Day 1E

Ho hum, but really fairly good. I think tonight I felt my first groovin' with many actually most of the things I've been working on, meaning of course very relaxed, with fuller resonant sound present, clean vibrato and an 'ok' feeling. A little weary from the past couple days I'm sure.

And, a new layer of digging in presented itself. There in the past were a lot of moments when resonance was fairly good for my level. This new layer is just an intensification of that with more hair, more weight and gosh almighty sound. Also, I was able to do some nice little colle based martele on the fly very nicely--that was spayshul--actually it was.

These elements have been described earlier. And that left shoulder table thing. I really hammered on it, using both teacher's approaches I think as well as my own, as well as Raphael K's.. Do it again--now again, now again. I think Laurie Niles might have put me on this, though I also think I always have, and the association might be somewhat coincidence, but nonetheless was recent.

So, more of the same in Greensboro tomorrow night I suppose. Lift left arm>right shoulder shoulder, find parallel nearly elbow, practice pushing it forward where shoulder stays level. Do it again.

Anyway, just played around--basically all over the place: folk, etudes, Suzuki, uh various unexpected sounds I'm sure. The first time I just playfully did 16n/bow it was really messy, but I'm feeling those string crossings gliding now, though it's still 'arrivin'.

Day 1D

I knew this was going to happen but do not really care. After a couple days of minimal practice, or at least one, I threw down like a kid in a candy store. But most importantly is how things came together generally. I used a mirror almost the entire practice, and whala: the tuck, the table, overall lightness of hold, and more: a big cool important more.

During my posture festival I had been practicing using almost no chin pressure to help stable the instrument; and, I had been having somewhat zoned out problems finding the table because so many things have changed for me recently. So last night I realized that zero pressure does not mean no pressure with the chin and played with a well formed forward but not raised table consistently. And I played, and I played, and I played. I feel like I've been on a drunk. And I played. And my southpaw though a little tired, is quite ok.

So, I increased my chin pressure from stable to lightly throughout the night, going from an 'able to hold the violin up on the table' posture to a 'minimize considered' posture. Also, because I'm using a center mount, am finding my chin doesn't really hit the chin rest, but my jawline feels perfect on the rest. Oddly even to me, this feels less claustrophobic to me in a way I do not understand. And I can see my pretty face in the mirror as I practice (Henry Fielding pronunciation).

Once again, a new level has been achieved though I would not be the one qualified to describe it. My playing on this stable table was really really nice, full (or becoming fuller)--just wonderful.
And I also started applying two points I feel important to stamina. Playing from center better is one point, a point shared by Amelia; but, the second point has to do with visualizing the straight neckline in a truly truly relaxed interaction with the instrument--very nice indeed. I think Amelia might have inferred this if not directly mentioned it, but it was the web site from the Netherlands that drove it home to and image I could truly work with.

My first impulse on waking was to practice, but I have to rest some so I'll wait until later.

One more thing: my coach helped me with some shifting circumstances perspective building on the phone last night. (AE-shoot for 12th)(GD-get competent to 5th and don't worry about it.)



If it's the Lord's will, I'll see Hilary Hahn tomorrow night in Greensboro. I'm so excited I can't stand it. This will be a good break for me.

Day1C 7/14/07

About 30+ minutes before work... Medley.

Day1B

Very Short Practice--not really even a practice--worked until 2:30am, and just played around with the little medley in em a little, and a little Suzuki.

Day 1A Abstractions

My few days off in April turned into more than three weeks, and that turned into a more leisure practice approach for awhile, though still very considerably focused. Most of the remarks for these abstractions already live at violinist.com , God luv'm. Anyway, rehashing just a little, the past many weeks have been phenomenally productive--last night just bringing these many things together almost made me feel uncomfortable. I've felt this way actually several times with this instrument. This sort of performance level surrealism is fairly common with achievement sometimes.

Though my original goals was to get through Suzuki III this Summer, I find actually it's still achievable, maybe moreso than before. Since about the middle of May I've been focusing on posture, more or less, and a few weeks ago I really turned up the heat. I'd played without a shoulder rest lightly before, but I decided to ditch it, after reading Raphael Klayman's site. His site has a very simple yet effective paper on holding the instrument without a rest; and, the result was amazingly phenomenal--for good reason I think.

Even though I'm pretty laid back, posture on violin has been a nemesis. Mainly my tuck was the main focal point that improved two hundred percent, but this has been a Perlman dance of lightness. Other points truly addressed for the moment have been: left wrist, bow hold, various contact points with the instrument-meaning releasing all pressures, vibrato--somewhat nearing significantly, and again tuck. But, I've added shifting to my challenges which I should work on soon while I'm on this relearning festival.

Even though I'm finding some awkward moments here and there, honestly the increase in resonance is phenomenal, as is vibrato and overall sound. So this is basically where I'm at, though I'm so excited I feel I could write for days on what has happened in my program recently.

So Tonight:
Furthered straight wrist work, allowing overall concavity to be magnified--because I cannot walk and chew bubble gum--I'll turn it back down in the near future. I was trending convex, though not really badly, enough I think to effect sound; and, definitely vibrato. So this went real well.

Along with straight wrist, started more focused time keeping that 2sweet2b true tuck nicely pointing right, augmenting actually everything--of course vibrato. I also was more or less successful at keeping the chin light and so forth. Played pretty intently--thumb feels fine.

Started my first original folk arrangement, using at least three songs: "Scarborough Fair", "Poor Wayfaring Stranger", and a English folk melody sounding thing I put together in em... It's going to be powerful...... powerful. Tonight with improved resonance and vib., it's already haunting. And this, is sort of why I wanted to play violin-whew!.

Uh, let's see: One other challenge was created by ditching the chin rest and other things: The changed angle took some of my colle/martele type stuff temporarily. No big deal--and my improving bow control and note forming was set back a little, which is basically part of the colle/martele thing. Again, no big deal.

My day was ok. It's been a music and cooking for the folks day. I checked out "Time for Three", rock'n double Bach'n. Oh sheesh-I still grin... And one of the people on V.com, Rachel Barton Pine, is on the Billboard Classical chart now. I was extremely proud.. And I started getting my mind ready to go checkout Hilary Hahn next week--did I say surreal earlier. And maybe I should add again, that my basics started to click, I put rosin on the stick, and jammed, both with and beyond, the metronome's tick. And have a good day.