Author Archives: Ryan Libel
Musical Iowa City
Over the weekend we were in Iowa City for the wedding of two friends – an amazingly loving and big-hearted couple with friends and family to match. It was a great weekend spent deepening friendships and enjoying the sights and tastes and sounds of a college town. While at the wedding and while strolling around […]
Fiddler and Family
Teacher is in a production of Fiddler on the Roof, so we’re going to go see her. Since starting lessons with her she’s been in probably 3 or 4 shows but I just haven’t been able to make it work yet. Something about Fiddler is in the air for me anyhow – a friend and […]
Getting Right to It
I have to change even more – I’ve written a couple of posts about the way I practice. When I started playing, my strategy was to play all of my songs through, making them all better, then working on the most recent one the most, at the end of my practice session. Well now I’ve […]
Stamina
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 […]
Brahms
I’ve just started a Brahms Waltz – it’s my first Brahms and it’s the most beautiful thing I’ve worked with to date – extraordinarily lovely. As is my practice, I’m doing some digging on the piece. My quick web search revealed, on the site of violinist Timothy Judd, the fact that it’s Waltz #15 in […]
Taiko Kids
As a person with a Japanese American practice, a traditional form of karate that was created in New York by a Japanese American man in 1976, I’m interested in others. While taiko drums go back hundreds of years into the mists of gods and legends in Japan, according to Wikipedia, the modern ensemble performance variety […]
Playing with Accompaniment
Four songs into Book Two and the final piece from Book One is still my obsession. It’s Gavotte, by Gossec – soon Book Two will bring me two more gavottes by two different composers and I’ll have to start distinguishing them, but for now I just have the one. I just looked back on the […]
Suzuki Kid
The CD that came with Book Two sat securely in its sleeve until yesterday. Teacher has asked me a few times if I’ve listened to it, but she hasn’t made much of it. I know from my independent reading, however, that Dr. Suzuki would not be happy with me. Additionally, I wrote on my struggles […]
What Do They Pull Down?
Yesterday I caught an article that I can no longer find so I won’t cite one (there are plenty of others corroborating the facts out there) on the ongoing labor dispute at the Metropolitan Opera. It’s quite messy – there are at least 15 different unions at work in the 300 million dollar organization, including the only […]
Morning Person
I’m naturally awake relatively early; one reason I started writing this blog was a desire to be more productive in the mornings before I need to be working. I’ve always done my best writing in the mornings, and as a bonus it gives me something to do while I wait until a socially acceptable time […]
Ryan Libel 