Author Archives: Ryan Libel
No Lesson
Teacher e-mailed me a few days ago and begged forgiveness for canceling this week’s lesson. She’s got a gig in the far suburbs all week and has to be there early. I haven’t really skipped any lesson weeks until now – we’ve moved days a few times, but have always managed to get one in. […]
Macy’s and Muzak
The music that accompanies us as we eat, as we shop, as we get our hair done – most of us probably don’t give a lot of thought to how it comes to be. But some people give it a whole lot of thought. As I was shopping at Macy’s yesterday, I was reminded of […]
The Macdonald Viola
Antonio Stradivari is known for his violins, but he also produced other stringed instruments. The 1719 Macdonald Viola is one of only ten complete extant violas by the master luthier, and the only one in playable condition from his Golden Period – apparently the Russian government owns the other one and it has fallen into […]
No New Music
My Austin long weekend kept me from too much practice last week, so my new song languished. Of course we worked on it in yesterday’s lesson. I’d been struggling to hear what the last couple of lines of my minuet are supposed to sound like, so the first thing I asked was for Teacher to […]
All Strings and No Strangers
While in Austin last weekend I was privileged to be hosted by a delightful couple I’ve known for probably two years now. They are magnanimous people who’ve never met a stranger, and I understand they get a good number of visitors; they like it that way. I felt like part of their family – they […]
When in Tejas
As a person who grew up speaking Spanish in a country that borders on Mexico, I’ve always loved Mexican culture – its lack of pretension, the food, the sounds of traditional Mexican music, the art, the tight-knit families, and the progressive sensibilities that govern the stewardship of resources. I was thrilled, then, to learn that […]
The Holy Syllable
I’m in Austin at an Anniversary celebration for a friend’s school, and yesterday I participated in a meditation circle to honor a woman who recently died. Peg dedicated her life to empowering women, and I was honored to participate. I did not know her personally, and the form of meditation was not one that I […]
Leaving a Minuet Behind
I’ve always loved travel, but there’s always the tug of the stuff you leave behind – like your bed, perhaps your family, and possibly your violin. Wednesday’s lesson brought me the rest of my new minuet, and I am having a great time learning it. It’s challenging, and my three days away beginning in an […]
Warming Up Is Playing
So far, I’m still starting all my practice sessions with Twinkle Twinkle. I then play all the songs I’ve learned to date in succession, often repeating ones that aren’t coming out right that day. I will throw in scales and arpeggios often, especially if I think I need to be more in tune. I do […]
Playing and the Berimbau
Capoeira is a Brazilian martial art descended from African slaves. Inherent to the art is the use of music and dance; it was practiced and developed in secret, and the presence of music helped it appear to the powers that be that it was part of a harmless ceremony. Music is such a part of […]
Ryan Libel 