Violin Lesson #56

Another week has passed, with less practice than usual. And it occurred to me that less practice time means more intelligent practice. I have to use the little time I have effectively. It is something Laura mentioned she had to when she was a student. She didn't practice as long as the others - but she made the most of her time.

This week was another double lesson with Sarisha. We had time for a quick chat while we were waiting for Ava to finish her lesson.

I have not learned any new scales or exercises lately so I start with the scales I know. Next week I'll ask for another scale. The g-minor melodic scale Sarisha played in her lesson sounded quite pretty so hopefully that will be one of them.

This week I played Raggle Taggle Hippie and Hear That Whistle. I am only playing the first half of the song but there are still a few things to work on. The starting note needs to be more pronounced. Currently I don't give it enough life, and because it is the first note it hampers the rest of the piece. You would think by now I would automatically use more bow, right? Thinking about it, perhaps it is a confidence issue. I may not feel confident enough to play that piece so it comes out with less intensity than it otherwise might. Patience can't sing if I don't use enough bow :) I also have to be careful how much bow I give each note, or group of notes, so they all get the same volume. Not enough bow means that note or notes will sound wimpy compared to the previous one. And I still have to be aware of my phrasing so the music flows naturally instead of sounding robotic - my biggest fear is to play something mechanically and without feeling so I really need to pay attention to the phrasing.

Hear That Whistle went okay. It's only a short piece but it has some cool "tricks" that need to be done correctly. There is a long glissando (slide up the string) which needs the third finger and must be played slowly so I have to count it correctly. The harmonics need the lightest touch and I still need to practice hitting them accurately. And again, dynamics are important too.

Then it was Sarisha's turn. She had some scales and exercises and two pieces to play. As usual, it was interesting to see her play and to see Laura teach her.

So, I still have my four pieces to work on, which I think I prefer than having just two at a time since it varies my practice a little, and I wouldn't be much of a programmer if I couldn't multi-task :)