Schumann and Melody

The Phantasiestücke by Schumann is maybe the piece that is played often on many instruments. I believe it was originally composed for the piano. My favorite version remains the clarinet version.

And Finally The Gala Concert

I attended the Montreal International Musical Competition VIOLIN 2010 Gala Concert and finally I could hear the great winners live.


After the long ceremony, the flowers, the photo shoot, the official speeches, the music finally took place. The Russian candidate and winner Nikita Borisoglebsky (24 years old, 3rd price) has a presence, a great personality that you feel through a strong self-confidence. He played the first movement of Tchaikovsky’s concerto for this Gala. He barely made few errors (intonation in some very difficult passages) but overall his performance was quite solid and he delivered a powerful Tchaikovsky.

Nikita is also the winner of the imposed Canadian work by Kelly-Marie Murphy “One for Solitude”. The piece is for violin solo and a piano (without a pianist). Actually the grand piano pedal (I believe the sustenuto) was forced down allowing the violin to resonate in the piano body and the violinist was somehow exhaling from time to time creating an echo effect in the open piano; this is also written in the score. Apparently this effect was totally lost from other areas in the hall (and I was in the middle of the 3rd row). It’s really hard to describe this piece; it was interesting somehow even though I had a hard time with the exhaling part.

Korbinian Altenberger (28 years old, 2nd price) played the long second and frenzy third movement of Shostakovich’s 1st concerto.
The tiny German winner did an outstanding job. He’s very strong technically and delivered a decent concerto starting with the strange passacaglia and finishing with a live and agitated presto. It’s something you wouldn’t expect from such a frail looking young man.

Benjamin Beilman from the USA (20 years old, 1st price) played my favorite concerto; the Sibelius! The winner of the first price gave a surprising performance for his young age. The Sibelius sounded mature and was delivered with great sensibility. Maybe the best performance I’ve ever seen live was with Ida Handel and this concert falls second in my opinion. Beilman was particularly good in bringing the sound to almost nothing with a great mastery of his instrument, an agile and top notch bow technique. He was extremely precise and his almost constant pure sound helped bringing the emotion from this technically difficult concerto.

Audio and video clips of the candidates and winners performance could be heard on Radio Canada website: http://www.radio-canada.ca/Espace_Musique/cmim2010/ 

The Montreal International Musical Competition VIOLIN 2010 announced the Laureates

And the winners are:

FIRST PRIZE: Benjamin BEILMAN, United States
SECOND PRIZE: Korbinian ALTENBERGER, Germany
THIRD PRIZE: Nikita BORISOGLEBSKY, Russia

More information can be found on the official competition website. You will be able to follow some live broadcast, audio and videos on radio-canada website.

The Gala concert is taking place tomorrow evening and I will provide an update.

Wohlfahrt Etude 3 Opus 45

Etude 3 is in G Major with the F being sharp. This affects the first finger on the E string as well as the second finger on the D string. The sixteenth notes can look intimidating at first but you don't need to take it too fast but maybe a bit faster than the first two etudes (I believe I did and had to focus to get it right); the Moderato tempo helps here. The etude starts with the 4th finger that is worth checking with the open E to ensure correct intonation. Open E appears also in this study... Open strings will always sound a bit more brilliant than when played with the 4th finger. Alternating an open string with the 4th finger in the first position is a good thing to do to compare the sound and correct the finger position.

Wohlfahrt Etude 2 Opus 45

Etude 2 is, like its predecessor, in the C Major key with the same moderato tempo (in other words, it doesn't have to be too fast). The most noticeable change here is the presence of accidentals (the F sharp). As the previous etude, the intervals are still close but get larger from time to time. The frequent use of the 4th finger is not hazardous, I believe the intention is to exercise the pinky in this study (like it was done in Etude 1).

Wohlfahrt Etude 1 Opus 45

Etude 1 is in the easy C Major key and is like a ride on the C Major scale with few close intervals and arpeggios here and there in an up and down melodic line form. This helps actually checking intonation and the exercise runs in the first position. Notice also the frequent use of the 4th finger (the pinky little finger) that you can constantly check with the open string for the most accurate intonation.

