Violin lesson #68

Practice was back in routine like the rest of my week after the holidays. It also helped that I no longer have to look after Mr Whiskers since Sir Mark is back from his trip overseas. I will miss him not least of all because he was a charming cat but also because I enjoyed practicing in their house =) I know the lady next door could hear me but I don't know if she liked my playing.

I started off with scales and exercise this week. No sight reading or singing this time. They went well enough for me to start on the A minor melodic scale. I didn't quite get my head around it during the lesson but not doubt will improve quickly with practice during the week.

The exercise was interesting, mostly because Laura said the start of it reminded her of the Kiss song "I Was Made For Loving You" (skip to the 20-second mark if you don't want to sit through the beginning guitar riff). I had been singing that every time I started the exercise. Haha... could there be a Kiss cover coming up for the Sage?

Next was Toffee Nut Fudge Cake. I learned how to improve my accent (musically speaking). It's all in the first bow-finger. Otherwise the notes are all there  and I just need to pay attention to all of the other information on the music such as the dynamics and note embellishments like the accents and staccato.

Fiddler Fancy was close enough for Laura to accompany, so I know it is almost there. Wow, just like in software, the last 10% of a piece of music takes 90% of the time to learn. It just needs to be a little quicker. Hopefully I can start May with a sticker for this piece.

I finished off with Minuet. The tricky sequences were sounding much better and now with a little more bow. One day I am going to play something and Laura will be like "less bow" and I'll probably pass out. Also, I think I have been doing the tricky pieces so long that my timing for the rest of the music was way off. It's not that it was difficult but I just couldn't get it.

And that's all I had time for. Sirisha was next and she did well. Her scales and pieces are going along nicely.

We didn't have time for the Paploma duet. Not to worry because I did not practice that much this week. I vow to start writing down what I practice. I am a little less concerned about how long I practice and more concerned that I am not giving attention to all of my pieces. I may not be able to play everything every day but I need to make sure nothing gets forgotten either.

This week-end is going to be good because it is the Buddha Birthday Festival. Buddhism, vegetarian food and hopefully some great entertainment at the Welcome Ceremony. And as a special bonus, a visit from Poh.