November 2007

Voice Lessons

November 27, 2007 21:02

I discovered something about myself today. I can sing concertos by memory, not missing one note. But, when I play on my violin, I forget the notes. However, I recognize I am not having a lapse in brain muscles, but I just have not learned the the voice of the instrument like I know the voice in my vocal chords. How do I do this???????

My Japanese friend Megumi is so sweet.

(Random)

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Poopooloo Browning has Two on Two

November 26, 2007 21:44

Today, school resumed after a three day Thanksgiving break. Wow, time runs just a little too fast when you're sleeping it away. Over the break, I practiced and played for friends and family which I would have not done a couple of years back. It used to be that when I played for a crowd of people, I'd play at 30% as compared to the 100% in the practice room. But since the recital a week ago and playing for people at home I think the performance percentage has went up significantly: maybe 70%. I still tend to miss notes that I would otherwise have in my practice session, but my overall bowing, sweat-fits, and loss of bowel control has gotten under some of my control. I practiced at 8pm at night until 12am, much to my mother's chagrin. But she did not yell nearly as loud as she used to when I would practice for hours at a time--I must be improving.
My brother was his usual annoying, yet devilishly charming self, and he had not one "booger butt", "sucky violin", "go get a cat instead" comment for me. Otherwise, I slept and spent much needed time with my beautiful family. I guess that is the only downside to school.

So, like I mentioned above, school started again. I brought back an extra blanket. I am still adjusting to the cold weather, not too bad though. (All Californians, stay in California! I use to be one, so listen to my words! Just kidding. ;]) But the heater was left on all night, so I woke up in a hot puddle of my own body liquid--no, not pee. I scanned over some Japanese quickly for what I thought would be the oral exam tonight. I then got dressed and called my mom while brushing my teeth; do not ask me how I managed that. I walked in the Alfred rain, as is usual out here, to my 11am news writing class. After that I sat painfully through speech class. Thereafter, I walked up two flight of stairs to my English class to study the sickening actions of the sociopath in Porphyria's Lover and My Last Duchess by Robert Browning. I then registered for the class that will be my ticket out of America next semester: France, Germany, and Switzerland, get ready--here I come!! (I actually liked my passport picture; I should post it on violinist.com--nevermind.) I went to orchestra and we played some stuff :).

I then went to Japanese class and some more class and now it is 11:41pm and I still have to go practice violin for the evening. But I think I will cut it short to an hour tonight. Do not worry, I am not usually the only one in the performing art center and it is a well-lit street that I walk back on, for all you parents that are wondering and I know the security guard pretty well--he is always kind enough to escort me out when he thinks I am there too long and takin' his time for him to get home to his family. SO...

Here is another list of random happenings...

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Another List of Random Thoughts

November 21, 2007 11:20

Another day, another practice session gone by. Each day brings about change, and I am getting anxious. My impatient side of me wishes to speed up results. AHHHH!!!

I can not wait to hear my "after" tape in August. I will record a "before" tape sometime in a couple of weeks.

Plans for the spring semester:

Perform at Rochester's Therapy center, hospice center in Catskill, Elderly home in Wellsville. Others TBA...

Recital April: Bach Solo Sonata in D minor w/o Ciaconna. Possibly Vitali Chaconne and Duet with another musician...

Orchestra: Film Music, Yatai!!!

Anyways... Another list of random thoughts...

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Random Thoughts for the Day

November 20, 2007 09:07

"If music be the food of love, play on..." Duke Orsino in Shakespeare's Twelfth Night

Music is the motivation, fertilizer, or bread for many emotions. I am not in love, yet. Well, I love God, my mom, and brother and others, but I mean in love with a boy. I guess the music that would fuel the most pain, aggravation, provocation, butterflies and whatever else is associated with falling in love would be Tchaikovsky's Violin Concerto in D Major. This is a highly romantic concerto with its wide-spanning rhythmic feelings and tonal colors.

I want Tchaik to be played at my wedding. I also associate marriage with death, so I would like to have the Tchaik played at my funeral. :) (Gosh, just kidding; do not have a heart attack.)

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Music is My Life

November 20, 2007 06:06

This is in response to Ben Clapton's recent blog entry: http://www.violinist.com/blog/BClapton/

I am sure you're a lot better off in your musical life than I am. I am pretty sure you started at a young age and have lived your life with music. I would give a lot to experience what it would feel like to have grown with the violin, changing from 1/4 to 2/4 to 3/4 to 4/4, watching how my sound developes under the small hands of 4 years of age to 12 years of age and so on...

My point is, Music is your life even if you do not recognize it. The reason you do not notice it is because it is apart of you. Just like someone doesn't notice the importance of their arm or leg until they loose it.

You love music, and I am glad that their are musicians such as you out there to deliver your emotions through music to lovers of music such as myself. (And wannabes such as myself)

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Practice Regimen for Joey Corpus Preparation

November 19, 2007 09:40

So, as most of you know, I will be studying with Joey Corpus in the month of August 2008.

Yippeee!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

A couple of days ago I typed up a practice regimen. Do not worry, I do that for fun every couple of months. But this practice regimen is planned until the last week of July.

I have been practicing almost four hours a day.

My daily schedule:

6am--go practice until 8am. Scales and Schradieck.

8am--breakfast and thinking about music.

9am--work at the WLC while thinking about music.

11am-2pm: Classes while thinking about music.

3pm--Teach violin Lessons to underprivileged children and thinking about the children, of course.

5pm--Orchestra rehearsal (just promoted to concertmaster!!)

7:30pm-Japanese Class, thinking about Japanese.

9pm--Practice repertoire and orchestra music until 11pm.

I've already seen improvement. I can control my bow a lot better. I want to start laying a foundation to play virtuoso pieces or really fast show pieces. So I am doing scales and...

Any suggestions of what can be added to this practice session?

Thanks
JAsmine

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Recital

November 18, 2007 16:38

I just finished playing my fourth recital here at Alfred University.

I must say I am proud of myself, not because I played the notes perfectly or smiled a few times, but because I did not shake!!

I used to have this horrible shake that made me slide my bow all over the fingerboard and my open string notes sounded as if I were vibrating. What a pain!

But tonight, I wowed myself. I even felt the music. I closed my eyes and let the melody flow in my veins. I felt as if the bow was apart of my arm and the body of the violin, an extension of my heart; the sound reverberating through the f-holes, my heartbeat. For the first time, I was alive during a performance. Hallelujah!

Jasmine

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More entries: December 2007 • June 2007