Wohlfart Etudes Opus 45 Mini Project

I decided to work on Wohlfahrt etudes and tape them as a self-reflection and judgment and to share with other learners. This practice helps me actually better understanding these studies and their challenges in order to make improvements.

Opus 45 is probably the one that is mostly studied for its variety of techniques and gradual exercises. I like playing these etudes for their versatility, bowing diversity and melodic lines.

Designing a Concert Poster

My involvement with amateur orchestras goes beyond the musician role. With a graphic design background, I enjoy designing concert posters and programs. However, since I do this on a voluntary basis, I have some conditions that I share with my fellow musicians and orchestras committees.

The main condition is to give me the full freedom in terms of design. This provides flexibility to let my imagination flow and I don’t have to face a client requirement or multiple changes. The worst is when sometimes a client plays the role of a designer and gets involved in the design, making decisions on how the items are displayed that don’t respect the basics of layout.

Even with the flexibility I mentioned, once a draft is previewed by more than 5 people, I get sometimes 5 different opinions, likes and dislikes, etc. People’s tastes are very different and I respect the opinions and ideas that come my way. I try to balance the flow of feedback and work on leveraging-up the design where I believe it is necessary.

Since these posters are designed for different concerts and the musical season is not really announced ahead of time, I try to have a unique poster for each concert instead of a series of similar posters.

The latest poster I worked on is an all Italian program with the OPMM (Orchestre Philharmonia Mundi de Montreal) featuring Puccini early work (Messa di Gloria & Preludio Sinfonico), opera choruses and a Verdi overture. I wanted a warm design, something a bit retro in style as if it is a corner in an old Italian home. A little note on the program... I actually love this Gloria; you sense the “future” Puccini in this music. The “preludio” is pretty nice too!

Finally, the purpose of these concert posters is more informative than a marketing campaign. I favour artistic designs or even photography over a plain informative sheet of paper.

In contrast with the Italian program poster, the Russian program poster of last year was a blend of red and Russian fonts. As for the Schubert Unfinished concert, an unfinished portrait of the composer was featured; a kind of a drawing in progress on a canvas.

Going Everywhere While Standing Still

I've been always curious about non-classical music for violin; not so much listening to it but actually trying to play it. This included jazz, folkloric music, Irish, gypsy, Middle-Eastern music, Klezmer, tango, etc. I've decided at some point to put Bach and his solo partitas on the side and got a book of folk music.

Going Gypsy

I started with a Gypsy music book with a CD by Mary Ann Harbar. It's actually a great book with a very generous recording of various gypsy tunes. To my surprise, the written music was actually more a reference to the player than a sheet music to follow. My eyes couldn't follow the speedy notes I was hearing in my ears and the infernal tempo these pieces are played with. Even the slower pieces had a color I couldn't get close to with my bow... This took me hours and hours of listening before I could sense the exaggerated vibrato, the sharp notes almost all over the place, the changes of tempo, the trills effects, the slides and above all the deep expression these pieces (mainly in the minor key) produce, decorated with a great number of ornamentations. I believe I've heard that Mary Ann Harbar spend a great deal of time with gypsies learning these tunes.

Going Irish
I didn't know where to start so I bought the first book I came across at the bookstore. I thought since it has a CD too, I'll be able to catch-up fiddling pretty fast with a bit of classical background; I've been in Bach partitas so it couldn't be worse. What a mistake! First, the tunes looked short and simple but again here the speed became an issue and when I found out that the CD is a recording by the fiddler Seán Keane, the challenge became even bigger. Even if I could reach a decent tempo, my playing sounded round and baroque to the limit. I was asking myself, how could these people play "out of tune", hold the violin in an awkward way, dance and bounce the bow at the same time and I'm not able to get the color needed out of the wooden box.

