Category Practice Notes
Mutes
I mentioned a mute to Teacher in my last lesson and she pulled a couple out of her case for me to try on. One was a practice mute – a piece of molded rubber that’s available on the cheap. It slips over the bridge, and when I played with it I was quite surprised […]
Seasons and Strings and Bits of Old, Dry Wood
String instruments that sit in their cases languishing for over 50 years and then get picked back up have some stretching out to do to in order to reconnect with their past glory. I’ve read that it can take a year or two of usage for them to reveal their capabilities to decent players. Now, […]
Speed Demon
Since downloading the Book One CD last week, primarily so I can have a good, speedy-enough-but-inclusive-of-all-the-repeats accompaniment track for Gavotte by Gossec, my little showpiece, I’ve been working on all my old Book One songs with renewed interest. I find that having accompaniment renders the simpler songs less boring. And listening to the way they […]
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, […]
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 […]
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 […]
The Wind and Musette
I’m slowly trying out these Book Two songs with the accompaniment tracks that came with the book. My first foray into playing with accompaniment was Book One’s Gavotte, and with that piece I had to find the accompaniment online; I don’t have the Book One CD. I’m still happy to be working on Gavotte daily […]
Taking My Time
As a rule, when I play for Teacher it’s not my best. Something about her standing there causes my fingers to fail. I see it in my own karate and in my students too – it’s even worse if you pay a compliment – a calamity is guaranteed to ensue. Of course when I play […]
Ryan Libel 