Violin Lesson #33

There was a fair bit on this week.

Firstly there was the Asia Pacific Chamber Music Competition. Trios and quartets from Australia and Asia competed for various prizes. The whole contest was broadcast on ABC Classic FM. The winners in the trio section were The Lyrebird Trio who are based in Brisbane. And Laura knows them :)

There was some news. Firstly there are changes at the studio so the prices might go up. No big deal. It's like five dollars or so a lesson and will be well worth it. Next, Laura has another teaching position so my lessons might be Tuesday afternoon. Again, no big deal. I am happy to take time off work whenever necessary for my lessons. Finally, Laura is performing in public. Yay! I am so looking forward to that. During lessons I get glimpses of how she plays, and I think it's great. I can't wait to see an entire performance.

This is the last lesson before I play Happy Birthday for my mother at her 70th birthday party. I spent a lot of the week practicing this song and it is getting pretty good. I played it at the start of the lesson and Laura had more advice for me. She reminded me it does not have to be perfect, and in some ways it should NOT be perfect. The people at the birthday (there will be 25 in all, and all of them family members) will enjoy the performance whether it is perfect or not. I should play my best, by all means, but not put so much pressure on myself. I need to enjoy it too. I thought about that and decided I can clown around a little and ham it up a bit to help me relax, and that in itself will help me play better.

I think part of the problem is that I am still coming to grips with the new bow. The bow was not tight enough for much of the lesson, so it sounded wobbly. I am sure it was partly my nerves but that had something to do with it as well. And I still have trouble with straight bowing. Laura suggested I might try and get a piece of hose or other tubing just big enough for the bow, then secure that near the bridge and slide the bow through that, just to get used to the feel of a straight bow. Much of playing the violin seems to rely on muscle memory - trying to remember how things should feel. Sometimes I believe I don't play enough so it is taking a little longer to develop. I am not a young school student so I don't have as much time to practice as I did when I was a young school student. I try and make as much time as I can given that I am like Al Bundy (married, with children). This is why it is even more important to make sure it is quality practice.

Speaking of school children, the student before me was a young girl, and she was playing the Kettle Song and Walking The Puppy. That means she is a little behind me at this stage. It was a little odd to hear songs I have already passed coming from someone else.

After Happy Birthday I was able to play Home Sweet Home. This is where it became obvious that the hand holding the bow needs some work. My thumb is not supporting the violin as it should and my fingers are too flat. They should be curved to give me better contact with the strings. When my fingers are flat it is hard to get the notes just right. And in this case, with the chord at the end, my finger on the D string is also touching the A string which is supposed to be played open. I found it difficult to keep my fingers curved so this is going to have to be something I practice even at work. The other issue is that my hand is touching the side of the violin opposite my thumb. This is not a good thing. The suggestion here is to get a strip of playdough along that side so that I am aware my hand is touching it. My hand should not be pressing into the dough. I have felt that before. There are times when I can feel the vibration of the E string when I play it open.

Trying to sort out this issue (and the straight bowing) was quite frustrating. Never the less, I will get there in the end. I am sure I felt the same about the bow hold, and, while not always perfect, it is coming along quite nicely.

Next was Waltz Of The Lovebirds. When I am not frustrated, this song does sound pretty good. It is, technically, the hardest song I have had to learn so far. Even though I am not 100% happy with it, Laura says it is going really well. Once this week-end is over, I will give more time to Laura's pieces and I am sure they will be much improved for the next lesson.

If that sounds like a lot for a half hour, it was. Laura mentioned she had another student at 6 (my lesson was at 5). So imagine our surprise when we finish and find there is another student who has been waiting since 530! I felt awful. Laura had mixed up her schedule :( I felt bad because another student was missing out while Laura was teaching me.

And that was it. I don't think I was expecting to learn so many different things when I started this journey. It's not just the skills of playing the violin. It is other things like how to learn, how to practice and how to perform. I was a little skeptical about playing in front of people, even if they are my family. But Laura's suggestions about performing were great, so I am going to put on a show this week-end. No doubt someone will be recording it. For better or worse, I will post it.

Wish me, and Patience, luck :)