August 2005

August 17, 2005 13:15

I’m back in the ol’ cubicle after the second of my 2 back-to-back vacations. I think I managed to get some R&R this time around… but it seemed very hectic all the same. Other than some heavy-duty errands, it was most great. Along with my usual orchestra gig, which was very lowess this time around, I even got to play an evening of 4tets, which was great…..outside of that my violin certainly got some rest.

Now it’s time to buckle down and get into the best possible playing shape so that the upcoming season is as enjoyable as possible, then continue to build from there. I’ve barely reached double digits in the exercises in ‘Basics’… so much for that plan. I had one particularly amazing practice session just before I left on vacation and I could’ve sworn I could detect improvement in my playing a couple of days later. It would be nice to experience more moments like that… and to string a couple of those back-to-back? Wow.

I’m already getting a little angsty because I may be lining myself up for another one of those lord-just-get-me-through-to-Christmas-vacation-and-then-I-can-collapse kind of seasons. I have a few more orchestral commitments than I’d like, especially in light of the fact that I hope to get involved in more chamber music. On the other hand I may be putting the cart before the horse again. I shouldn’t worry about that until I find myself actually having to turn down chamber music because of orchestra.

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August 1, 2005 09:48

Music camp has come & gone. I had a blast, playing almost 6 hours per day on most days- including 3 hours of coached groups. I successfully wormed my way out of playing in orchestra for the week, just had to do the dress & concert for the orchestra accompanying the choir. One of my coached groups turned out to be a concerto-grosso type group, which was fun, and aside from that everything else was chamber music. After the camp I extended my vacation to go with a friend to catch 3 days of a great chamber music festival. The least enjoyable concert was the most expensive one, otherwise it was an amazing 3 days.
That vacation was hardly restful, so as result I survived all of 8 hours back at work & had to take a sick-day the next day. It’s all good, though ‘cause now I only have to get through this week & I’m on vacation again… and this one will definitely include some rest & relaxation.
As well as getting some much-needed recovery-time this weekend I had a really great practice session: paid extra-close attention to detail during scales, arpeggios & double-stops, finally incorporated some etude work, and subjected myself to the metronome for my sight-reading practice, which makes me less likely to stop & go back when I mess up….i.e. nullifying the whole point of the exercise. Now if I could see to it that my practice sessions are like that on a regular basis, I’ll be on to something good.

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More entries: September 2005 • June 2005

August 2005

August 17, 2005 13:15

August 1, 2005 09:48

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