I took a different direction and started Irish music lessons at the Siamsa School of Irish Music in Montreal. The classes were actually nice, relaxed and I had to realize that players with a classical background had more issues than some people who were just starting fiddling. Looking at the other classical players was a bit like looking in the mirror: the stiff stature, the perfect aligned bow, the seriousness in the movement... While everyone else looked actually pretty laid back and could swing easily out of tune and have fun. Then came my worst nightmare: "memorizing the pieces". The teacher was standing in the middle chunking a tune and we had to repeat after him and I was telling myself "where is my sheet music damn it?" This memory exercise required a lot of efforts. I enjoyed pretty much the classes and I developed an interest in Irish music playing hornpipes and reels.

Going Baladi
My Middle-Eastern background doesn't only catch-up with me at every airport checkpoint but also in music. The suspicious eyes didn't fall on me on country borders but I've also had family members looking and asking why don't I play a couple of middle-eastern tunes. I did some research and found an interesting site where the subject is actually the Maqam (scales in the middle-eastern world). And they don't have a few, but a great number of scales. I said to myself: Fair enough, I have the music in my head, it shouldn't be a great deal I can make people happy with a couple of tunes. The first discovery was the tuning... I actually needed to tune the violin in fourths and fifths G D G D instead of western range of strings on the violin G D A E. The sound got closer to the East than the West with a nasal tone to it... (at least on the tiny strings)! Then came the Maqam and its multiple combinations and sets (ajnas). Here our western scale of tone and semi-tone is chunked into quarter-tones. In other words, leave Bach really behind and think and play in close tones like you've never done before. One of the characteristic of middle-eastern music is also the close intervals; you will never see for instance an octave difference between two close notes. Ornamentations are constant and improvisation is major!

Going Jazzy
Jazz was never my favourite music even though I still appreciate some of it and enjoy pretty much the fiddle sound in jazz rhythms. I've also got a book that focuses on improvisation and this is what jazz is really all about I think. This music has to be deep in the mind; you need to feel it, to express it and to know it so well. I doubt my interest will go further with jazz unfortunately.

Going Klezmer
Klezmer music to me is East and West meeting on a sheet music. The minor keys, the close intervals, the unpredictable improvisation, the color, etc. I think it's the "non-classical" music that I could understand, play and enjoy fully. Books and accompaniment CDs are very helpful and you really need to like this music to feel it and enjoy it, laugh and cry with every tune.

Going Tango and other dances
Here too tango music for violin is really nice and I think the most accessible for classical and non-classical players. We all can hum a tango tune or two.

Experimentation, Back to Bach and Conclusion
I believe experimenting with other music styles than classical is essential for players. However, the biggest challenge I faced in "going elsewhere" with my violin was intonation. If you play too much Irish or Gypsy, your intonation suffers when you go back to Bach unless you really have a great mastery of a great number of positions and an ultimate ear mastery. As my teacher always said: Work on intonation like a surgeon with a scalpel in the operation room. The anatomical dissection has to be clear-cut, straightforward, unambiguous and unmistakable. Accuracy becomes almost the only truth!

Violin Love Hate Relationship

There are moments where we get this disappointing feeling that probably our instrument (the violin in my case) is not the right instrument for us. Intonation goes awkward, melody gets dried of emotion, the bow suddenly gains weight and fingers don't respond as quickly as we trained them to do and playing a familiar passage becomes some kind of weak sight-reading... It's like the whole thing doesn't work anymore!

On the other hand, we know that we dedicated zillion hours on practice, we felt like we had control over the instrument and only few days ago, the violin was sounding like never before and we felt proud of ourselves and our achievement.

Those moments where you think the relationship is coming to an end are luckily rare. Giving each other a second chance after a short brake becomes a natural behavior and the communication with the instrument returns to normal usually quickly.

I always wondered if professional musicians have those moments too or is their relationship with their instrument strong all the way.

Before the relationship ends on a sad note, the violin remains a very seductive instrument, hard to live with and hard to understand but willing to sing again.

