This is rapidly becoming a fortnightly rather than weekly blog =)
There is not a whole lot to report, that's why. I am still learning plenty. Last week for example Laura talked about Baroque style and how to play it. Also, last week's lesson was especially sweet because Sirisha brought some delicious coconut and passionfruit cake.
This week Laura presented me with a new song: Ksekina Mia Psaropoula made popular by the movie My Big Fat Greek Wedding. Nawww that was very sweet. The youtube link will have to do for now until I learn to play it. This song is in the key of D-Major which means there is a C# (high third finger on the G-string). That's was not exactly new to me since I have been mucking about learning my own songs that are either already in the key of D-major or that I have transposed from C-Major using the power of mathematics (that is to say, adding one).
We also talked about the A-minor melodic scale. It appears in one of my exercises, and apparently also in one of Laura's pieces for an upcoming Ady Ensemble performance. She played some of what she has been practising. It's time like that where her love of music shows, and it's an infectious love. She can't way to play it and I can't wait to hear it (and perhaps play it myself some day).
No stickers for Szechuan in these lessons. Sirisha has received some for her efforts. Go Sirisha!
Laura will be away next week so lesson #87 will have to wait a fortnight anyway. It's not so bad: Mzaza are supposed to be performing at City Hall next Tuesday.
Tuesday, September 23, 2014
Thursday, September 11, 2014
Violin lesson #83,#84
It has been a case of "steady as she goes" for the last two lessons. No major changes though Laura did introduce a new piece - Jumping Jive by Christine Myers, as modern as Telemann's Minuet is classical =) In some ways it is easier to learn that Minuet and Air In G but it has its own techniques to master.
Both Sirisha and I are learning Minuet. Apart from Paploma it is not often we learn the same pieces. I think the last one was The Raggle Taggle Hippie. It is an interesting exercise for the three of us to compare and contrast how we play the same piece. We have our own strengths and weaknesses. That is fine when we are playing alone, but what happens when we need to play together? Laura is guiding us through Paploma so we follow her lead when it comes to style and so on. In an orchestra a conductor generally has a vision so I suppose they have the last say. I imagine in a duet or small ensemble these differences sort themselves out.
Last week Laura also played another piece but there was no follow-up this week. I think it was called something like Hot Chocolate. It had lots of string crossing and sounded pretty cool. I can't wait to give it a go.
In the lesson today Laura told me she was impressed with some of my playing. That is very encouraging for me. Sometimes when I hear myself I play I think "damn that sounds good" and other times not so much. So when someone with Laura's experience tells me they really like how I play it's great. I still get down sometimes with my perceived lack of practice. Yer even with that I can still make a good sound so I feel like persevering. It's hard to describe how much I enjoy playing, especially when I do find the odd moment here and there to muck about on my own.
Laura also mentioned that as you learn the violin, you get less pieces and spend longer on them than you do when you started. This is because at the start you are learning the basic skills on which you build later. When you study later pieces you can get more out of them and do more with them than you can with earlier pieces. Maybe this is one reason I have spent a while on the current pieces. Well, that and inconsistent practice times =) There have been times I have been tempted to ask about learning particular pieces, such as Klezmer or gypsy or even something from the Women Of Pop book I bought ages ago. But I trust that Laura chooses the pieces she does for a reason, and that when I am ready I will be taught well enough to learn those pieces on my own.
Since my last blog I met a cousin with the same name as me. He is a doctor in Sydney and about twenty years older than I am. He like to collect wine and appreciates classical music. Apparently he counts Richard Tognetti as an acquaintance and he has been introduced to David Oistrakh and Yehudi Menuhin. Violin royalty! Hopefully I will get to speak with him again the next time he is in Brisbane.
I also pledged on Pozible to help fund Guerilla Zingari's second album and make an album with MZAZA. Hopefully both projects will go the distance with funding. There can't be enough of their kind of music in the world.
Both Sirisha and I are learning Minuet. Apart from Paploma it is not often we learn the same pieces. I think the last one was The Raggle Taggle Hippie. It is an interesting exercise for the three of us to compare and contrast how we play the same piece. We have our own strengths and weaknesses. That is fine when we are playing alone, but what happens when we need to play together? Laura is guiding us through Paploma so we follow her lead when it comes to style and so on. In an orchestra a conductor generally has a vision so I suppose they have the last say. I imagine in a duet or small ensemble these differences sort themselves out.
Last week Laura also played another piece but there was no follow-up this week. I think it was called something like Hot Chocolate. It had lots of string crossing and sounded pretty cool. I can't wait to give it a go.
In the lesson today Laura told me she was impressed with some of my playing. That is very encouraging for me. Sometimes when I hear myself I play I think "damn that sounds good" and other times not so much. So when someone with Laura's experience tells me they really like how I play it's great. I still get down sometimes with my perceived lack of practice. Yer even with that I can still make a good sound so I feel like persevering. It's hard to describe how much I enjoy playing, especially when I do find the odd moment here and there to muck about on my own.
Laura also mentioned that as you learn the violin, you get less pieces and spend longer on them than you do when you started. This is because at the start you are learning the basic skills on which you build later. When you study later pieces you can get more out of them and do more with them than you can with earlier pieces. Maybe this is one reason I have spent a while on the current pieces. Well, that and inconsistent practice times =) There have been times I have been tempted to ask about learning particular pieces, such as Klezmer or gypsy or even something from the Women Of Pop book I bought ages ago. But I trust that Laura chooses the pieces she does for a reason, and that when I am ready I will be taught well enough to learn those pieces on my own.
Since my last blog I met a cousin with the same name as me. He is a doctor in Sydney and about twenty years older than I am. He like to collect wine and appreciates classical music. Apparently he counts Richard Tognetti as an acquaintance and he has been introduced to David Oistrakh and Yehudi Menuhin. Violin royalty! Hopefully I will get to speak with him again the next time he is in Brisbane.
I also pledged on Pozible to help fund Guerilla Zingari's second album and make an album with MZAZA. Hopefully both projects will go the distance with funding. There can't be enough of their kind of music in the world.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)