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 from the tip of my burning pinky fingerJune 12, 2009 at 9:35 PM so things in my world have been pretty spectacular. it's really strange (yet awesome) how motivation in one aspect of your life creates momentum and you become more motivated all-around. the desire to play violin caused me to go completely outside of my box (learning something new as an adult? allowing myself to be labeled "beginner" when i typically don't want to try anything unless i already happen to be good at it?) caused me to make the move and find myself an instructor. starting violin makes me want to get better and stick with it. but for a second, let's go beyond that...the whole violin thing struck something deeper than that in me. if i have the power to learn an instrument, then what's stopping me from doing all the other stuff i've wanted to but never tried? i decided to start working out again and eating the right foods (i spent over a year being a "bad vegetarian," existing on french fries and mozzarella sticks)...i've lost almost 10 lbs in a month and it's only the beginning. i gave up caffeine, which is something i never thought i'd be able to do. and surprisingly enough, the lack of caffeine (after the withdrawal headaches of course) has given me MORE energy! i've become more productive just in general, and that's something i'm really proud of. i wake up, go for a run, practice violin, and then instead of stopping there to vegetate in front of the tube, i figure out what else needs to be done....maybe i'll do a few loads of laundry, maybe it's time to finally dust and polish my bedroom, or rearrange my bathroom. i spend time cooking homemade HEALTHY meals, even meals in advance so that when i'm read to eat i simply throw something into the microwave. it feels good to be alive, and for some reason, the starting point for all of this energy is my learning the violin. i'm really pleased thus far, as i had my expectations set really low regarding my musical career. i felt so old, and didn't think violin would come naturally or be something i was capable of learning. but after only a few weeks of lessons, my understanding of the instrument and my enthusiasm for it are much greater than i ever could have imagined. what's better is that my teacher is pleased because apparently so far i am doing a lot of the "right things" (in terms of positioning and technique) naturally, before she has to correct me, and she thinks it's going to be considerably easy for me to move along quickly, at least at first. so that's encouraging. a few things to note, however, which are mysteries to me thus far... *my dog has begun to howl a bit when i play! not always, but sometimes when i'm practicing my open bowing, particularly on the g string, he will howl along with the violin. i don't know if he wants to form a duet, or if he's trying to tell me he hates my violin! i've actually referred to this site to see if this has happened with anyone else and the results are mixed (i've read threads which say it's the dogs' natural reaction to the pitch, that they enjoy it, that they hate it, etc). i've been asking my dog personally what all the fuss is about, but he doesn't want to tell me. *also, my teacher has encouraged me to really experiment with my bowing especially now at the beginning stages, to see what type of pressure and movement works and doesn't work. she told me not to fear crunching noises or strange pitches, as working through them will help me iron them out. and obviously we also went over the basics (proper angle of the bow over each string, elbow and wrist positioning, proper bow hold, keeping the bow parallel to the bridge, etc)...so far everything more or less is sounding pretty good. i have a fairly solid sound being achieved, but the one thing i noticed is a slightly shaky bow, particularly during a down bow once i pass the frog and get closer to or beyond the middle portion of the bow. again, i've sifted through some things on this site and some people attribute a shaky bow to the actual bow hold while others blame it on the bow itself. i'm guessing with me being a newbie, it's probably the former, but my newest adventure is trying to stop the quivering that sometimes happens while i play. of course, i have another lesson monday so if i don't iron it out by then, i'll be sure to ask my teacher about this! *another thing my teacher is having me work on is the strength in my left pinky. she told me to practice playing all the strings pizzicatto with my left pinky and gave me a bunch of exercises. i must say the little bugger really IS getting stronger, but i've come to notice a burning sensation from all the playing. maybe soon i'll have a nifty little musician's callous! i suppose that's it for now. isn't life grand?From Anne-Marie Proulx
Posted on June 13, 2009 at 1:53 AM Hi, for the last question, the pinky really gets stronger no doubt about that but if it is naturally weak (very small) , it still will remain kind of week (but many players, even good ones have weak pinkies) But hurting is not normal and maybe it just means you will get calusses soon. It shouldn't last. Pizz can hurt at first. Just be sure it isn't because you press too hard with your finger on the strings. But a teacher is the best for such advice. Happy that your life is going great! What a journey is the violin! Good luck! Anne-Marie From Jessica Paesel
thanks for the insight, anne marie!
my left pinky is doing better, with more practice it seemed to get easier to play pizz with it and it not be painful.
i have another lesson this evening, so i'm hoping my teacher can give her opinion on some of these matters as well:o)
Posted on June 15, 2009 at 12:27 PM This entry has been archived and is no longer accepting comments. |
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