As I wrote yesterday just before my lesson, I was happy for the opportunity to work through my new Gavotte with Teacher in our first lesson in three weeks.  We worked on the piece the whole time, going slowly and noting some rhythmic and bowing patterns that I need to work on.  But as with most feedback I’m getting these days, the focal point was on musicality – bowing accents when appropriate and phrasing, or connecting bits of music that go together.  We noted spots in the music where the phrase isn’t bound by the measure, which seems harder for me to tease out as I play.

One concrete point is that I’ve let my B flat on the A string slip sharp, and that coupled with my perennial problems with nailing the G on the D string meant I was having some overall difficulty being in tune.  This Gavotte is mainly in G minor, and that means that precisely those two notes – the G and the B flat – are particularly important as it pertains to the feel of the piece; they need to be in tune.

It was a great lesson, but I was saddened when asking after Teacher’s mother to hear that she is not well at all.  I hate to say that in the past few weeks I’ve known a fairly large number of people struggling with the deteriorating health and loss of their parents; my heart is heavy for them all.

Thanks for reading.

Ryan