Update: Life and Business

December 21, 2007 at 3:48 AM

I failed to write in my blog for a few days, but I must say when you do not have a computer...

My mom moved to another home the other day, within the same city. So, I arrived home on Friday night and then helped my mom pack up to go to another home the next day. I have moved three times in four months. As much as I would love to say that my family consists of intelligent spies or we are in some kind of witness protection program being sheltered from the likes of all evil, the boring truth is that every house we have been in for the last few years has had a major problem, that resulted in our vacating the premises.

Five years ago, my mom rented a cozy, quaint little house on the hill in the suburbs of L.A. A couple years passed, gained some friends, acheived academic and career success, lost it, gained a little bit back, and the roof to the house caves in due to faulty pipes and what not. So, we were left pretty much homeless since this unfortunate event leads to a prideful landlord and a prejudiced judge, and three black people with no money, plus one of those who was a mom who just had a 6 pound tumor removed from her stomach... I spent my whole senior year of highschool and college, age 16, in motels, a Ford Escort, and many buses...

Anyways, every house since then has had a similiar problem, even one of the motels we stayed in, we had to vacate because the septic tank crashed. And these are major water problems!!! I do not believe in curses, but my goodness. So, my mom gets to New York and the first house she arrives to is in horrible condition, mold everywhere, the carpets smell like cat urine and whatnot, so on and so forth...

So, she goes to another house, but not knowing much about SNOW and COLD, she chooses a house with bad insulation and, oh yeah, MOLD everywhere...

So, now we are in this new home which is simple, small, no mold, and great heat...

That is a really long story made short. I am going to publish a book of essays called, "Rottweilers and Violins" possibly next year, so be on the lookout... It goes through all of what I just said above in greater detail and in more of a proper story, englishy major form...

So far, everything is lovely. The house is way more cheap than if we were in California, which makes my mom happy. My violin sounds great in my new bedroom. Oh my gosh! My bedroom is the perfect writing room. It reminds me of a room Emily Dickinson, the Bronte sisters, or Helen Keller would have written in. It has a cute little bed with a small writing desk,accompanied with a old style wooden chair and a desk lamp. I have a old victorian style dresser and mini dresser. My window provides a beautiful view of a snow-covered field of maple trees and small homes.

So, now on to business:

Practice is irritating and great at the same time. 80% great, 20% annoying.

I am still having trouble with my stupid bow speed and I listened to a recording of myself which enlightened me to the fact that my playing is not connected. I mean the notes do not connect. You can hear every note distinctly with a slight pause in between each. Also, when I have big shifts I pause more noticeably and therefore the music seems stunted. When I finally place my finger on the note after the long pause which gives me an accurate shift, I excitedly pull the bow too fast causing two problems: a scatchy martele start and a fast then slow bow speed resulting in a nasty swell...

I hate it; I hate it; I hate it! Otherwise, everything is all good.

From Stephen Brivati
Posted on December 21, 2007 at 4:10 AM

Greetings,
two suggestions.
1) If you have the common habit of fats slow on the down bow pracitcve the opposite. Make little exercises in which you deliberatly vary the bow speed before and after you change bow. Also keep in mind that bow speed is not a discrete entity- it is influenced by contact point. What I mena by this if if you play near the bridge your bow speed will automaticlaly slow down. Is it possible you are playing too mear the fingerboard some of the time.
Anotehr useful exercise for you is the pulsing exercise where you play increasingly large number of accnets in a bow stroke. The accnets are made by by icnreaisng bow speed but pressur e only minimally. Use a variety of dynamics so that the strength of the pulses is varied is also a useful exericse.
2) Connecting notes in detache is partly a tehcncial probelm but also one of mentlas conception. It might seem boring but it is a good idea to tak eall your detache passages an dparctic ethem overand over with slurred bowing until you have the legato soudn in your mind`s eye. Then play the detache trying to emulate that sound.
Cheers,
Buri

From Albert Justice
Posted on December 21, 2007 at 5:27 AM

Wow Jazz--what a roller coaster... And lots of snow too... Sheesh. Best wishes for some stability and things coming from the 'good place' called God in your life. You certainly have an excellent outlook to have been through all that.

From Jasmine Reese
Posted on December 21, 2007 at 6:00 AM

Thanks Buri. I will try that ASAP.

Thanks Albert. God has given me that outlook. Right now, everything is good! I like the fact that my life is never a dull moment.

From E. Smith
Posted on December 21, 2007 at 2:35 PM

Best of luck to you and your family in the new house. You've had an awful string of bad luck, but this new house sounds wonderful! I love your positive attitude and, and I love how you obviously care so much for your family, even in the midst of working hard towards your own career.

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