When I really get into the groove I just want to keep playing, and sometimes I do.  Yesterday I went for two hours – the longest yet, I think.  But at about the ninety minute mark I start to fall apart.  I have less focus, and the physicality of playing the violin starts to get to me – I can feel it in my arms, which is fine, I love a workout – but overall, I just start to get sloppy.  I can no longer find notes, and my bowing gets uneven.

I don’t have the luxury of playing for that long very often.  It’s only been four or five times probably that I’ve gone past an hour and a half, but I’m noticing that does seem to be my functional limit for now.

Like running, I just have to build up to more if I want to be able to play more!  Yesterday was the first day I really wrestled with my new Brahms, and when I get it whipped into shape I’m really going to love it.  There’s some chance I would just want to play it on repeat for longer than an hour and a half all by itself.  It’s a good thing I don’t have much of an audience.

Thanks for reading.

Ryan