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.
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 :)
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!
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.
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"!
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.
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.
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:
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.
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 ;)
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!
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?
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.
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.
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.
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!
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!).
