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Practice 2021

Over the changeover of the year I took a break of a few days, without practice, without listening to any fiddle music, not really thinking about fiddles and music and it was a good break.

Coming back to it in 2021, I'm amazed at the sounds that the fiddle make. It is an honour to be able to hear such tones and tunes. I hope to keep this up. In this spirit, I'm not participating in any kind of counted practice effort - just a freeform practice. Over the last two years I've had tremendous success following the "try to practice every day or every other day" rubric, and now I feel I'm ready to let go of the structure and just play and enjoy. That said, I'm not going to stop practicing. I just mean to free myself from the structures and rely on my innate sense of musicality to provide me with the practice I need to achieve the music I want to play. Let's see how well it works?

2021-11-06
Haven't posted in a long while. Some pretty big family and life changes. I also got a wooden bow! I've been looking for a wooden bow for a long time and I stumbled into a bow story which is just starting to form in my head!

2021-07-05
Having a case of "lose what you don't practice!" Some tunes are gone! But spent an hour sounding really bad to get the tunes back! Time well spent.

2021-06-22

  • tried playing through the set - When Stella Smiles does not fit behind Laid a Herring in Salt, but it does well at the beginning and looping into Prayerful Hymnn, and it actually works because the calmness of When stella smiles feeds really nicely into the complexity of Prayerful Hymnn
  • so the set list becomes
  • When Stella Smiles, A Prayerful Hymn, la Bastrangue, St. Anne's Reel, and ending with Howie MacDonald's Laid a Herring in Salt and other jigs

2021-06-21 -

  • another no practice day, but I figured out what I wanted as the third (or even the fourth) in the set:
  • A Prayerful Hymn, la Bastrangue, St. Anne's Reel and then if it fits, Howie MacDonald's Laid a Herring in Salt, ending with When Stella Smiles
  • It will be called the Canadian set, because each piece comes from a different part of Canada. Ontario, Quebec, News Brunswick/Acadia, Nova Scotia/Cape Breton, and finally to the West, Vancouver Island.
  • Tunes I really need to learn: The High Drive hopefully this weekend I'll learn it.
  • HA I forgot that there are lyrics for la Bastrangue!

2021-06-19 -

  • no practice today, but going over A Prayerful Hymn in my mind.
  • I want to play it quite a bit slower actually, I think the way A taught it to me, we both liked it slower
  • Slower, take the time. take all the time, and breathe
  • think and feel through the tune
  • I'll do a recording tomorrow or the day after
  • In my mind, I want to tie it into the next tune, the Québécois tune, La Bastringue, which starts with the same notes, but has a much more folksy and faster tempo - use Jenna's idea of "ramping up" into the tune
  • need a third tune to complete the set. A waltz perhaps? Bell Mair's waltz?

2021-06-10

  • Oliver Schroer's tune A Prayerful Hymn is continually resonating in my mind today
  • for me it's the tune for the twilight hours of a person's life
  • asking, what do I do with my life?
  • and the answer - part B I'm still contemplating
  • missed opportunities?
  • I haven't had much luck in the love department but I have so much fullness in my life.
  • This tune definitely answers yes to my usual question: "if I go deaf today would I be happy with what I heard" - playing the melody with A on harmony and ossia was a life-changing experience.
  • After I recorded part A for instagram, I started shaking. Shaking so bad. I broke down in tears and I haven't felt this way in a long time. It took me about an hour afterwards to stop shaking
  • Sometimes I wonder why I'm in such a hurry to learn more tunes, to get all these instruments and invest in song and workshops and lessons.
  • this is the reason. we have limited time here, but within the music, while I'm playing and experiencing it, time is stretch so far - reaching back from when Oliver was still alive, until now.
  • made me think of my Newfoundland ventures, going back to visit family in Vancouver (hopeful for travel), and an incoming trek to Norway to walk the Pilgram's walk. I will bring the hardanger back to her homeland.
  • How do I do all this with little money, little time, a lockdown in the way, and all these unanswered questions about my life and what I'm doing?

