Day 133

Good night... I've been extremely extremely busy with gardens over the past few weeks, so have been keeping it around 2-2.5/3 hours per night. Sounds adequate, but my playing for pleasure is suffering.

Day 132

Good night.... Not intense but good... Change strings.

Day 131

Fairly good--adequate--too rushed, not inspired, but ok... I gotta split these elements up--I wish I'd quit saying it and to it. I also need some admin time for my music wall.

Day 130

Good night--substituted 'some' Suzuki for the Sarabande BVW 997. I'm learning the second theme now and further fine tuning the first theme. I'm after the chord at the front end of the thing as well, but haven't started on it yet. Otherwise, everything else accomplished.

I'm thinking of a variety of approaches to split the Suzuki up a little to:
1- have more playing for pleasure.
2- not rushing through to get them all in.
3- work on some other things like the Sarabande specifically, and some half-formed thoughts.

Day 129

Very good night---lots of extra

Day 128

Good but abbreviated--basics... Very busy.

Day 127

Good night--still not inspired, but very solid.... Everything accomplished plus a little play for pleasure as well as Suzuki 1, 2, and 3 review.

Day 126

Fairly good night--not great but ok.... I've been phenomonally busy in the gardens and with a couple other matters and am not very focused, but getting a pretty good job done.

Day 125

Really good night... Not inspired musically, but work-wise very productive. I'm moving along with my double stops (a little--they are that tough for me), and my appregios are starting to sound ok. I just go serious about the appregios and do half major one week, the next half the next--same with minor.

I'm using Bystovesky for double-stops, and that is showing some progress though slowly.

Day 124

Fairly good night--very low energy--only 1.5 hours, but got through mandatories.

Day 123

Very good night... Everything plus alot of goals.... I've got to start finding a way to split things up somehow, as I really have to work too hard to get everything in, and while my focus and effort is good, I feel I could do better. For example, I had intended on playing for pleasure a little, and had very little time.

On a positive note, my double stops are improving, my accuracy is improving, my detached notes are improving thanks to Amelia... I'm improving detached notes realtime, and that feels real good.

I've started getting very serious about my appregios, and also found them very very useful for practicing vibrato.

Day 122

Pretty good.. Intense for two hours then diversions.

Day 121

Excellent night--excellent.

Day 120

Really good night.... Worked very hard for about 4 hours.. all routine work plus good time with new goals.

Day 119 (a real day off)

The first day in 118 I didn't pick up my violin at all. Had family emergency, and ....

Day 118

Good night.... Worked alot on appregios, started Bystovesky more, everything else as well....
2:50

Day 117

Good night. A lot of time on new etude.

Day 116

Good night.... A little tired, but I had a extremely busy and productive day... Just over 2 hours.

Day 115

Back on schedule pretty good. All etudes, elements, Suzuki etc....

Day 114

Very rushed tonight--very very very busy in gardens, and cannot clone myself. Only a little more than an hour, but at least it was a good one.

Day 113

Good Night... Started on more goals.

Day 112

Really good night.... Worked on everything including new goals (appregios, etc....)

Day 111

Pretty good night--very pushed, but got alot done--not new goals much, but thought about them some.

Day 110

Skipped elements, started appregios and did 3rd/5th position festival. Everything else as usual (etudes/Suzuki).

Day 109

Good solid day.

Day 108

Good night--Everything accomplished--set some new goals:
1-next etude
2-finish Humoresque
3-etude variants.

...elements
...etude workout
...Suzuki
...pleasure

Day 107 Day OFF!!!!!

I overdid vibrato last night and my left thumb inner joint is throbbing--so I'm taking it easy for a night. This feels strange. Just played for pleasure for a couple hours.

Day 106

Back on schedule... Got everything done (etudes, elements, Suzuki) and played my ass off for about three hours after that. Learning "In The Arms of the Angels" by Sarah McGlaughin--wow...

Day 105

Good day--skipped elements, as I got a very late start.

Day 104

Pretty much the same as yesterday. Didn't linger on Boccherini that much. Martini Gavotte coming along nicely, Humoresque advancing a little-no fireworks but coming along.

Lots of etude work, on all parts of bow. I have some good things going on with this I think. I need to get more of the variations going.

I still don't like Minuet in G--wasn't crazy about it on piano--it's still giving me trouble, but the trio is starting to sound crisp finally.

Day 103

Catching up blog... Good day--started getting the elements rolling again--with some changes de-emphasizing some and demoting them to just a minute review instead of 3. A lot of Suzuki review. Also, started messing around with my scales to make full bows and vibrato and bow changes part of that process, including also balancing the instrument in shifting and some other posture issues--combining things--works well so far.