Dimitri Adamou on Violinist.com

Violins are strange

Fri, 23 Oct 2009 01:07:24 GMT

Gosh ...

I never realised how strange the violin is. It really IS a strange instrument to practice, it takes soo much factors in order to play well... its shaped funny and it has the strangest sound.

The people who often play the violin are very strange themselves, having to adopt even life dogmas to this demanding strange mistress/mister/master etc. Its almost like being a slave to the violin!

I just have some random urge to share it ... why is it so strange?? & nbsp;Does anyone else think the violin is strange?

It is just a hollow piece of wood! & nbsp;The person puts their soul into this strange thing and it works magic ... Music are the unspoken words of all ... Gosh, how many people out there really appreciate the magic of violin repertiore? I & nbsp;am craving something in the music now ... I & nbsp;hope I & nbsp;find it anyhow.

Cheers!!!

~ & nbsp;Random ramblings & nbsp;:)

General musings [warning: May contain some rambling]

Wed, 19 Aug 2009 09:50:03 GMT

What is it with people and injuries? Is this a worrying sign of declining of quality teaching [look at my bad english and its my first language!]? & nbsp;Or is this the beggining of something more serious?

With the inrease of pollution in the air, bad eating habbits, lack of exercise, sun deficiency, and dehydration! Who can blame you? & nbsp;

I try to maintain a balance but sometimes its hard( I mean I & nbsp;can't generally avoid pollution unless I carried oxygen around) but sometimes its too hard, I (like many many other people) & nbsp;have a job [albiet a very good one ~ & nbsp;very happy with the hours + potential to work remotely in the near & nbsp;future!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (Works out very well for me of course hehe)] ~ & nbsp;Though currently I miss out of alot of sun unfortunantely... I really really miss the sun, I & nbsp;love being outside! & nbsp;It always felt so nice and I felt stronger and more energised throughout the day. And not so guilty when your indoors mashing away with work... and feeling guilty =[

And of course sometimes you get these terribly cravings for sugar and death by chocolate or something... luckily they aren't a regular indulgance :)

But its scary, how life can spiral up and down so rapidly and you can't control where the whirl ends & nbsp; & nbsp;I find it saddening when some people lose to the work life balance (where work becomes life ~ & nbsp;unless they love it of course) but I suppose it can't be helped right???

When did I & nbsp;become so incoherent XD

Ohh and also I felt so proud today, my teacher said she was really impressed with me and it made me beam with pride.

... now I'm slacking off blogging to violinist.com & nbsp;=[

Wait why did I even write all of this again ? & nbsp;Gimme attention!

& nbsp;

Haha I guess sometimes you gotta share whats on your mind... I was looking at other blogs and just saw alot of topics to do with injury and pain ~ its certainly got my mind whirling. Maybe I'll make a guide for stretching or something in the near future.

Ok already bye!

Am I writing to myself???

& nbsp;

What we take for granted

Tue, 23 Jun 2009 04:55:47 GMT

How awe-inspiring.

I was having a read around the violin history and came across this very nifty website http://library.thinkquest.org/27178/en/index.html

It just makes me think in wonder.. the violin, what a privledge it is to be able to play! All of its history, each part of it gone through hundreds of years of evolution - and we get to enjoy the end result!

The awesome power that a single violin can produce makes me believe that magic does exist. If you play on an old instrument, hold it - try imagine all of other hands its been through, its shared history, if the violin could tell us a story, it would be one full of emotions. In fact, you'll become apart of its history.

Is the violin instrument perfected? & nbsp;Can it evolve anymore? Apart from branching off into electronic style.. can the accoustic variation be evovled? & nbsp;It is one of the most mature things I & nbsp;can think of in life!

The same goes for music. What an amazing journey has been through... I've started to take the time and look at everything with wide eyes...

I find it inspiring that people play the violin, and that its a journey to try and master the 450+ year old instrument. Of course there is alot to work on :)

& nbsp;I wonder what we will miss out in the future.