Part B answers

  • reach deep, believe in my harmony, believe that what I have achieved so far is enough.
  • I am enough.
  • rest easy, take one day at a time. walking the pilgrim's walk is all about taking one step, and then the next step, and then the next step.
  • I have a question about the grace notes. Why are they there? Once I answer that question I believe I can play it in time.

This is the only tune I feel confident playing with hearing aids completely off. No shoulder rest. Just seeing the vibrations on the string and feeling the waves in my neck and shoulders. The pressure feeding back through the bow, on the very edge. I don't really care how it sounds anymore. Just the feeling alone gives me solace.

The Beòlach album version is wonderful. As is the version by The Hinterlands played on a Yukon mountaintop with a viola - I believe that version captures the essence of the music and is rehomed on the viola which is a great sound. I think I like the Beòlach one a bit better though.

For Màiri Rankin here in this performance, the grace note is almost like a little catch breath, the music is saying - hey you took a long walk, maybe take a small rest here, it's a little respite, and I think that's the prayer. The full tune is the Hymn, the grace note is the little prayer or, literally, a grace, for giving thanks for the little things in life, for a meal, for a beer, for friends, for this little moment. And then you continue onwards ready for the next phrase. From this perspective, I think the grace is the most important part of the whole tune. How it fits into the tune and changes the full double stops into a skip step.

For Patti Kusturok it's about playing the tune as it is, no pretentions. And it's about community - playing with this group, each person adding their own sound to the tune. It's a happy tune, a celebration for the collective harmony.

Joy of a classical version of this tune from Juan Rossi. Just as beautiful.

Gosh I'm just a wreck.

2021-06-02

  • I am in awe and amazed at this wonderful instrument.
  • So much depth and resonance
  • The listening and the playing of this instrument are two incredibly different experiences
  • Also amazing is the complete difference in styles each and every single person brings to this fiddle
  • I've heard 3 people (myself included) play this fiddle now, and each time there is a different feel.
  • It's as if it reveals the very nature of the person playing it. And it changes for every person according to their being.
  • There is much to learn, better get started soon.

2021-05-26

  • SHE'S HERE!!!!
  • She's here! For a single person it's kinda like having a child (that arrives in a wooden box??). Tuning, more tuning. Still more tuning.

2021-05-26

  • patience! she's coming.
  • I've decided to call the fiddle a she even though she has a ram's head on the scroll. Ole the fiddle's maker called her a she so I'll call her a she as well.

2021-05-23

  • She's in the same city as I am!!! I think it will take a few more days to get to me but she's safe and she's here.

2021-05-17

  • be patient the world told me. all is ok. it's on its way.

2021-05-15

  • Patience required, even for a Viking
  • Crossing the Atlantic hopefully
  • Last few weeks have been illuminating for the Scottish fiddle

2021-04-27 - practice notes, and excited announcement!

  • I haven't been keeping track of practices, just feels a bit more natural and flows a bit better if I'm not constantly documenting everything.
  • On another topic!! She's coming!! I'm nervous and excited at the same time! Every time I wonder if I'm making the right decision, my gut comes right back and says "yes". I will keep saying "yes" over and over again. From the bottom of my heart I can totally say "hell yes" to this decision - it is a big decision, but everything in me says yes.

2021-04-10-04-11 - 49, 50

  • classes with A
  • chopping with Kiana
  • never play through pain pledge with Saeunn

2021-04-04-04-09 - break - vacation

  • pause to regain some health.

2021-04-03 - 48

  • group class
  • hands getting ok i think, still some flareups but if I go slow it's ok

2021-03-31 - 30 min - 47

  • class
  • hands getting a bit better

2021-03-25 - 20 min - 46

  • short practice to get the notes back in my fingers
  • still slight soreneess in bowing arm

2021-03-24 - 45

  • lesson
  • ok when going slow, keep stretching, and change up typing position

2021-03-23 - no practice yet

  • jinxed it. back to taking tylenol + asprin
  • on another note, I got a really good lead on a hardanger fiddle!

