Looking on it now, I think part of it was the goal to speed this piece up. I think I did that but at the expense of the sound. There is a way to play music quickly without making it seem rushed. I found a way NOT to do this :) That's when Laura shared with me a quote from German composer and pianist Franz Liszt:
Think ten times. Play once.
Only slightly less well known is this quote from Laura: Be like Sarisha. I have mentioned Sarisha before. She is another student of Laura's. Already Satisha does just this. She will take some time to compose herself before she starts playing. And according to Laura it pays dividends for her.
What this all means is be patient, take your time, think about what you are going to do, then do it. My tendency has been to jump right in play. Enthusiasm is fine, but it must be tempered with patience, especially at my stage of learning. I *know* what I have to do and how to play. I just need to slow down and think about it first.
Before I start playing the first note I need to make sure everything is ready. And believe me there is a lot of everything, especially when it comes to playing the violin. There is the head, the neck, the arms, the shoulders, the hands, the fingers, the posture, the breathing, the bow, the violin, and so on. Then there is thinking about what I am to play and how to play it. Then I can put the bow on the string, and after that I can start. It sounds like a lot. It is. But the more I can do this, the more automatic it will become and eventually it will be like second nature. I just need to be patient.
I won't lie. It is frustrating. But this is exactly what I want. I want to know when I have finished with a piece that I know how to play it properly. If I don't play it correctly, it will NOT be because Laura did not take the time to teach me. Afterwards, I though to myself "I don't know how long this violin journey will be or where it will take me." Having thought that, I understand that I don't want to limit myself because of poor or sloppy playing. Whether I am playing for myself or my friends or a hall full of people, I want to play well.
And it's great that Laura told me to take this on board and think about it, because that seems to be what is best for me. I think about what I have been taught then go ahead and apply it at home. Laura also mentioned she is teaching me how to learn. Eventually I will stop taking formal lessons, but I will not stop learning. There will be times when I am learning to play a difficult piece. If I know how to learn it, the task will be a whole lot easier.
One other things I need to do is drop the arm for the E-string (the highest string on the violin, and one on which I like to play). This will help me keep the bow straight. And I need to keep weight in my arm so there is good contact between the bow and the string. Didn't I tell you there was a lot to consider? :)
After this we went on to Home Sweet Home. The challenge here is to synchronise the bow with the fingers for the triplets. This is getting better and better each time, as is the retakes. Then there is the chord at the end of the piece. I need to be able to feel the bow on both strings BEFORE drawing the bow across them. Again, patience is the key. I know when I play this correctly because it sounds pretty sweet, and I like the sound, and I want to keep on making it. So that will be on the (long) list of things to practice this week.
One thing that did lift my spirits a little at the end of the lesson was the decision to buy my own violin. This happy event will take place on Saturday. Stay tuned for a post on that later.
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