Too bad I & nbsp;can't continue. I must go back to work, haha.

Rage Quit

Wed, 03 Jun 2009 10:43:43 GMT

ARGH!!!

I was happily practicing. So I decide to put the violin down for 5 minutes to eat dinner.

I come back

Oh look the A string broke.

My violin quit on me :(:(:(

mmm Maybe its time to get some decent strings hehe.

My G & nbsp;and D string also look like their about to snap, their pretty old... but my A string was fairly new, but I guess I was attacking it too much.

*edit* Oh great, my fine tuner is bent & gt;. & gt;

AS SOON & nbsp;AS & nbsp;I & nbsp;GAVE & nbsp;MY & nbsp;SPARE & nbsp;VIOLIN & nbsp;TO & nbsp;A & nbsp;FRIEND & nbsp;!!!

Ooohhh comfy

Sat, 30 May 2009 03:52:07 GMT

Hey all..

I thought I'd try to experiment around with my violin, so I took off my shoulder rest and I threw off my chin rest in a burst of poetic passion. It was such a different world!

It made me realise a few habbits it naturally do without realising - like cleching my jaw, or fidget with my bow hand (explains my trembling...) but also my left hand was free... apart from the difficulties I faced with shifting (after awhile I realised a quick shrug while shifting helps) and vibrato (no damn solution :( & nbsp;Maybe I & nbsp;need to try practice it without any equipment on)

But I could look whever I want, though I found that for me to play properly I'd have to put my chin to the right said of the tail piece - its where it naturally went. I played with my shoulders to, I & nbsp;raised them as high as possible, then just completely dropped them like 2 ton weights.

So I did some scales, not bad. My tone sounded warm, my bows were full.

Though yes.. It was a big change from being so reliant & nbsp;on a shoulder rest and chin rest..

I suppose whenever I have any problems, I'll throw everything off and play naked :) I'll find my problems then haha.

Stop a little to gain something much more

Wed, 27 May 2009 13:09:37 GMT

Hey all.

Its funny that if you happen to put the violin down for a week or two and come back to it, you notice many things with your own technique.

My fingering has improved dramaticly with playing scales in 3rds - it used to be uncomfortable but now I can keep my all my fingers down and move freely. Also my inner ear seems to have caught up and I'm starting to match my intervals much sharper thn before and even the note which is played, even my self awareness of when I am playing off key has improved alot.

Its been actually nice, but does this say that I play in a way thats detrimental to my hands? I never noticed any pain or discomfort while playing, in fact I feel that my hands feel much better than they do when I'm using a computer.

I've also been readjusting my life to suit myself more ergonomically... and OH & nbsp;BOY has it brought up pain or what! My back is to tender, I need a massage...now

Sirens Call

Mon, 18 May 2009 01:24:23 GMT

argh.

Is this labeled as an addiction? I'm just here and I have an urge to just play the violin. I really want to run my bow across the strings and draw as much sound as possible. I want to make music! I'm at work atm and all thats going through my head is : & nbsp;Not long to go.

Is it just monday-itis?

I & nbsp;KNOW VIOLIN IS ADDICTIVE THOUGH!

I am happy.

Mon, 11 May 2009 08:30:47 GMT

Greetings all.

I have often seen alot of people being upset that they started violin at the age of 13. I ask, why?

I know this is an overly discussed matter and it comes down to the persons own perspective.

I started violin at the age of 18, I am now 19 and it has been around 1 year and 4~5 months since I've started. So I am a violin baby :)

I can never express my feelings of being able to learn this instrument. I am at the moment I am going for my Grade 4 AMEB exam. I just missed out of the dead line for the previous grade 4 exam haha, but I am in no rush.

But I would really like to go to music college.

