May 2010

Looking back on my violin winter

May 23, 2010 10:02

This winter in my violin life has been insanely busy but also intensly satisfying and filled with fun and good times. Obviously there were setbacks and one got me rather down but it didn´t take long for things to pivk up again with the support of good fellow musicians :)

This is the review my teacher gave me after the year:

Pieces played: -Scales and various technique exercises, - Kreutzer Etudes, - Bach E-major Violin Concerto 1st mvt., Ravel Piéce en forme de Habanera, Kreisler Schön Rosmarin (my on and off piece for 2 years now), Mazas etude 47, Novacek Perpetuum Mobile (my big virtuosic massive piece)

Teacher comment: Anna has improved a lot regarding technique this year. She has shown a good overview and is in every way very diligent. She is very good in sight reading and has extraordinary concentration. Now it´s time to work seriously on vibrato.

And this is the comment I got from other string teachers at my conservatory when I performed from them: Great improvement (last time I performed Bach A Minor 2nd. mvt and now I performed Novacek, a pretty big step). Has good staccato but has to work on pulse and forming the piece. Pay more attention to the position and how the violin sits.

Overall I am veyr satisfied with my violin year and can´t wait for the next one. My teacher has announced it´ll include lots of fun funeral music and an audition in November we are determined to ace. So I skip happily off into a violin summer.

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Those little squeaking violins

May 1, 2010 04:48

Yesterday I had the pleasure of performing in a concert where there were lots of cute little beginners performing. I absolutely love watching little violinists perform and listen to them squeak away as if their life depends on it. I am now quite immune to the squeaks of little violinists, their sound is true music to my ears.

I just love hearing those little sweeties perform. Sure the intonation often flies out the window, the bow is all over the place, they don´t remember all the notes and the violin emits starnge squeaks but it´s so heart-warming to listen to. Those kids always perform with a look of excitement and concentration and it´s obvious they are loving playing and at the same time marvelling at the fact that they can play. Meanwhile the parents are teary-eyed because their little child is performing, it´s mastering a sweet new skill. And the teacher is ecstatic because his patience has paid off and the kid is up there performing and enjoying it.

So I love hearing beginners perform. To them music is still so new and the violin is still such a new territory to explore that it excites them and makes them curious.

So now I glady listen to my cousin telling me proudly that he can play "twinkle twinkle little star" along with his 4 year old daughter. They are both beginners and both are loving it. There´s just the 33 year old difference between them ;)

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More entries: April 2010

May 2010

Looking back on my violin winter

Those little squeaking violins

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