Category Practice Notes
The New D
Tone is a funny thing – of course at this stage of my playing I chalk every deficit in my tone production up to my level of experience. I’m a beginner on this instrument, and the pursuit of beautiful tone is something violinists struggle with forever. But overall I’ve been relatively pleased with my progress, […]
Bend the Thumb
I’m back to working on my bow hold: Bend the thumb. Bend the thumb. Bend the thumb. Touch the hair with your knuckle. Touch the hair with your knuckle. Touch the hair with your knuckle. Playing while obsessing about bending my thumb is causing me to struggle a bit. In the last lesson Teacher really […]
Louder, and Company
I’m playing louder lately. I’ve been trying to bow more confidently, and to produce decisive strokes. It’s causing my tone to improve, and it’s helping me sound better overall, for sure. But it is louder. Now, we’ve lived in this condo for over 10 years, and it’s been quite quiet the whole time. I added […]
Another Minor Week
I won’t have a lesson on Wednesday – instead, I’ll be attending the funeral of a friend’s father. So that means I’ll have to wait another week to start in on the Beethoven I’ve been anticipating so wildly; the extra week I forced myself into with Gavotte by Lully will become two. Of course I […]
Strings and Hard Things
Last night I was talking to my friend who has just taken up the cello. She’s slightly north of 60 years old and she’s never played any instrument before at all. I talked to her about the difficult nature of fretless stringed instruments – there’s just so much that goes into playing the things. I […]
You Gotta Have Strings
Well it’s been a terrible few days for me in violin land. I have not played since Saturday, when I got in a quick 45 minute practice session. The main reason is my broken A string, compounded by the blizzard – I wrote I would head to the burbs to visit the luthier on Tuesday, […]
Blizzard Solace: Stymied!
What is the perfect Chicago blizzard activity? Playing the violin at home, of course! What did I find when I opened my case to do just that just now? A broken A string, my first broken string ever – leave it to me to have a broken string on one of the best days for […]
Fit as a Fiddle
I have a new Fitbit device – a little bracelet that records all of my movement activity. It’s really a souped-up pedometer that connects to an online database that logs my activities via my computer or other wireless devices. It tracks physical activity and also provides interesting sleep tracking data. It’s marketed as a fitness […]
Hearing Scales
My new gavotte, by Lully, is coming along – I’m only about five lines in. The piece has a very minor feel/sound, overall, which I’m finding lovely and really enjoying producing. Other pieces have included sections of minor sound, but this is the first full-on minor piece I’m playing, and it sounds great and it’s […]
Simple Gifts
I put a few items on an online wish list at Christmas time – one of them was a practice mute. The list paid off in spades, and, much to my delight, I came home from Wichita with the thing. It works quite well; I had my first full practice session with it yesterday. It’s […]
Ryan Libel 