At the moment I am working 2 jobs - in web development. Though I am granted the freedom and flexiblity. & nbsp;One job is 5 days a week, 5 hours a day (PERFECT!) and a decent income, and my other job I do for 2-3 hours a day- my set up is I work on that while I & nbsp;travel to and from work (atleast 40 minutes by public transport) then when I & nbsp;get home I & nbsp;work for 2 hours... and its 3pm! Unfortunantely I & nbsp;can't do my violin lessons anymore - since they've been at 2pm for awhile. I & nbsp;hope my teacher can fit me in other times!!!

If I ever become an employer, I would give power of flexibility [and work from home options hehe] :) ... as long as they do their work.

I really don't like the whole 9 & nbsp;- & nbsp;5 work ethic however. I much & nbsp;prefer 7 till 3 hehe.

My parents ask me why do I like working early... I & nbsp;ask them why do they like staying back late XD

Best Practise Session ever!?

Mon, 22 Sep 2008 21:53:45 GMT

Hmm hey all!

Days like these I wish I could have every day (well... if I was paid to do it then HELL YES)

Anyhow it was like this - on sunday I found out I had no work what-so-ever this week because Boss was on holidays to do some Martial Arts in Korea (I didn't even know!!!) I was a bit mopy and upset (and worried!!) as I had plans (ang things to pay off) to use this weeks-pay to buy some new equipment (I even pushed foward for extra shifts) - but it turned the opposite direction; Anyhow I am actually thanking the universe for this chance to practise hardcore.

So after working up on the following day A.K.A Monday (which was yesterday) -
My routine was as followed : Practise 15 minutes (timed), rest for 5~10 (Light to deep breathing during that resting period) then re-enter on with some stretchs.

and my god... It worked wonders! I started practising from 9 AM till 3 PM just working on intonation and etudes, after that it got too hot to continue so I slept till 5 PM. Then started practising again till 8 PM till I ate the wrong combinations of food! Damn stomach.. the food took me down :P

Continuing on - I FELT like I achieved a great deal within this session, I also achieved some sort of... inner-conscience to my instrument I really felt connected - I don't know what it was, but at one stage when I was practising scales I handn't even noticed I shifted into beyond 7th position (Only using finger 1 - usually if I do single finger scales I Follow the pattern of 1st/3rd/2nd position never go beyond the reach of my F4) just to practise intonation - I knew I was hitting the notes but I didn't even KNOW I was that high till I opened my eyes .. of course that connection snapped when I stopped by 3 PM

What a relaxed life I live hahaha... still I want to be very good =[

Teen Angst against my violin!!!

Mon, 15 Sep 2008 02:21:09 GMT

I hate life!!!!!

Haha ok seriously though.

I really wish I didn't start off on such a cheap instrument. For just 9 months, its almost completely destroyed, the end part is starting to fall off, just today my chin rest is showing cracks in it and took me almost 1 hour just to re-adjust because it fell off when I was practising scales hahaha. It also bent two of my fathers screw drivers! Hopefully he never finds out...

I remember a few weeks ago I was practising double stops and the inside of my bow has cracked (Well rather I felt it crack I didn't hear it - if you can remember what it felt like to loose your baby teeth/teeth, it was like that... hanging on) and now its extra flexible, its making it difficult to play double stops with the bow hand..... It can flex beyond the HAIR of the bow even at high tensions :( WAYYYY too much sensitivity to control - I even have to be extremely gentle with Martele, I think I should start playing tratto and see what eventuates.

Oh also my fine tuner for the A string has gone wonked, the metal bent!!!!

This violin is a demon. Really... it should be thrown into the well. I don't even think it IS a violin, its probably a bunch of cats taped together. Maybe I should feed it? Hmmm, I need to sprinkle someones blood onto it. What if it turns out to be like the ring and it starts going on a murderous rampage of ruining peoples intonation?

What will happen if I ever get my hands on a quality instrument that does what I want it to do? Will I be super good? :D

Rannnttttttttttttt.

Maybe I should hang around someones appartment and use my sales ability to barter for their violin.