Comments

Dear Stephen,

When will you make a recording for us?

Buri,

Per usual, your blogs and discussion contributions are always well worth reading, even the humorous comments.

Thanks for the mention…

Gold Buri... Thanks I agree with you on the importance of revisiting studies you've played in the past. It will help your mind and fingers remember what they've learned, and you may get new insights/improvements because you have advanced with other material. Personally, Kreutzer has always been my favorite exercise book. Ah, so true. What wonderful insights. So right - there was an interview with Nikolaj Znaider in Strings Magazine a few years ago in which he tells of "going back to open strings" when studying with Boris Kuchnir (sp?).

Sam

Hey Buri,

I am an older violinist with a young Russian teacher who is ......... DOING THE KREUTZER, #2, 3 octave scales and vibrato dissection with me ad nauseum. At times, I have been quite frustrated after each lesson, but then almost immediately I am totally inspired to achieve the sound you and he are talking about. You are so right on about this and I am abjectly grateful for your comments. Another observation about my own technique problems is that Stoss works diligently with me to eradicate areas of 'stiffness' and rigidity. It's almost like working with a psychoanalyst who constantly points out your defense mechanisms (the ones that are dysfunctional) in order to improve your life. I have been successful in almost completely eradicating 'shaky bow' and awkward string crossings. I am still focusing on consistent big sound from bow to frog with smooth bow changes and even sound. I have a bit of loosening up to do in my right wrist in transitioning from up bows to downbows at the frog and nearer the midbow when practicing detache. I have a tendency to use too much finger motion.

Well Buri, I always appreciate your wonderful insights and look forward to whatever you have to say.

Brock

Buri,

By the way, congratulations on the 1st with your trio!

In reality a huge sound comes from maximum vibration.

Vibration of what, Buri?

(Anticipating another wonderful essay.)

Maximum vibration of string, of course. ;-) Bill Greetings,
Brock
>Another observation about my own technique problems is that Stoss works diligently with me to eradicate areas of 'stiffness' and rigidity. It's almost like working with a psychoanalyst who constantly points out your defense mechanisms (the ones that are dysfunctional) in order to improve your life.

Sound like you have a really brilliant teacher. The great challenge of being a violinst (I belive more thna any other instrument) is thta you cannot separate anything that is happening in the body fromn what comes out. This doesn`t always seem to be such a big deal until you really begin to dig deeper. It`s not somethign one thinks about too much when young but my greatest elarning over the last few years is how mind body and spirit are all one and that we store our experiences mnot only from this live but from our continuous existence as energy in a constantly changing universe or God. Anyone who has done , for example, Vipassana meditation (the full ten days) will be able to tell you about the extraorinday things w estor ein our bodies that need to be let go called `Sankaras.` All the pain, nastiness, trauma of our loives, whether self created or inflcited by otehrs has to be let go by learning to be in the present, recognizing there is no othe rrelaity. As one sits and lets the mind quite jerking, massive contractions , crying out loud and uncontrollable laughter are all ways people rel;ease things they did not know were slowly killing them in such practice. Of course people can choose whethe ror not they wnat to address htese things and how deeply, butrecognition of their existence is a major step forward.
Drew, thanks re Trio. The judges told us that we were unequivocally the est ensemble in the hall but because of a misundertsanding with the organizers we had playe dtwo long works as oppose dto three contrasting or something like that so er, no prize money. Not everydat you lose 3000 dollars. heheeheheheeheh:(
Bill, to this day the most resonant sound I have ever heard in a cocnert hall, big players notwithstandign , is Milsteing at eighty something. When stirngs and isnturment are vibrating freely, as is the player and the music then all is good in the world. Interestingly, sound, color etc are all forms of energy and I think in whatever human edaevour we are engaged in, we know deep down if things are colorful or juts a kind of blackness. absnece of life, color, energy)
Maybe this is an odd comment but today the worldis odd too. I live in a peaceful rural area where live goes a little slower, everything is fresh and relaxed- or was. Yesterday the Yakuza started using it for the first time as a place for shooting at each other from speeidng cars. Never seen or heard anyhting like it. Wish I could just go back to bed with a Hershey bar,
Cheers,
Buri

Maximum vibration of string, of course. ;-) Bill

So for a big sound then we should go up at the fingerboard where the string can vibrate more freely? Anything else we want vibrating?

What if we had just a taut string, bow, and fingerboard and no violin?

Still think that Kreutzer #1, the super slow one, is one of the hardest to play and one of the most beneficial.
How slow do you play it? very.
I starte dit five years ago and only halfway down the page. I do stop for prune breaks.