There has been a bit of a shake-up with lessons. No longer is the Sage going to Browning Street. Lessons have moved to Farringdon Street in Robinson. No longer does the Sage have something to look forward to on Tuesday evening. The lessons are on Saturday. The Sage is feeling the love though. Not only is the Sage going to Robinson, but so is Sirisha, and so is Princess Sage, and so is Anand, because Laura is teaching there with Dave, who is teaching the Princess and Anand piano. So it's like one big musical family. Nawww...
I am still going with the same pieces, making progress most of the time, pausing now and then to refine one aspect or another. The last lesson was one of those refinement lessons. Laura pointed out there are different levels of mastery when playing scales. No longer am I at the bottom level. Neither am I at the top, yet there are certain expectations now when I play, and there are skills I must have when playing for an examiner. This is one of the reasons scales are so cool. I know what a scale sounds like, so I can concentrate on getting a good even tone on up-bow and down-bow at both ends of the bow. I can concentrate on changing strings cleanly at both ends of the bow so there is no scratching.
The Princess felt bad for me because she thought Laura was going mad on me or picking on me. Of course it was not like that, but that is how she felt. I told her "if Daddy wanted to be a half-arsed violinist he would have found a half-arsed teacher". I want to use my whole arse, that is to say, to play the best that I am capable of playing. I will never out-Hahn Hilary or out-Bell Joshua, and that has never been my goal. I want to do my best without worrying about comparing myself to anyone else.
Right now that means working hard to get my scales sounding better.
There will be a break over Easter. Family duties call as much as I would like a lesson. The lessons will be there after Easter.
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