Category The Suzuki Method
I’m Playing This?
When I got home from work last night I gushed to Michael about beginning Paganini in my morning lesson (I also gushed to co-workers all day long about beginning Paganini in my morning lesson). It occurred to me to think back to my start with Teacher and the Suzuki method, and to consider my expectations […]
Musical Me: An Anniversary
One year ago today I started Musical Me. It was a Monday, a normal day off for me, and I remember sitting on the couch pining over the loss of our cat Mischka, which had occurred just over a week before. I was also bored, and trying to come up with something to write about. […]
An Old and New Song
The Two Grenadiers, which I started in Wednesday’s lesson, is a song written by Robert Schumann in 1840. Schumann, whom I’ve mentioned before as the composer of another Suzuki tune I have in my repertoire, Happy Farmer, wrote many songs. And though sometimes I throw the word “song” around loosely – many of the compositions […]
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 […]
Book Two Is Phase Two
Teacher tells me she’s going to bring me a shopping list. Apparently the list will include supplemental instructional materials to Suzuki Book Two, providing “etudes” and such for me to work with (I learned a while back that etude just means exercise). Of course I love any excuse to buy violin stuff, so I’m looking […]
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 […]
Handel’s Flute Sonata in G Major
A Bourree is a dance, similar to a Gavotte. Suzuki Book Two includes a song called Bourree by Handel, and sources it to “Flute Sonata, Opus 1 No. 5.” That struck me as odd because I already know that Handel is one of those composers who has his own numbering system, like Bach – generally […]
Bourree on Repeat
If Dr. Suzuki insisted on something besides practice practice practice, it was listen listen listen. I did not take that to heart in Book One; I never had the CD that demos the songs. But Book Two arrived with a CD, so I’ve been playing catch-up on the aural channel. I’ve created an iTunes playlist […]
Brahms
I’ve just started a Brahms Waltz – it’s my first Brahms and it’s the most beautiful thing I’ve worked with to date – extraordinarily lovely. As is my practice, I’m doing some digging on the piece. My quick web search revealed, on the site of violinist Timothy Judd, the fact that it’s Waltz #15 in […]
Ryan Libel 