The Havas New Approach
Finding the Freedom to Play
About Kató Havas
The Havas New Approach was developed by violinist, celebrated teacher and author Kató Havas (1920–2018). It is based on a combination of her background as a child prodigy trained in the Hungarian-European traditions, her deep admiration for the freedom of Romani virtuoso violin playing, and her own groundbreaking investigation into the causes and cures of the tensions and anxieties common in string playing.
A holistic and ergonomic system
The Havas New Approach to violin playing focuses on identifying and releasing tensions and then systematically training a set of natural, horizontally based, and interrelated balances in the body.
Havas’ simple, yet profound insistence on a driving rhythmic pulse underlying all movements and the development of inner musicality through singing and miming, creates a truly holistic and ergonomic system. As tension is released, performance anxiety can be alleviated. The Havas approach requires energy, mental focus, and training, but it is not forceful or physically difficult.
Players at all levels, from beginning to professional, can benefit from this unique approach.
Key benefits of the Havas New Approach:
- Prevents and cures injuries caused by playing
- Relieves tension in the neck, shoulders, left hand,
and right arm - Develops the inner ear
- Encourages musical imagination
- Produces a warm and expressive tone
- Improves technical ease (high positions, shifts, fast passages, playing in tune, bowing, etc.)
- Provides a systematic strategy that helps prevent memory slips
- Alleviates stage fright
- Supports performance well being
Publications
Kató Havas is author of A New Approach to Violin Playing, The Twelve Lesson Course, The Violin and I, Stage Fright, and Freedom to Play.
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“We all have the same aspiration: the aspiration of being able to release the full force of our inherent energy impulses into a powerful musical flow”
-Kató Havas
Kató Havas
Founder