Toning the Intonation

Intonation is probably one of the most difficult elements in playing the violin or string instruments for that matter. It's a constant work in progress, a hit or miss (many misses sometimes), a precision in tone and outstanding listening skills, a constant correction and a desire to reach the perfect pitch. In other words: you're in tone or you're not!

My teacher once said, check the tone with the third interval when possible, playing double-stops should sound like ONE NOTE! That's really hard even in simple passages but nerveless, it's a good exercise.

I find orchestra rehearsals to hurt intonation more than helping it. Your sound gets mixed with the zillion decibels around you if it doesn't get totally buried by the brass section clashes or an alarming flute ensemble. Divisions in the violin sections can also be tricky; suddenly, you're not 2 violin voices (violin I & violin II) but you're multiplied by 2 so you are actually 4 voices. This requires focus in the midst of a crowded polyphony.

Individual work requires a concentration and a hassle free environment. It's like writing a news article, you go over your spell-checker, grammar guides and dictionaries to ensure you're writing well... It's the self-proofreading in music in my opinion.

Music theory and especially ear training is crucial for a violinist or any musician for that matter. Recognizing the intervals helps a lot in adjusting the tone. I'd like to read more about the physical mechanism behind it. From the moment you play a note and how your ears and brain interpret the whole thing to how you correct yourself. Human brain is astonishing in learning so much. Sight-reading in music is one of those examples where your brain understands a whole set of notes; in a way, you don't read each note one by one. Same with reading, you read words and phrases and not a letter by letter.

My plan is to review more often my tone and going back to basics is essential to put things in place. When I have so much music on my music stand, I tend to go through the pages and miss the details.

Below is a funny and strange TOYOTA robot playing the violin. That thing is in tone but mind the interpretation and feelings you need to put in music. And I'm wondering WHY does a robot need to look like an alien (especially those eyes!). Well, maybe better than an inflated doll looking :)

After a Rehearsal... and a Bowed String in Slow Motion

The rehearsal tonight with the orchestra was good. But for some reason, sometimes I'm not totally into the music. I wasn't distracted by anything else and at the same time I wasn't focused enough. Well, I think it's one of these days!

Browsing on You Tube I found an interesting clip showing, in slow motion, how the bow vibrates the strings. REALLY AMAZING and worth to check!

Bowed String in Slow Motion

Telemann Sonatinas: The Sonata Form On Diet

The use of the term "sonatinas" suggests often that the pieces are somehow "easy" simple mini-sonatas. There's a truth to this however it's a mistake to consider them "simple" when it comes to playing them. Sonatinas were apparently "popular" in the classical era and some still believe it's an archaic form similar to the 4 movement sonata form however, it's tiny... A sonata on diet!

It certainly has the sonata form with often an intro, an exposition, a development, a recapitulation and a coda. This varies between the pieces of course! What is not totally known is the fact that modern composers used the sonatina form: Martinu, Husa, Stockhausen, etc.

Tonight I had a coaching session on Telemann Sonatinas. I agree they are simpler than his sonatas, shorter, less challenging technically... However, they have their own mini challenges. If you're not sharp on intonation, anyone is able to notice you're off track. Another aspect of Baroque music is the interpretation; you really must do something with this music. After you're solid on playing the notes, you better work on ornamentation! If not, the music becomes dull very quickly.

These 6 sonatinas are also a good intro to baroque music in a way and should be studied before moving to something more elaborate like Vivaldi's 12 sonatas or the concertos for that matter. An edition I DO NOT RECOMMEND is the G. Schirmer edited by Rok Klopcic. The fingering is a complete disaster, even the slurs and bow strokes don't make total sense and need to be re-written.

I'm not a big fan of Telemann even though I consider that I've played his music very often in chamber music or solo pieces. I still like some of his violin concertos and his Canonic Sonatas for two violins or Methodical Sonatas for violin are fun to play. These pieces help putting things back in order in a way and can be worked as studies to refine the intonation or apply other techniques like the vibrato in the slow movements.

Elgar, I start to like you!