2021-03-22 - 44 - practice

  • I didn't take tylenol today I didn't realize it, so hopefully my hands are getting better. Don't jinx it!!
  • I made it through my mid-life crisis violin auction phase without buying anything! Writing a post about the experience which is ... kinda unsettling about how reckless I could be. HAH the jokes on me. There's another auction running and I'm going to get sucked into it!
  • tried a little bit of practice, was ok, i think not having a cello bow is part of the problem

2021-03-21 - 43 - practice

  • AEAE / DDAD
  • went through some old time tunes

2021-03-20 - 42 - lesson

  • falling deeper in love with the fiddle
  • thick and thin.
  • hand is still an issue but hopefully getting better

2021-03-19 - no practices update

  • got bow rehaired at Heinl's
  • hand pain and wrist pain :(
  • stopped practicing and lessons and also took a day off from work
  • got some hand braces
  • at this point I don't know if I'm getting better or if the painkiller drugs are kicking in.

2021-03-13 - 41

  • group class
  • used 4th finger on scales - tuning is still kinda rough, all over the place
  • went off book on the tune we're learning - it took the whole class but at the last go through we did I got through to the end of the tune!

2021-03-11 - 40

  • scale work
  • G scale with Jinty's fingerings
  • D and A Majors scales with Ajineen's fingerings
  • review all music from class + group
  • thinking about cello and cello bow.

2021-03-10 - 39

  • class
  • I need to relax
  • using 4th finger in scales to try to get that flexibility
  • jinty's g major scale

2021-03-07 - 38

  • online session with Katie McNally
  • seeing some folks getting vaccinated brings me hope
  • it was a bit fast and I didn't want to spend so much brainpower, so I put myself on mute and enjoyed the couple tunes that Katie taught.
  • things aren't so hopeless after all?

2021-03-06 - class - 37

  • learning a cute tune, trying to do it off book

2021-03-05 - 30 min - 36

  • review o magnum mysterium part 1, getting the shifts ready, and getting ready to use higher positions for the double stops
  • review natalie's rhythmic exercises
  • watched some cello videos
  • watch Nicola Benedetti's performance

2021-03-04 - 30+30 - 35

  • first time since gm passed on octave violin
  • played through o magnum mysterium and it's brilliant on the octave fiddle
  • I need to honour the instrument and the people who contributed to my getting here
  • I need a cello bow.
  • Also did quite a few rhythmic exercises with the octave fiddle.

2021-03-03 - class - 34

  • class, the irish drinking song and then the scottish wedding song
  • this week has been tough. multiple times thought about giving up on career, playing, music, choir, just really tough this week
  • feeling a big sad and kind of a futility to things
  • it's really hard to get around the block in my brain/mind.
  • staying off social media is a good thing though, the one good thing that's going on this week.
  • also I watch too much youtube. maybe it's time to pare that back as well.

2021-02-27 - class - 33

  • finland woods!!

2021-02-25 - 30 min - 32

  • staying off social media for a bit - I can just cool off for a while and practice!
  • OK I went on to torturing my neighbours for a good 25-30 min with
  • G major 3 octave scale and A major scale with 4th fingers
  • LOL this kind of scale work is the biggest troll in the violin world
  • imagine trying the galamian shifts again and again, but each time just a little bit off with microcorrections lol
  • occassionally (once every 3 times or so) I hit the shift right on!
  • it's like I'm trolling all my neighbours LOL will I get this note right or will it be annoyingly off pitch?
  • also it's very high in the range of the fiddle so that's even more annoying
  • this is such a trollish scale.

2021-02-24 - 30 min - 31

  • class today
  • learned 4th finger on A major scale, it's a weird one cause I have to remember the 3rd and 4th placements
  • review the irish drinking tune, and followed up with a scottish wedding song
  • I guess drink in Ireland, get married in Scotland is the theme
  • they are fun tunes

2021-02-23 - 30 min - 30

  • After a long walk of love by the beach
  • G major 3 octave Galamian scale!!! wow that's a first! I like the shifts to 3rd position, the next shift after that is new, but I really like the clarity of my fiddle in the high position
  • then spent a good 20 min just going through Jenna's McFall's March - my goal was to figure out stable and "good" bowings that will allow me to build on and add feeling and emotion.
  • I haven't been following Jenna's bowings, I've been "making them up" but it's really worth it to reset and slow down the teaching video 1/2 time in order to follow what she's doing
  • accomplished figuring out part A2. I haven't even started part B yet!
  • getting a bowl of soup.

