The latest rhythmic/bowing pattern with which I’m playing my Wohlfahrt etude is causing me some problems, so I need to slow it down – we work these etudes with many different patterns; I think this is the eighth for me.  Interestingly, perhaps, I’m still on the first etude of a book of 60 of them – I started playing it months ago, and I think I’ve arrived at the last pattern that Teacher wants me to work with.  The rhythmic/bowing patterns get re-used on subsequent etudes, so perhaps we spend so long on the first because I have to get them down before moving on.  I’m going to play with this pattern slowly until next Tuesday, then pick it back up and see if I’ve broken my unproductive way of playing it that I seem to have slipped into.

Also on the topic of formal exercises, my book of scales and arpeggios is arranged by key – I’m doing “G” stuff now – G Major scale and arpeggios, as well as G melodic minor.  I’ve also worked with A and C, scales and majors, but have yet to do the minors with them.  We’re using this book as a supplement to the Suzuki book, so we’re working on the same keys that I’m working with from the Suzukie repertoire.  Hearing the scale in a key helps me hear the key and be better in tune.  I often, in between playing pieces of different keys, play the scale and arpeggios of the new piece through a couple of times to get it in my head so I can better stay in tune.

And I’m  working on musicality – phrasing and expressiveness, and dynamics that create more interest, especially in repetitive passages of music.  My latest Bach Gavote in G Minor repeats one part a number of times, and Teacher says it’s made for playing expressively.

There’s a decent chance next week’s lesson will bring my introduction to Dvorak;  You could definitely say I’m a little bit excited about that.

Thanks for reading.

Ryan