this goal-driven focus pulls attention away from how you’re playing in the moment—and it often interferes with the very coordination and ease that create good results in the first place.

So instead of trying to fix the note, I invited Samantha to shift her Primary Concern from “getting the first note clear” to something much simpler, by asking herself, “What is happening to my whole self as I play?” and “What is happening to the ease in me?”

We set her musical goals aside for the moment, and she focused only on being present and curious about the easing. Then we used what I call Stained Glass Practicing—taking the passage apart into small sections to work on separately. We worked note by note, pausing between each note to re-establish that ease-curiosity, and watching what happened without trying to control the outcome.

The change was immediate:

• Intonation improved spontaneously

• Her confidence and presence became visibly calmer

The other musicians noticed right away:

“When you slowed down and gave attention to each note, there was so much more openness and vibrancy. It sounded beautiful—and then it got even better.”

Samantha’s own reaction?

“My intonation was better on the running notes, and I felt so much more at ease.”

When I pointed out that intonation wasn’t something she was even working on, the insight landed: by addressing her Primary Instrument—her whole mind-body self—everything else organized itself and improved naturally.

This is how real transformation happens.

Not by fighting isolated technical problems, but by learning how to work with your whole self in a methodical way that is easy and enjoyable. I call it The Art of Freedom®.

If you’re a professional string player and curious to experience this for yourself, I’m considering offering a small, live masterclass sometime over the next few weeks where I’ll work with individuals on just one or two lines of music—not to pinpoint what's “wrong” or to “fix” anything, but to help you experience more ease, clarity, and freedom right where you are.

If you’d like an invitation when it’s ready, comment “EASE” below and I’ll add you to the waitlist for more information.