Practice 2025

New Year!

2024-03-21

  • new tunes and old tunes
  • spelmanslag starts again anew

2024-03-08
~ 20min

  • go over first 2 lines of corrente! I am getting the hooked bow sound, but the double stops on the first bar still eludes me
  • either way it sounds like the notes
  • the old bow gave way - there's a metallic smell of metal grinding metal - i think I over-turned it :( hope it stays ok.
  • it smells like blood? is it coming alive finally? or is it dying? it smells old.
  • is it bad to breath in metal rust dust?
  • smells like nickle? something metallic

2024-03-07
~80 min

  • Tamlin's with Aj
  • need to go over it a few more times
  • memory exercise with McKechnie's Farewell, I need to redo Part B which is a bit tricky. Try to link it up with the next tune in the Bay Street Sessions
  • Afterwards, went back through the Blazin' book 3, in particular the Catch and Kiss the Romp which is a cracker of a tune! I want to relearn that tune
  • Afterwards, went into some Jenna Reid tunes
  • Afterwards, started Corrente of Partita II - which is a mess but somewhere in the middle of that is a tune

More of an Omnibus re-review, but I felt good and my shoulder is ok.

Fiddle loved Taigh Sia

2024-03-05
~60min

  • upper strings workout with Alex Laing
  • String crossing with shifting is a great exercise and breaks my brain a bit in the good way

2024-02-28

60+20 = 80 min

  • Tamlynn review first 2 lines, but on repeat, add in double stops!

  • Shape it - first time through slow mellow, very beautiful sound, second time through go fast! with double stops, synchopation, make it a different feel.

  • went through some josefin's waltz

  • night time Bach session, 2 lines of Partita II allemand, after the repeat. It's starting to make more sense, but I still need to "glue" it all together.

2024-02-27

  • 60 min

  • D minor scale 2 octave with shifting on the e - I should make a G and D string shfit exercise out of it, but that's for tomorrow!

  • Tamlynn's first 2 lines, the tricky part is the rolled "2" on the g and d strings that is only achievable if the left elbow is a little bit toward the D side (to get ready for the roll). If the left elbow is too far left on the G side, there isn't enough clearance on the fingers to make the sound clear.

  • pallet cleanser Salve in G, trying to clear up the A string, it's sounding better but I'm not sure if I really am getting better or just going backwards?

  • into Partita II, in d minor

  • worked backwards from the last line after the repeat, and progressively worked backwards to -3 line. Those lines are glorious! I am amazed at being able to play this music and my fiddle agrees. It smells good.

  • also tried a bit of the beginning of Partita II before the repeat.

  • the main confusion is in the middle right before the repeat and right after the repeat - I still need to go through those lines

  • I can totally tell that I've improved because the last parts (the most recently learned) sound better than the first parts, when I had some bad habits where the sound persists. I'm going to have to correct that, but should I do it at the expense of moving forward?

  • yes it's always better to fix first rather than to move on and forget to fix after. keep going over the Allemande this week, but next week I have to start the Corrente and that will bring its own entirely new challenges!!

  • The way to tell if a fiddle likes the music is if it smell good while playing it.

2024-02-26

  • upper strings workout with alex laing
  • getting the hang of shifting
  • getting up to the higher registers of this fiddle and it's a fine sound
  • taking a rest, part 2 will be some tamlin memory exercise!
  • also need to replay partita II

2024-02-21

  • learning Tamlin! First part!
  • had an earthquake drill
  • activated my fiddle protection protocol
  • the last time I had to act on it was in Toronto on QE when someone left their kitchen stove on and the fire department came to clear the building.
  • a bit rusty
  • need to build a 2 level kit
    • first is the emerge kit

      • emerg clothes, jacket, clothes for 3 or 4 days, protection like gloves, masks, hat, small umbrella, etc
      • backup hearing aid kit and spare batteries, enough for about 1 month
      • laptop/ipad
      • ID / passport
      • some nonperishible food packets like powerbars
      • some nonperishible water
    • 2nd level suitcase & tech

      • wind turbine
      • spare power extension cable
      • 2 sets of extra batteries
      • spare computer
      • hammock
      • some food
    • 3rd level

      • refresh the 10L water carrier every month
      • some source of fire / portable stove
      • longer term camping gear - 6 person tent
      • sleeping bag
      • canned food

2025-02-19

  • 80 min

  • 1 hr check up with Alex Laing of Benedetti Foundation's upper strings bootcamp!

  • 10 min on fiddle tunes

  • I realised that my practices are getting longer! It used to feel like a huge burden to do a 30 min practice (both in terms of physical endurance/stamina as well as running out of things to practice), but nowadays, it's easily to fill a practice session with a variety of different physical and memory exercises, tunes, scales, and the big bad Bach as well.

  • I am also no longer running out of energy at the end of practice sessions - in fact practice sustains me and I feel more energetic after a practice session!

  • need to check into shifting, arpeggiated shifting, string crossings, finger balance on the bow hold, and supportive thumbs on both left and right!!

  • also I retuned the HF upper strings!!! it will take about a day for it to get comfy, and I'll go for the understrings tomorrow!

2025-02-14

  • Happy Violintines day!
  • putting in place my new practice!
  • day 1!!

2025-02-12

  • listened to Laura St. John's Partita II
    • very free, very intentional, her Ciaconne is one of the best!

2025-02-10

  • decided to just go and achieve my goals
  • structured practice
  • green book fiddle tunes
  • Bach Partita II, exploring allemande after the repeat
  • dance tunes from Spelmanslag.

2025-02-09

  • saw Beolach!!! met some heros
  • biggest takeaway: you're allowed to be different!
  • dead on rhythm work
  • close fiddling the way folk singers sign close harmony, trading off parts
  • mellow vs sharp, at the same time, in different times
  • plan to go to celtic colours
  • dropping the bass!
  • dancing at the root of it all
  • snap crackle pop

2025-02-08

  • midnight morning session with Jenna
  • HFAA open hearth, but I have class and had a huge lab and assignment due so I can't really attend this time.

2025-02-07

  • played for family over the last week or so
  • learned reeling in the pints both sections
  • learning 1st part of mason's apron
  • still practicing, just not keeping track, but not nearly daily either, so it's all good, just keep going!

2025-02-01

  • midnight morning session with Jenna

2025-01-31

  • building momentum
  • gaining steam
  • learned reeling in the pints into mason's apron
  • review first line and last line of partita II allemande
    • I think that's the structure I'll use - learn matching lines from the beginning and end, work my way to the centre, where Bach's harmonies are the most complex

2025-01-30

  • a little bit more
  • Partita II allemande
  • relearn reeling in the pints part b

2025-01-29

  • a little bit

2025-01-20

  • memory exercise review Deliverance both parts
  • review reeling in the pints
  • decided against VAM Strings III - just not really excited about it, was more about FOMO.

2025-01-17

  • first lesson of new year!
  • Reeling in the Pints!
  • Registered but haven't paid for VAM Strings III
    • I'm a bit scared, but I should do it despite being scared
    • first rehearsal is on Monday, I should learn the music before hand, go through on Saturday night and Sunday morning?

2025-01-13

  • took a very long break from fiddle

  • those delicious upper strings are finally coming back!

  • play through McKechnie's Farewell and Nova Scotia Fiddler's tunes from memory

  • might still need to go see Stephanie at Wilder & Davis to take care of a little bit of nasally / harshness on the A string?

  • The E string is pretty good! just a bit nasaly on B on A string?

  • it took about a month for the fiddle to settle down

  • what are my fiddle goals this year?

2025-01-02

  • start a new 100 days
  • getting fiddle back in tune after a holiday