Violin Lesson #25

I think this is the first time I have finished a lesson and felt disappointed in myself.

This week I was practicing "Suo Gan" (the whole song) and the last line, also the hardest line, of "Waltz Of The Lovebirds". They are technically the two most difficult pieces I have been given so far. I felt I had a good week of practice so I was reasonably confident before the class.

I played through "Suo Gan" and rated myself a 7 out of 10. Some of the problem areas from last week had improved, but other areas were now not so good. I think the biggest issue this week was that I had played the song too fast in practice. When I first started this piece I played it a lot slower and consequently with more feeling. This is what I was missing this week: the feeling. Poor Laura did what she could to help me slow the pace, or even keep in time but it just wasn't happening. Laura has mentioned to me before that I can get a great sound from the violin, and that was missing this week. What I think I need to do this week is slow down the playing, focus a little less on the technical details and focus more on getting the sound and feeling back into the music.

I only said the other day I don't want to be one of those people who can play a piece technically very well but with no feeling. Far better I think to be someone who can play music to evoke an emotional response even if there are some technical issues. Or as Confucius says "better a diamond with a flaw than a pebble without".

After "Suo Gan" I went on to "Waltz Of The Lovebirds". My confidence was low because of the previous piece and because I was not happy with the way my practice for this piece had gone. However I did do a little bit better than with "Suo Gan" and better than I expected. Thinking back on it, I expect this to be rather a pretty piece to play. I am learning it the way Laura wants to teach it, by learning the hard part first and working towards the easier parts later. I think I also read this in Kenny Wener's book "Effortless Mastery" and was looking for proof when I came across this web site:

http://www.davidnevue.com/pianomyths.htm

I think many of these piano myths can apply to violin (or indeed any other instrument).

Ah... I'm rambling again. Almost done. The young gentleman I mentioned last week, Nathan, is apparently going on holidays for a while. I will miss hearing what he is playing. I often turn up early and I enjoy listening to the music that comes not just from Laura's room, but from other rooms at the studio. And also, there was no Sarisha waiting as my lesson ran over time again.

This week, I will strive to do practice better to have a better lesson next week.