The key of my new song – G major – takes one sharp: F#.  I’m used to first position, which, on the A string, has, to date, had me playing C# as well.  But this week’s song requires me to play C natural on the A string instead, meaning I have to do a low second finger.  And then I follow it with fourth finger several times in the song – fourth finger still feels like a newbie trick for me as well.  My pinky is starting to cooperate, but it’s only been a few weeks that I’ve been deploying it musically, and it’s often still difficult for me to find the note.

I was taken with the nonchalant way Teacher introduced C natural – low second finger on the A string.  “Now low second finger,” she said, as if I’d been doing it my whole life.  I cooperated, and simply placed the finger closer to my first finger. She played with me, so I could hear myself and fine tune it.

The new song is all string hopping and low second finger and fourth finger, and there are indications in the music about keeping first finger down that I have yet to even begin to attend.  The whole thing is wonderfully challenging, so much so, in fact, that for the first time since starting lessons I only made it through half the song in the lesson – I’ll pick up the other half next week.

For the first time in several weeks Teacher also commented on my bow hold, encouraging me to fold my fingers down over the stick more.  The bow hold really feels like it’s coming along, so I think she sensed I was ready for a little refinement.

Teacher also hummed a Bach Minuet that is shortly to come for me, the first piece of classical music I recognize that I will get to play.  I’m very much looking forward to that.

It was a big lesson.

Thanks for reading.

Ryan