Despite being extremely short on practice time these past couple of weeks, as well as skipping last week’s lesson entirely, yesterday’s lesson went well. We continued to dig into the Vivaldi Concerto, and I’m now working with over half of it.  Position shifting is rising to the surface as the most important skill I need to hone as I move along, not that vibrato is fading away.  I have a book on shifting with exercises I need to focus on.  The book is not new at all, but I admit to neglecting it in my practice; while position shifting is exciting, I’ve been spending my extra practice time working on vibrato.  Further, the pieces I’ve played to date have included only very brief sections where shifting is necessary.  The Vivaldi has me shifting throughout.  Overall, it’s a beautiful piece, challenging and fun to play.

And today’s a birthday, my 41st.  Birthdays are a great time to take stock of all the loveliness in life – I’m so fortunate as to have a great husband and family and friends who love me, good health and fitness, a job, a nice home, great and bountiful food, and enriching pursuits like the violin and my martial art.  Who could ask for anything more?

Thanks for reading.

Ryan