I found lately that I'm so ignorant about Elgar or if you're a purist, here's the pompous name of this composer: "Sir Edward William Elgar, 1st Baronet"! I knew a couple of his pop pieces like his "Salut d'amour" or "Chansons de Matin et de Nuit" that recording companies over-recorded and concert soloists played often in "encores" stamping the music somewhere in your musical memory.

Playing some excerpts at the orchestra from his Enigma Variations and Pump & Circumstances made me start liking his music and most importantly appreciating this composer. "Nimrod" from his variations is such a great piece where a melodic line keeps developing in some kind of mini variation and a progression to a huge climax before a couple of bars where the piece ends in total calmness. Really great stuff here; a "must listen"!

Quiet Blog... Busy Violin... Tchaikovsky and the Others

I left my blog for a while! Now, I'm back to it. I actually was busy lately between orchestra rehearsals and some music lessons. You also need to be in some kind of state of mind to write and I don't always find the time nor the inspiration. The Philharmonia Mundi Orchestra program is coming well together and is really quiet interesting. Schubert Unfinished Symphony has something really special to it and the conductor was excellent in providing a clear image on what this piece is really about and how interpretation is so important. Now it's time to put this in practice.

The other big challenging piece is Tchaikovsky's Marche Slave that requires playing in higher positions. Luckily the piece has some shifting progression to it and the intention seems to be the effect the music creates than precision on itself. Luckily the flutes and little piccolo are there to give us a hand since we play at unison most of the time especially when the orchestra goes wild and you don't hear your own violin.

I'm enjoying more and more the first violin section mainly because it's a new challenge and secondly because you lead the melody most of the time so you have some kind of hint if you're in tune or if your totally off. The second violins section has its challenges too and the music is just not always easy to play.

You wonder sometimes what the composer was really thinking about when he put those notes there but all makes sense when the music is played.

What's on my music stand these days... + Son Filé

I started looking at the music for the symphony orchestra next season. It's a great season actually with one of my favorites, Schubert's Unfinished! Some other pieces by Tchaikovsky, Elgar, etc. Still working on a good fingering in high positions.

I've been doing quiet few Son Filé on open strings trying to reach 30 seconds in one bow. It's quiet challenging to keep a good tone in 30 seconds so I start gradually with 2 seconds in a bow and gradually increasing the number. I can sustain an acceptable tone in 24 seconds per bow stroke.

I'm also revisiting some of Wohlfart's studies to work slowly on intonation and most importantly, make something melodic out of a study. Luckily his Etudes are somehow melodic and offer some ground for interpretation.

There's also Kreutzer's 2nd study that comes back like a loop in my practice. I play it in a very slow pace to watch the intonation, control the bow movement and breath.

In concertos, I'm actually working on nothing at this time. I've played some Rieding lately; it's always fun!

I did randomly some 3 octaves scales. It's still very tricky with a fast tempo.

Oh! Before I forget, I took 2 bows to re-hair today. Will have them back on Monday. I also changed the E string and the D. The first one started breaking and the D was just too old. Now the new E sounds Cristal clear and the D is still in the adjustment phase.

A bow to try: THE VERDICT!

OK! First of all, let me apologize for not approving my best friend's Marcus comments in a timely manner. I'm supposed to be receiving notifications when comments are left and it's not happening. I have to check this a bit further!

As for the bow, I thought I had to return it by Tuesday but actually Monday was the day. So I called the store and advised I will pass by at the end of the day.

I must admit after trying the bow and comparing it to mine (and I have a few bows - 2 woods I like a lot; 1 carbon fiber), I didn't see a HUGE difference with my bows. The projection of the loan bow is in a way better and I've noticed that the first time I played it. But when I started testing bow techniques (staccato, legato, sautillé, etc.), I thought my bows did better. The Roderich Paesold (see picture) I have is not only a beautiful bow (I like the unique frog, snake skin, color, etc.) but did well in the sautillé and especially when I played double-stops or chords. It was stable and controllable all the way even though it's on the heavy side. The projection was fair.

