July 2006

"Spring Arpeggios" Practice

July 18, 2006 18:28

Sounds horrible! But it's a start. Help! Any tips?

I'm a proud owner of Basics and Practice

July 13, 2006 20:48

After making sure that there are no additional taxes I need to pay this year (in fact, I will be getting a little tax refund), I bought Carl Fischer's Basics and Practice today!

Now I just have to include the Basics and Practice in my daily practice. The tricky thing is to figure out where to start... do I follow the book page by page or go to areas I have problems with? How much time a day should I spend on Basics/Practice? How to balance that with my exam pieces, orchestra pieces, scales etc.?

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It all started because of Bach's Adagio

July 5, 2006 00:30

I was watching a movie and in it was a teenage character with a dream of becoming a violin maker. He played the first phrase of Bach's Adagio from solo sonata no. 1 and immediately I fell into its spell. Next thing I knew, I had a violin, a teacher, and Suzuki book 1.

I play the first phrase of the Adagio all the time... probably because that was all that I could play. Believe me, it took me months to learn that first phrase back then. Last night I decided to explore beyond the first phrase and attempted to play the whole thing... Not easy, but I manage to play from start to end... I have finally reach a stage where the impossible becomes possible! I was so excited I repeatedly played the Adagio from 6:30pm to 11pm (with a heavy mute after 8pm). Warning: this is not good for your health!

I'm glad I can finally play my most personal piece of music. So what music is most personal to you?

P/S: what do you call the note that is half the value of a hemi-demi-semi-quaver?

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More entries: August 2006 • June 2006