2021-02-21 - 5 min + 1 min - 29

  • super sneaky short shifting practice
  • I watched an Atlys (violin group) video on shifting a few days ago, and today was thinking about shifting
  • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gtdggVRxUJc
  • This got me thinking about the usual shift that we do in class, it's on the E string, but from a second finger to a first finger 3rd position shift! Already thinking about it in the terms of "where from" and "where to" is starting to change how I approach shifting
  • also cool is that "french shift" appears to be shifting on the original finger, whereas the "russian shift" appears to be shifting on the target finger... so basically I was doing a french shift up, and a russian shift down :D lol
  • so for 5 min, I tried to do first finger only shifting scale on the D and A strings.
  • It's a bit wavy but it's quite illuminating on how my finger/muscle memory approaches shifting.
  • There's a lot more here I can investigate and practice, but I liked this little 5 min practice.
  • also some interesting topics https://www.violinist.com/blog/crslack/200811/9403/

Just writing this post made me download a scale guide and the perfect (ed sheeran) sheet music from Atlys. and this is a new first. This is the first time I tried systematically to reach the higher positions (G major scale, with shifts on A3) and it shakes my soul. I had hearing aids on and hearing these high positions and reaching it for the first time. Gives me shivers still. Oh my lord. That's what it's supposed to sound like????!!!!

The process of discovery is slow but fast. Like it comes all at once after years of yearning. Hope for more practicing at these positions.

2021-02-20 - 30 min - 28

  • group class! play more finland woods, tried to go offbook, but still need to peek at the dots.
  • I hope to get this completely offbook - the rhythm is the key for this tune
  • couldn't sleep.
  • need to get Shetland nights working
  • need to figure out what to do with life - https://youtu.be/v73ebaYLyc8

2021-02-19 - 50 min - 27

  • review of the grandma set - Joesefin's Waltz, Sally Gardens (parts A+B), Westphalia Waltz
  • then went back through time!
  • Dusty Winebottle, Finland Woods, Ladies
  • McFall's, Shetland nights in London (oh wow I still have this in my memory!)
  • then to some rhythmic and bowing exercises.
  • unknowningly vibrato is starting
  • goal is to get a good sound and a rhythmic sound
  • Ewe with the crooked horn - need to relearn this.
  • Bow auctions. Why am I looking at a cello bow? I don't even play cello!!
  • Goal : memory
  • Goal : rhymthmic playing
  • take a risk and go with the flow

2021-02-17 - 30 + 20 - 26

  • class, review and finish learning finland woods
  • learn new irish drinking song.

2021-02-13 - 30 min group class - 25

  • finland wood learning, full tune!
  • i guess we went a bit fast but I think it's ok. stretching is ok :)
  • stretching is the only way to learn
  • after class went through 2 rounds of tunes from Guro.
  • skipping ASL class today, I just don't have the mental bandwidth for that right now. I need to go through the old class notes so I don't fall behind

2021-02-12 - Lunar New Year! - 30 min - 24

  • tune review on both fiddles

2021-02-11 - tune review! - 1hr - 23

  • started with salve, harmony and dreamy parts, neri neset
  • go through latest green book tune, Finland woods, then backwards
  • back into red book
  • Lay the Herring down!!!!
  • The Irish sets - I need to get these back into memory
  • Scottish sets
  • and ending on Rua's tune - I can't believe I remember it!! I gotta learn the full tune!
  • I am going to go all in - we don't have much time on this world at all.
  • Hardanger fiddle is calling me.

2021-02-09 - 22

  • GM passed yesterday
  • I didn't play for her afterall, both because I wasn't ready to and I think she knew it too.
  • I don't have any regrets, for the amount that I did play. Maybe she was waiting for me to play
  • I won't know afterall
  • went through several pieces main review was on the harmony of the dreamy part of Salve. I could play along at 60% speed now and I'm happy with that.

