Category Musical Passion
Beethoven and Practicing Twice
On maybe four occasions now, I’ve had two practice sessions in one day. Yesterday was one – I played in the morning for a little over an hour, then late in the afternoon for about an hour. These things happen on lazy days off; it’s such a luxury to be able to devote so much […]
Dr. Suzuki’s World: A Contextualization
“A clever baby can become tone-deaf. It can even become a wolf. In fact, it can become just about anything, in accord with its specific environment. I firmly believe that cultural and musical aptitude does not come from within, and is not inherited, but occurs through suitable environmental conditions.” – From “Nurtured by Love: The Classic […]
My New Violin, Part II
I am on Cloud 9, having retrieved my new violin, a 1926 Roth Strad., from the shop late this morning. I was already completely taken with the instrument’s appearance, but most of the minor cosmetic blemishes were evened out at the shop and it’s even more beautiful now. It’s got new strings, a new bridge, […]
“We’re Cutting the Bridge Right Now”
I just got off the phone with the luthier who’s been working on my new violin, and it’s just about ready. As I expected, I was unable to retrieve it before our big Christmas trip, so I’ve been without it for longer than I would otherwise have been. I don’t know much about exactly what […]
Binding Passion
This Christmas trip has me away from the violin for longer than I have been since I rented it from the shop. I’m missing it, but I’m also enjoying the company of my family. It seems I share a passion for this instrument with one of my nieces, about 13 years old now. I’ve mentioned […]
Big Family Cacophony
Michael and I are in a hotel in Wichita, Kansas prepping for family Christmas festivities, so I thought I’d use this Musical Me moment to think about some of the Christmas albums that I have listened to over the years. But as I started to write the list, I realized it’s brief – my family […]
Tchaikovsky and Sayaka Shoji
I’ve become obsessed with Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto. This morning I woke up with one of the strong melody lines running through my head, much to my delight. Since reading Lois Shepheard’s memoir of Suzuki, I have taken to heart the notion that I must listen to good violin music if I ever hope to play […]
“This Is Going to Be a Nice Instrument”
I took my new violin to the shop Teacher recommended. It’s not conveniently located for me at all, but the moment I met the man at the helm I knew it was worth the trek and that Teacher had not steered me wrong. I plopped the instrument on the counter, told him that I’d received […]
Christmas Music
Growing up I loved Christmas music – when I was a churchgoer the music was the marker of a true holy-day – we sang in special programs and in the worship services, and the music resonated with me deeply. But sometime after I stopped being a believer, the whole season took on an air of […]
My New Violin
My new violin arrived yesterday. It’s German, a 1926 Ernst Heinrich Roth Stradivarius 1714 (I think) copy that my father-in-law has had since 1948, though he hasn’t played it since the mid 1950s. He purchased it with the help of his beloved music teacher, Virginia Franks, at a good shop in High Point, North Carolina. […]
Ryan Libel 