One important factor that could make a difference is the bow hair. The Roderich has old, broken and missing hair and this affects so much the sound. The Marco Raposo has fairly new hair that grips to the strings and gives a good punch to the staccatos.

I'm not too sure I would like to put so much money for a bow that I'm not 100% sure about. I used the following chart from Strings Magazine to evaluate the bow:

Bow Comparison Chart (PDF)

Darf Ich and a bow to try

First of all, I'm bad bad bad by not maintaining the blog. Of course I practiced the violin during all this period and most importantly, I played again with some very good friends and fellow musicians. I should bring back this blog to a current state.

Today I went trying some violin bows at a local music store. I created a checklist and had in mind a price range. I was isolated in a room with around 10 bows (wood and carbon fiber). I didn't ask for the price tag beforehand neither the maker's name. I tried them one by one comparing them to the best bow I own. The third bow I tried was the one that stood out from the others and remained, in my opinion, the most interesting bow in terms of sound clarity, penetration and weight. It's around 60 grams actually. At some point I was alternating my bow with the "chosen one"; it's a Marco Raposo bow made in Brazil. I terms of strength, flexibility and ability to play, the bows are the same. However, the Raposo has definitely a better projection. The sound is strong in the lows and penetrating in the highs. I finally brought it home. Let me be clear: I did NOT buy it YET! But I could bring it home to try it. So far, I'm very pleased by how the sound has improved but I'd like to try ricochet, staccatos and other techniques so see if there is REALLY a difference when played. By the way, the bow doesn't actually look beautiful, it's an ugly round stick with bright wood but it's nice to hold and is so far giving good results. I have the bow for a week so I'll certainly have an update next week ;)

Tonight I listened again to Darf Ich by Arvo Pärt for violin, a bell and strings. I actually knew Pärt's composition but Darf Ich was introduced to me by a good friend and I fell in love with this piece. There's something very deep in Arvo Pärt music that touches the soul.

Practice Calendar is up! I feel squeezed...

Today I decided to start a practice calendar. Let me make it clear: I won't be scheduling my practices (at least I don't believe I will). However, I'm planning to keep a practice log just to be able to monitor a bit my progress and most importantly to keep track of the pieces I practice or play especially when it comes to scale or studies; this calendar may help me diversify the keys. I seem to have this obsession with the G and A Major; maybe because they're the easiest in 3 octaves. Going-up in the scale and as of the 4th position the intonation is a bit shaky. I really hope to be able to improve the shifting by September. Now I have no choice but to maintain this calendar ;)

After few hours practice...

This is an update to my Rusted Violin post below. I basically worked on some scales today Canada Day (mainly G and A major) and a few Sitt studies in the first and third position. The tone is somehow back! A fellow blogger from Strings magazine referred me to a good article about regaining the tone after a stop; See Playing Catch-up, it's interesting!

Rusted Violin after Vacation

I'm back from a wonderful week in Western Newfoundland. And like after every vacation, despite my eagerness to take the violin back in my hands and play some tunes, the violin starts sounding really awful (and I'm not talking about a bad tuning here). I don't know, it's like every time I leave the 4 stringed instrument for a week or more, I need few days before I gain back the full sound of the instrument or even get a round nice sound from the monster. If the violin would be a cat or a dog, I would say there's an affection dependency here! Hum... If I stop blaming the violin, does it mean I'm the "rusted" one here?

Let me go back to basics and see how it goes!

Wohlfahrt - The 60 Studies

Wohlfahrt etudes are still my favorite studies mainly in the first position. They're very contrasty and offer a variety of rythms and techniques. Going back to basicsn is all what these pieces are about to my opinion.
Lately I've discovered a recording of the studies sold by CD Baby. You can also download it from the iTUNES store.
Despite that this recording could be an inspiration to most of the violin players, I was a bit disappointed to find out that only the first 30 studies are covered. Looking forward for the recording of the next 30 for the full 60 studies.

