Author Archives: Ryan Libel
Fast, Like a Gavotte
I came back to practicing after vacation and pulled out the accompaniment track I’ve been working with for Gavotte by Gossec, the final piece in Book One that I’m still seriously working on working up. I was astonished to find that as I went back to the recording it’s just painfully slow. Somehow while away […]
Picking up Where I Left Off
The week away did not seem to have much of an impact on my playing. Most surprisingly, I seem to have been able to return to my newest piece, a Bourree by Handel, right where I left off. My brain seems to have kept it in place, which was not what I expected at all, […]
Musical Dupont Circle
We’re just back from a great vacation, splitting our time away being tourists in Washington, D.C. and visiting family in Montpelier, VA. In D.C. we stayed at a great flat in the swank and hopping Dupont Circle neighborhood, and as we explored we encountered some folks sprucing up the place musically. It’s always good to […]
King of the Road
I wrote a post on how I feel about various musical genres a few days back, and with one category in particular I always choose my words carefully – country. I have a nostalgic love for old country music, including folks like Johnny Cash, Loretta Lynn, Hank Williams Sr., Roger Miller, and Dolly Parton. While […]
Between Siblings
Facebook Message Conversation, August 30, 2014: Ryan Libel: I just sent you a present, which is actually a present for ME. I’m hoping you’ll agree to record the accompaniment part for some of my Book 2 songs. No rush – I know you’re super busy – but I think it would be fun to play […]
Who Played the Oldest Flute in the World?
I love antique instruments. Old things in general interest me, as they do most people – some of my most memorable experiences in museums come from standing in front of an object that was never intended to last as long as it has, that has no equals, that, for this modern epoch of history at […]
Musical Gender Bending, a Romp, and Teaching Girls to Read
“Blessed are you, Lord, our God, ruler of the universe who has not created me a woman.” – from the requisite daily prayers for Orthodox Jewish men Our hero, Yentl, was born to a religious scholar father in early 20th century Poland who believed and recited these old Hebrew words faithfully. Of course to this […]
Coincidental Yentl
‘Tis the season of the Jewish-themed musical – at least it is for Michael and me! Two weeks off of our wonderful Fiddler experience, here we are in Washington D.C., and as I scouted around yesterday for an evening cultural excursion I found tickets to see Yentl tonight. The new production features new music by […]
Vacation Time
I’m heading out here in an hour or so for a much-needed (and, dare I say, much deserved!) vacation. We’ll be in Washington, D.C. being tourists and in rural Virginia visiting family. Since beginning the violin, travel brings a bit of sadness, as doing so with the instrument is too impractical for my level of […]
Morning Quiet Time
I’m considering a mute. I can’t imagine such a thing not horribly impacting my tone production, the primary skill I’m working on as a beginner, but at the same time I often struggle with the number of hours in a day. On weeks when my workload is exceptionally heavy, or in situations like this week […]
Ryan Libel 