2020-02-07 - 5 min mini tune up - 21

  • only did a tune up of my fiddle
  • trying to make sure the fiddle stays in tune since the weather is changing dramatically with the cold snap

2020-02-06 - 30 min - class + 30 min late night - 20

  • offbook learning finland woods
  • nice tune! the e string is really great!
  • late night practice 30 min
  • Went through Canon in D, intending to play all of violin 1 part following along stringspace solo version (which is very very very good) and Beth Blackerby's marked up bowing and fingerings
  • this piece is beautiful - It deserves to be played correctly
  • next went through buck creek girl
  • deciding on set list for next GM play
  • Probably - spotted pony, eighth of january, and either pause or next into McFall's March - all in D major but the mood change is hard to bridge, so more likely I'll say something in between.
  • hope I play this for GM

2020-02-04 - 30 min - review + 25 min late night harmonics - 19

  • opened with Brindavana Saranga scale going up and down, and with the apregios in that scale
  • the e string is holding up with the rest of the strings
  • going into High Bass
  • Full review of Buck Creek Girls
  • started playing along to Tatiana's teaching videos and she goes fast!!
  • I can keep up with the medium pace
  • I am so ashamed! my bowing is such a mess!
  • I will make this piece better - it's turning into my show piece!
  • This is the tune that all the kids want to dance to when I play outside.

watched Darol Anger's Sautille demo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W7v-k1E04II

  • after seeing Valeriecello's harmonics practices, I decided to try some harmonics too! I think she's stopping 4th finger on the C string + harmonic on the G.
  • I'm on the octave fidde (resurrected using old strings) I only have the G, so I'm using open G + 1st harmonic and 2nd harmonic
  • https://violinlounge.com/article/easy-guide-to-violin-harmonics/ this is a great webpage that showed me how to do the harmonics. LOL at the picture at the end! This will come in handy for O Magnum Mysterium I'm sure there are harmonic double stops in that piece.

https://violinlounge.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/natural-harmonics-violin.jpg

  • and at the end I revisted the synchopated shuffle video. It's pretty cool I can actually do the slow version!!
  • I should stop cause my neighbours are going to file noise complaints on me.

2020-02-03 - 45 min - lesson - 18

  • full lesson with the new Larsen E string!

  • It sounds really great actually

  • learning Finland woods tune

  • The E string matches. It rings, It's really sensitive and gives a soft round sound when lightly bowed, and a strong sound when pushed.

  • small caveat, there is one minor issue with the string going silent when bowed in a very specific way, but I don't encounter this at all in regular playing and I think it's because my bow hair is worn in - I haven't rehaired in about 1.5 years and it's been ... horribly mistreated by my attempts to clean it at home following youtube videos with alcohol (don't have denatured, so just used alcohol)

2021-02-02 - no practice, I lied, 30 min practice - 17

  • feeling sad today because when I looked at my octave fiddle, the G and A strings both snapped :(
  • I had left the strings in hardanger tuning, so the 2 strings would have been G->A and A->B. I think that's way too much for these poor strings.
  • I'm still pursuing getting a real hardanger fiddle so I don't have to do these mutant things with my regular fiddles
  • since I was sad, I was trying to see if the new E string is still as good as it was yesterday
  • and it's still good! hardly needed any tuning at all, which is always a good sign. This string is a winner!
  • I've identified my fourth finger weakness as something I need to improve at so this session was almost all technique work
  • I watched an 8th video - first step, getting the first finger confident and solid, so I spent about 10-15 min just doing the open to 1st finger interval
  • next, getting that 4th finger tamed, so I started doing scales up to 4th finger and back down, just to get the tuning right
  • next, put first down, and then use the 4th (oblique star wars reference that no one will get) - and there's the 8th!
  • I've never played an 8th (an octave) before and it feels spooky! I know this is kinda basic for piano players but on the violin an eighth is kinda ... tweaky and has all kinds of resonances that you gotta get the interval right on otherwise the sound goes all wonky.
  • wow next step is to shift the hand frame, while keeping that 1st and 4th finger interval. It's the spoooookiest thing when octaves are moving like that! That's a sound that's not available on a piano (shifting octaves in between white and black keys for example) and that's just so brilliant when it's in tune.
  • I've gotta do this practice again tomorrow. It's tiring on the fourth finger keeping it in tune and extended like that, so not all in one day.
  • strength comes from daily small exercises! carry on!

