Category Lesson Notes
Bow Work
Last week’s lesson brought a bow tool – Teacher fixed a green rubbery thing over the frog and screw of my bow that is meant to support a proper hand position. I played with it for about half the time, then she removed it and I continued, trying to maintain the improvements the device had […]
Aspiring to Vivaldi
The third movement of the Vivaldi Concerto is coming along. While my progress is not as slow as it was as I learned the first movement, which was a huge level up from previous pieces, it too presents exceptional challenges. There’s work in second position, third position, and even a shift in between third and […]
Turning the Page
Seven months in I am turning the page on the first movement of Vivaldi’s Concerto in A Minor. Not only do I feel ready enough, but my copy of Suzuki Book Four itself compelled me to move on when, during my practice session on Monday, as I flipped to the first movement’s third and final […]
Shifting and a Birthday
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 […]
On to Vivaldi
I’ve known of “The Vivaldi Concerto” in Suzuki Book Four for a long time – a Youtube video I watched quite early in my musical journey referenced it in an off-handed way prior to me knowing much of anything about Suzuki or music in general. But I do my homework and tend to read well […]
One Hand Clapping
Prior to yesterday it had been three weeks since my last lesson – Teacher cancelled one, then I was away unexpectedly last week. But in the meantime, I had been working on my bow hold, which we focused on when we last met as paramount to improvement in my execution of double stops. To the […]
Memorization and the Play-Through
Getting to the spot in a new piece of music where I can play it through without stopping is always a thrill. After yesterday’s lesson I am much closer on this newest piece – we worked through the remaining section of the Third Movement of Seitz’s Fifth Concerto, a flowing stretch of slurred sixteenth notes […]
Piu Mosso
Teacher holds my hand and wiggles it – the vibrato project progresses. Looser, looser, looser. The instrument still wiggles too, a little bit. But not like it used to. “Pinkies are the worst,” Teacher says. I don’t need to agree verbally – the tiny appendage really doesn’t wiggle at all for me. Well, it might […]
Duets and Moving On
Tuesday’s lesson was a blast – Teacher brought some music so we could play duets. First we did the Seitz 5, the first movement – the movement I’ve been working on as my newest piece for a good while now. The accompaniment part she played is based on the piano accompaniment included on the Suzuki […]
Ryan Libel 