Practice Notes

Have been continuing in the same spirit as the last post... Averaging 2 hours. 3rd position coming along ok--went up through Suzuki 1-12 in 3rd last evening. I need to find me a place during the week where I can let loose on Martele, and more assertive bowing I'm use to on weekends.

Practice Notes (3rd position)

I was working with 3rd position up through Suzuki 1/10... I took a break and played "The Lord's Prayer" using the portemento, vibrato, and so forth when, I slid right into 3rd position with the vibrato in place on the high parts. ;) So very cool.


Did standard sets and so forth and so on. Worked with the Martele on etudes, and practiced them straight out, as well as trying with the stacatto. Used the 4 note slur patterns and extended the bowing a little.

I can't wait to tell Ms. McGuire about the 3rd position vibrato thing. Moreover, I can't wait to master it.

I started transferring my site-reading from 3rd position to 1st position in my mind to beging mastering the note names in 1st position. Dang mountain folk--gotta do it the hard way every time. ;)

Practice Notes

Over the past several days, including the weekend: Average practice time was 2 hours. I started applying portamento hinged to vibrato on each end of the effect to "The Lord's Prayer", which I learned last week (around Thursday). I discussed with Ms. McGuire the dynamics of shifting downard from 3rd to first, when the shift begins with 1st finger landing on 2nd finger. We got to the point in this respect of compromising on a 2-1 pattern. Though my main instructor continues to lead boldly, Ms. McGuire has been more than invaluable and I will love her forever for it.

Ms. McGuire has been a sounding board, a perspective builder, has helped me cut through some of the peripheral things, is a true musical giant, and has shared long meaningful informed conversations in areas of appreciation. She has furthered my quest to understand Mahler in subtle but distinctive ways, especially coupled with my instructor's explanation of some of the subtle technical contributions Mahler made to note and phrasing dynamics (think extensive, complex portamento). I also found sound clips of Mahler's 5th, and was surprised--it was nothing that I really expected. I found what I've heard of Mahler's 5th fresh, dynamic and shadowed with modernity yet retaining a distinctive classical flavor. My imagination told me that Mahler would be dark, long, boring--far from true. I had indexed my understanding of Mahler by reading the history of symphony, which in my memory simply focused on how one of his contributions was the long long movements he created. And, in that his work has not really been elevated to the greats in popular classical--or so it seems, I 'assumed' the worst. The exposure to themes from his 5th pleasantly corrected my error in thinking.


I started applying the martele to the etudes as requested. I also began playing up through number nine or ten in Suzuki 1 in third position. While still leaving alot to be desired, the 3rd position practice is evolving if not nicely yet, at least steadily--little steps of improvment in technique etc. I also at least to some extent, started focusing on reading the notes for every note in 3rd position. I mentioned to Ms. McGuire that it will be odd that I will be more technically astute notewise in 3rd than 1st. I think however, that there will be a reverse understanding in 1st that will evolve concerning notes and position in 1st.


I accompanied Ms. McGuire on "The Lord's Prayer" on piano. We tinkled around with doing "The Lord'sPrayer" in b-flat though only briefly.. Nonetheless, I experienced b-flat semantically. Ideally, a chromatic understanding transferring from piano to violin would occur.
After fiddling around with it in several keys, we finally discovered that I had learned it in Dmaj; and, I just realized that I will be able to do some octave jumping as a result.

Practice Notes

I've decided to start posting every few days, not because I don't like posting but because they become repetitive--unless I've had an epiphany-like moment.


During my last lesson my instructor tore me a new one over the etudes. That's what she's there for though. I've practiced a little on them this past week, but I need to get about them. I have the 8 and 4 notes slurs down now, and corrected the little f-natural issue. I still need to focus more on really drawing and pushing that bow to it's limit on the slurs. The other slurs mixed with stacatto are going to be challenging but not beyond my abilities. I'm looking forward to what they should do for my dynamics if I understand their purpose correctly.


Expressiveness is starting to improve as my left hand continues to strengthen very nicely. I'm still having a little problem with coordination but very thankful the strength is not only back but improved--I think.


I have the Ave's down now, although I still need the music for Cacinni's. I corrected the mordant on Schubert's version, and now have it initiated correctly on D--it's much more interesting as well. I started on The Lord's Prayer last night and it is beautiful--though tempered timbre-wise like the Aves. I'll learn it anyway because of the funky little phrases that actually, held me back from learning it by ear on piano.


Moon River is going to be awesome. I can get it cleanly in two octaves, and there are places where I can add accented string lines as transitions and so forth. I've added Air on the G String back to the mix, and almost have it down--again. I on the one hand wish I had stuck to my guns and kept it in the mix previously; however, my hand, 4th finger weakness, and lack of bow-length makes it really ok, that I had to get back to it. The bowing is smoothing out, and of course it's easier to learn this time around.

This past weekend I accompanied Ms. McGuire a little doing string lines and so forth. Though leaving much room to be desired, I jumped right in there and at least a few times things came together very nicely--until she started grand-standing with complex chord transitions--honary cuss!. I also played freestyle last night on some Erik Clapton, in the accompaniement context, some Al Green, and...... I'm finding I'm liking the accompaniement aspect of violin very much. I've 'always always always' loved harmony, more specifically 4 part harmony and above, so the accompaniement aspect of violin feels natural and free. This layer of my person makes me a good candidate for 2nd violin because I'm not obsessed with cadenza/solo moments as much as excellent excellent beautiful music.

With all that said, I do like pushing myself in being able to carry the melody and so forth and developing my dynamics for further work with Mozart, Celtic, maybe Russian, and definitely Bartok type of E. European colors. I threw down on a jig this past weekend, and hit it pretty darn nicely first time around.

Practice Notes (Catch Up)

The past week plus has been phenomonally busy in every way. Nonetheless, I've managed an average of an hour and forty-five minutes each day. I'm playing the Ave's comfortably by memory now, and they are even expressive at times. I'm continuing with the etudes; and, have added some popular songs (Moon River etc., ) into he mix. Moon River is going to be awesome (two octaves--very strong treatment). Getting ready to move on in Suzuki II. I have to get back on the little Mozart minuet as I never finished memorizing it or mastering it.