2021-02-01 - 30 min - 16

  • Larsen Tzigane E string came in the mail today!
  • On first glance, the packaging is really fancy and high quality
  • when unpacking/unwinding it, the string feels really soft and silvery. I know it's not gold, it's carbon steel (medium) I believe, but it feels quite nice on the fingers
  • After working on this violin for better part of 4 years, I've finally learned that all that glitters is not gold. When it comes to E strings, gold squeeks very much on this fiddle, and a steel E string makes it come alive.
  • Tzigane E pairs quite well with the rest of the strings I have on this fiddle, which for now is the Oliv Eudoxa A, Passione D, G.
  • On its own it's very crystalline and delicate. When played in double stops with the Oliv Eudoxa A, it gains in complexity and strength - I haven't heard this kind of change before.
  • On its own it's willowy, but when played with the A it becomes stronger and sharper. Which is really cool!
  • Able to reach high positions without squeeling, which is a good thing! Smooth and soft and quite slidy for shifting.

2021-01-31 - 60 min - 15

  • early morning 6am workshopping
  • spent most of time in Buck Creek Girls
  • I still need to redo my bowing
  • unison 4th finger double stop is coming along (better than it was before anyway)
  • also went through spotted pony, eigth of january
  • started thinking about how to learn O Magnum Mysterium, the high line
  • scanned and started marking up the music for real
  • there are a lot of octaves (8th double stops) in the piece, I'll need to figure out how to do 8ths
  • probably going to take some time and figure out how to play this piece.

2021-01-30 - 30 min - 14

  • online class!
  • off book sasha, I missed a few of the transitions between the different keys
  • what wil get this tune in shape is to do some of those scales + arpeggios so I can get familiar with the major / minor fingering
  • finally wrote the fb person online re their hardanger fiddle ad

2021-01-28 - 15 min - 13

  • short noodling around and tuning the octave fiddle in hardanger tuning
  • Salve, Neri Neset, Josefin's Waltz, McFall's March
  • I think I need a cello bow.

2021-01-27 - 45 - class - 12

  • learned the harmony part of Sasha
  • my 3rd finger on D keeps getting pulled flat
  • need to do scales and arpeggios on the D minor scale

2021-01-26 - 60 min - 11

  • still percolating on Music for Your Blues with Yolanda
  • I broke my E string!!!
  • I was doing some rhythmic exercises, some Neri Neset, some Salve, some spotted pony, some Buckcreak Girls, but also a lot of review of McFall's March
  • Then I started retuning ... and then the E string just snapped. Oops
  • I had a backup Prelude E - it's not that great of a string, but in the pandemic self isolation, I'll use it.
  • then I tuned for about 20 min (I know, tuning is hard especially when it's a newish string)
  • then I moved over to octave fiddle, but on hardanger upper string tuning.
  • and the entire world changed.
  • played through neri neset, salva, AND McFall's March just came alive
  • Played through O Magnum Mysterium in this tuning and it's absolutely... there are no words. I will do a recording tomorrow to go with the music for your blues theme.
  • went backwards and played Josefin's Waltz and that tune just came alive "NO BORING BOW" indeed! I'm swinging it!

2021-01-25 - 1hr - 10

  • WOW! Music for your Blues with Yolanda Bruno, an amazing violinist who plays with the TSO!
  • I'll do a write up about the session, but I want to capture everything that happened after the zoom call
  • took up my fiddle, went through Neri Neset, Salve, on regular fiddle
  • went through both parts of Sally Gardens
  • And here is where things got interesting.
  • I started learning the Cello 3rd line - first intending to do some kind of recording, but I learned it on my regular fiddle.
  • Of course, the next natural thing is to put this on the octave fiddle to hear what it sounds like. which is pretty great!
  • But now that I have the octave fiddle, I went back to Neri Neset, Salve, and played those
  • and then naturlich I went over to ... what I'll call octave low-bass hardanger fiddle tuning - AEBF#!!!
  • A recap - the hardanger fiddle is tuned written as ADAE, however the entire fiddle is tuned up a step, meaning the actual string notes are BEBF# (Yah I don't know, why don't they just call it ... bebf#? who knows!) but I can't go that far on my G string (that's 2 whole tones up...) so I back down the G string to an A - thus arriving at AEBF# - which is basically the relationship of the 5ths tuned violin, up one step. BUT the last twist is that it's one whole octave DOWN with the octave fiddle.
  • with this tuning Neri Neset and Salve are so at home. So peaceful tunes
  • Started with the tuning phrase - together with the scale prelude that I described a few weeks ago, but starting on D string and ending on D string (which is not an E lol) - and the whole thing sounds ... shippable!!!
  • After I played through, I started thinking up harmonies and it changes the tone.
  • I got clapps afterwards! It was a good working session. I should back the strings down but I really want to keep it in this tuning just to see if it's ok with the fiddle