Kreutzer No.2

I'm not too sure how many times I came back to this study. I still like it because it has some kind of progression to it. Lately I've discovered a good fingering for it where you can avoid skipping a string and doing those unecessary jumps. You actually play the octaves with the 1st and 4th finger when applicable (except theopen strings where 0 and 3 would apply). This helps working those octaves and most importantly you can check if you're in tone or not. I'm not too sure I'll be able to play it as fast as it is in this clip. What matters for me today is the correct intonation. I like the way this study is approached in the following clip.

Sticking to 1 Teacher

I'm writing this and hoping that my teachers won't read me! This statement is actually not true; I have nothing against the teachers I've had in the past and the ones I have in the present. This also includes coaches that do a great job coaching some of the ensembles I play in. As for conductors, despite their indirect role with the strings or "me" as a player, they played a great role in my music learning especially in amateur orchestras workshops where they took the time to share their ideas around interpretation. I feel sometimes that musicians don't listen too carefully to them when they talk about a passage and how to approach it.

Everyone brought something very positive to my violinistic learning. I believe what is important for every player is to know what exactly he/she wishes to learn. I was for a while in an exploration period where I've taken lessons in Irish fiddling, gypsy music, baroque focused lessons, some romantic repertoire, etc. I noticed the following:

• A teacher will not impose a repertoire but the choices made will influence directly the style you'll be playing in. E.g. If you play baroque most of the time, the way you'll hold the bow will just not be the same as if you play romantic.
• Every teacher will give you tips that other teachers don't have.
• Some teachers could be strong in one area and less strong in others.

There's this discussion to "stick" to one teacher and I'm not too sure it's the right thing to do; probably I'm wrong. I believe consistency is important and a teacher can be a fit for regular lessons but exploration should also be taken in consideration through other teachers, coaches, etc.

Violin Teachers Hate Adult Learners

Do violin teachers hate adult learners?

• Probably some do but they won't say it!


• The main reason could be that they don't take us too seriously: "He's 40, he want to start studying the violin now... He should GET A LIFE A WIFE, not a violin!"


• Maybe others like the challenge: "Let's see how this old man will do comparing to the 11 years old genius I teach!"


• And others may think:"An adult brain understands the concepts and I like that... But the body is a no go!"


• And my favorite:"They won't progress; they're spending their money for nothing while I'm making a profit... I know they'll come back next week!"

Assumptions, assumptions... However, I believe there is a bit of truce in the above. No matter how you turn it, studying a violin takes a lifetime and you don't want the violin to become a mid-life crisis.

On the other hand, I think I think I think...

• You need to choose a teacher that is willing to give lessons to an adult learner.


• Explain your level and what you are willing to achieve beforehand to create some credibility. If it's "for fun", mention it... If it's an "exploration", say it... If you're just bored and you're not too sure what to do with your life, don't say anything!


• Since lessons don't come cheap, plan a bit what you wish to achieve and set some expectations for yourself and your teacher. The goal, even if you're an adult learner, is essential.


• Frame your work and practice regularly (I bet you've heard that one before).


• Choose a good teacher... What I mean by that, don't choose someone who plays well to show you how to play (at least in a classical approach of the violin) but someone who's job is "to teach".


• Honesty is also an important element; be honest with yourself, your teacher, your potential, your violin and the maximum you can get from the whole thing.

We all need to be loved... Even by our violin teachers!

A blog? Yes or maybe Not!

I was quiet hesitant of starting a new blog. I have quiet a few of them but I use them mostly as a work area for the music ensembles I play with: announcing next concerts, sharing some free sheet music online, etc.

I decided this time to take my personal blogging to the next level by creating a blog related to music and most importantly, related to music study from an adult learner's perspective where I would share my thoughts, challenges and wins. It's probably a self-reflection that will help me do a self-analysis on a learning curve I'm trying to trace and follow.

I said to myself: "Why not sharing it with some friends and the general public!". I've read blogs and watched videos related to violin technique for instance and learned a lot from them. So probably through my reflections, I will be able to share some of my experiences that can benefit others or you may find yourself quickly falling into boredom (I hope not!).

Welcome to Violin Expressions ;--)