30 min.
Spent 15 min on The Rejected Lover, getting Part A up to speed, and getting small sections of Part B1 and B2 into finger memory.
Spent 15 min on Cape Breton tunes - going to try to get this off book somehow. I think for a large portion it's already off book from memory, just the linking/transition parts are a bit tricky. I think in time I can do the whole song from memory.
Every time I play with the Carrera bow I think to myself "is this bow for real man?" I love it.
The fiddle is maturing. When I bought it I didn't know whether I'd like it, but now it's starting to become a part of me - an extension of me.
Today I started experimenting with playing with hearing aids on low, and off entirely. And combining that with playing without a shoulder rest.
When the hearing aids are off, my tempo is better. I turn them on to check my intonation and tuning. So having them on the lowest setting seem to be the best of both worlds.
The shoulder rest - since I was a kid I had it drilled into me that playing with a shoulder rest is a must. It's one of those "religious wars" in violin pedagogy. You'll find the exact same war raging once junior violinists turn into adult violinists. I've always been in the camp "for" shoulder rests, since they faciliate correct posture and allow the left hand to move without being burdened by the weight of the violin.
Well, this fiddle is light, so there is no burden, and the enormous change is that without the shoulder rest, I feel the entire fiddle vibrating against my body. It's a lot more intimate. I know instinctively when to push, and when to pull back. I can't hear how loud I am, but I can feel it. It's intuitive.
Together, playing with the hearing aids off as well as without the shoulder rest gives me the most pleasure and emotion. It also reminds me of what I've lost, and what I continue to strive for. If making music means putting the story of your life into sound, then this method of playing is the greatest way of expressing who I am.
I think for learning and practice I'll continue to use the hearing aids as well as the shoulder rest, but when I go on stage I shouldn't be afraid of letting myself shine.
What I'm watching tonight: