Violin Lesson #20

I can't believe this is the twentieth lessons. Time is flying because I am having fun.

For the firs time I played with a bow buddy. This contraption coerces you into having a good bow hold. Now most times I am happy with my bow hold and so is Laura. Playing with this device felt peculiar. And of course my bow hand was resisting it. Laura was in equal parts amused and annoyed by this. She said she would like me to use it once in a while but I don't have to practice with one.

I don't think it had much to do with the bow buddy but this week I received a sticker for The Slur And Stomp Song. Yay! It's been a long time coming. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy playing and I'll be sure to go back and revise it, but it's great to hear Laura saying I have learned what she wanted me to learn from this piece.

I also finished with Hot Cross Buns. No, really, I did. One week. Smashed it =) . My first song using two fingers.

Crazy Circus was sounding much better but needs another week. It's almost there. Actually, I enjoy playing it, and it's a duet, so Laura gets to play along. I don't think I mentioned this before, but instead of counting in, professional players start with a sniff. So sometimes Laura sniffs and away we go =). The down side is you get just a single beat before you start instead of the "three four" with the count-in I am used to.

I need another week with my second composition (lullaby). I think I try to play it too quickly. Laura says that piece is really not a beginner piece. It contains more string crossing than she would normally give to a beginner player. It uses all four strings and changes strings frequently. It's something I should keep in mind for my next compositions.

I did get two new pieces. The first is mostly a finger exercise (for two fingers). It's played on a single string so I can practice on all four. The second piece is called Walking My Puppy (aww...cute) and is really quite pretty. As with most of Laura's pieces, this one contains something knew. I have to play pizzicato with the left hand. Pizzicato (or plucking) is normally done with the bow hand, which is the right hand in my case. Now I get to do it with my left fourth finger - the pinky. It's not the strongest finger, so this will take a little getting used to. And to make matters worse, for me, I have a little callous on that finger. Why? I don't know, but it's there, and just in the spot I would use to pluck. I'll try what I can to remove the callous and keep on with my practice.

And I found out something else interesting. Laura went to school with Katei. I have seen him play twice at the Buddha Birthday Festival here in Brisbane, and almost went to a CD launch he did at the Powerhouse Museum.