Violin Lesson #27

During the week my Princess recorded me on our tablet playing "Suo Gan" with the correct bowing. That was two days after Laura showed me what to do and it was pretty good. I enjoyed playing it this way. And she got me to bow at the end. If I don't record my pieces with Laura I will get my daughter to record me playing at home.

Also on that week-end, I caught up with my sister. She had a special request. My mother is turning 70 in July and she would be tickled pink if I could play "Happy Birthday" for her on the violin. A few SMS later and it was organised. As Laura said "Music is about making people happy". Too right :)

Coming the day after the Tokyo String Quartet I was excited about my lesson, even though I felt less prepared than usual. Here I have to thank Laura for coming to the studio just for me. I really appreciate it (even though she forgot the music to Happy Birthday).

I played "Suo Gan" the new way, and I could feel my nervousness. The bow as shaking. This is silly, I thought to myself. Why should I be like this after 26 lessons, and in front of someone who has been nothing but supportive since I started. If I can't play in front of my teacher, how am I going to perform in front of others? I think perhaps it was anxiety. I really wanted to get this right. And in the end I played it fairly well. But "Suo Gan" has not finished with me yet. I have one more week. This time I am to play like Homer (the Greek poet, not the cartoon character) and by that I mean without looking at my hands. Laura wants me to practice with closed eyes. Now, I have played like that a few times at home, and I enjoy it. That is, until the bow strays. But it important to be able to play without looking at my hands. Mostly I should look at the music. Laura says some players like to play with closed eyes to better feel the music they are making. After I tried it in class I could see (get it?see? with closed eyes?) what she meant.

Then it was "Waltz Of The Lovebirds". Practice for this paid off as I was able to nail the challenging last line. I was also pretty good with the second half of the first line. I'm sorry Laura, but I am not the stabbing type :) My staccato is not fast enough. I need to find another metaphor that can work for me. I still struggle with too much pressure when I try to move the bow quickly. No doubt I will get it in the end. It was about this time too that Laura mentioned my neck position. Sometimes it is tilted "like a zombie" instead of being in a natural position. This is something I'll have to watch this week. I don't want to end up with a sore neck. All of this was worth if for Laura's zombie impression. I learned some more of the waltz and I might nearly be ready to try the whole piece soon.

Right at the end there was time for another piece. I will only be doing the first line for "Home Sweet Home". It sounds pretty too and I know I will enjoy learning how to play this.

After the lesson we talked about performing. Browning Studio puts on a recital towards the end of the year to give students a chance to perform in front of family and friends. There is no pressure for students to perform if they don't want to play but I am all for it, whether I am on my own or in a group with other students. While I enjoy playing by myself, I think it will be just as much fun to play for others.