The article presents the author's views on the techniques used by Nicolo Paganini, a violinist. According to the author although Paganini never revealed his secret, he made two claims which seem to have been overlooked. He said that there was only one position, and there was only one scale. In the era before chin rests were used, the violin was held by the left hand while the head was free to move. The hand was kept against the ribs of the violin and the fingers were extended backwards or forwards, both in front of and behind the thumb. From various accounts it is known that this is how Paganini played. He would keep his wrist against the ribs and pivot his hand forwards and backwards in an arc. It is this old and forgotten system of playing within which Paganini developed his technique.