2021-01-22 - 20 min - 9

  • noodled around with Neri Neset and Salve

2021-01-20 - 45 min - 8

  • online lesson
  • review / learn sasha harmony parts A1, A2, and B1
  • interval training with arpegios

2021-01-18 - 2 hour - 7

  • just a freeform session, with a few breaks in betwen

Part A - ADAE

  • re-learn/refresh of Buck Creek Girls in ADAE tuning
  • really got into the tuning, my G string needs work!
  • on both Octave and regular fiddle
  • I used to think that I have to stick to one or the other fiddle because the intonation finger placement is different between the two fiddles, but this time, I'm finding it really helpful to play on both octaves, they both have something to show me
  • intermixed with some playthroughs of Spotted Pony, but mostly, this session was about getting Buck Creek Girls sounding right again

Part B - GDAE

  • back to standard, play through of Salve and the first few parts of Neri Neset
  • trying to get the sound to work right
  • evenness of the double stops is key
  • trying to get clean double stops
  • flick B of A string

Then Part C - GDAE / ADADE

  • moved in between the two modes, just really playing around
  • I haven't done this in a looooong time and it felt really good
  • Sunshowers of the Hart, main theme review
  • also I found a really sweet progression for the prelude
  • G/D/A(1,2) - G/D/A(2,1) - repeat patterns
  • G/D/D3,A - G/D/D3,A
  • G/D/D2,D3 - G/D/D3,D2
    and so on.
  • it's really hypnotic, but also says something about each interval - it's really great! and has a great atmosphere. I can see doing this as part of the collab.
  • then onto some finger exercises on the octave violin which I looooooved.

Really great session today. Really, the first real session of 2021. It's a good kick off.

2021-01-16 - 30 min - 6

  • group class online
  • learn sasha part 2 off book
  • 25 min

  • noodled around with Neri Neset, Salve, Josefin's waltz, tuning phrase

  • the idea of my "forever fiddle"

2021-01-13 - 40 min - 5

  • online class
  • learn sasha harmony part 1

2021-01-12 - 20 min - 4

  • re-read O Magnum Mysterium
  • knowing what I know now about expression, no boring bow, harmonic possibilities, rhythmic possibilities and freedoms, and fledgling veebraahto, I can really apply to this tune again. It's come full circle. I want to learn this tune and learn to play it for real, bit by bit. It's so beautiful.
  • My fiddle is not fighting me on this tune anymore.

2021-01-09 - 30 min - 3
group class 2021!

  • Learning Sasha off book!

2021-01-06 - 45 min - 2
first class of 2021!

  • Sasha
  • going to try to learn this off book

2021-01-02 - 45 min - freeform - 1

  • free form scale work, arpegios, the exercises I did as a kid
  • Salve + Neri Neset was the focus
  • I wanted to make the fiddle light, lighter than air. I want to achieve the crystaline nature of these tunes on the fiddle I have here
  • I started just looking at the 1st phrase of Salve, main goal was evenness of double stops and lightness of being. Also tried different bowings and some flicks.
  • Neri Neset - first 2 phrases, experimented with different bowing! also experimented with the unison grace note (1st of D + 4th on A) - this incorporates 2 techniques I learned last year.
  • Went to McFall's March and Shetland Night in London as a finger/palate/ear cleanser
  • Back to Salva and Neri Neset for some more double stop fine tuning