Mothers and Practicing Don't Mix!

December 29, 2007 at 4:34 AM

So, I went upstairs and took out my violin to apply what some of my comrades on v.com said on scales. I have a very even bow, speed, pressure sounding point, all good, especially when played slowly. My higher register sound is a little iffy because I tend to play too close to the bridge (as seen in the mirror). I can even keep the same sounding point when not looking or closing my eyes as confirmed by mother.

Oh, let me tell you! My mom came into my room while I practiced. I think she was trying to do that whole mom, daughter bonding thing. I stopped, "What is it?" I asked.
"Nothing, just comin' to see what you doin'," She replied. "Can I lay down on your bed?"
"Sure, whatever," I huffed under my breath. As she walked over to the bed, I commenced playing again, starting on the 3rd finger A on the E string. My mom winced. I stopped abruptly and gruffed," What was that for?"
"Huh," she looked around, in front and in back of her as if she had not done a thing.
She sat on my bed. I began playing Csardas again. I tapped my foot slightly to keep rhythm. At some point on the fast sautille part, I heard a counter rhythm which was not going with my own foot. So, I turned and glanced at my mom and she was bouncing on my bed.
"Your bed is like cardboard, Jasmine! Wow, feel this. It's so hard," She exclaimed.
"Mom, you mentioned that a couple of weeks ago. Can I practice?"
"Oh, sorry baby."
I picked up on the double stop part, placing each finger down in their respective spots before playing. I drew the bow slowly across the strings, but the f-sharp was out of tune. Out of the corner of my eye I saw my mom fiddling with my recorder which had been sitting on my desk, playing and stopping it. No wonder the stupid F-sharp was out-of-tune! I looked up to the heavens, or my bedroom ceiling, which felt like the heavens at that moment, and I respectively took the recorder from my mother's hand, and commenced practicing. She giggled a little, and then I was on to her. Her whole mission for being in my room was to annoy me. So, I promised myself I would not get mad or frustrated or give in to her little child's play. My first finger dropped on the D to play the harmonic part. The first note screeched a little, so I placed my bow near the bridge and vowed to play with a faster bow the next time around. Then, I heard a shaking sound. "Jasmine, is this candy?" My mom asked.
I turned to face her and I saw in her hand my green rosin case and her shaking it and listening to what was happening inside.
"Okay, mother, go, leave, vacate the premises, exit, uninvited, bye, goodbye, goodmorrow, oyasumi nasai, goodnight, go to bed!"
She started to laugh. "I am sorry; it will not happen again."
Huffing and puffing, I skipped to the last part of the Csardas. As I neared the end, I saw my mother pushing all the keys on my radio. I smashed my bow on the last three notes: D!--A!--D!... "I'm done. You can leave now."

She laughed and walked out my room. I followed her and tucked her into bed. Hehehe, I stuffed each side of her cover into the crevice of her bed and then tied the end to the bottom post of the bed. She later yelled, "Jasmine! Let me out!"

So, tomorrow I have a couple of goals in mind for my practice session as discovered by my scale evaluation: Higher register sounding point search and down shifts.

From Yixi Zhang
Posted on December 29, 2007 at 5:30 AM

That’s so funny! It reminded me when I was young and I used to lock myself in a small practicing room with a sign on the door saying “Don’t disturb even there’s a fire in the house!” It worked to some extent, except the kids in the neighborhood would climb up on my windows (the room was on ground floor) trying to watch me playing. I sort of treated it as unintended performance, but didn’t always work.

As for scale practice, I agree that the down shifts are the hardest. Just make sure the leading finger land at the right spot each time and when you have a troubled spot, go back fix it and the repeat at least 5 times without mistake before moving on.

For the high register notes, you just need to repeat those (usually 4-5 highest notes) many times and listen carefully until they sound right at least 5 times in a roll. Try to keep the fingers down when they are not playing so as to keep the good hand shape up there. Bring the hand in if necessary to keep all the fingers, (especially the F1) down when the pinkie is reaching to the highest note. The higher positions you play, the closer bow is to be at the bridge. Try not to press too much and you’ll soon or later find the clear-sounding spot.

In terms of musicality, I would first pay a lot of attention to the rhythm. I’d first use a metronome so that I won’t let myself slow down at the tricky parts. At the same time, I try to avoid mechanical (choppy) rhythm and make the legato to sing, if you know what I mean. I sometimes use my own voice to sing the scale to get the feel how it can sound more musical without altering the tempo and rhythm and without adding vibrato. I pay attention to the notes as well as the space between notes! The expressiveness chiefly comes from the bow, but the LH fingers need to control the beats to avoid counting by bow. That is, bow is like breathing when we sing that it needs to be completely steady and continuous even the notes are rhythmic, do you know what I’m saying? Further, I’d try different dynamics, such as play crescendo and decrescendo in one bow, or crescendo from frog to tip and decrescendo from tip to frog and vise versa. Play one bow with “male” voice and the next “female” one, or make the lower notes sound like one instrument (such as French horn) and high notes like another (such as a soprano voice) is also a lot of fun and beneficial for pieces.

From Karen Allendoerfer
Posted on December 29, 2007 at 11:40 AM

Has your mom met my mom?? I always looked at the Suzuki kids with their Suzuki mothers--mothers who actually helped rather than hindered their kids' practice--rather longingly. But where my own mother was concerned, it was better if she just stayed out of it!

From Jasmine Reese
Posted on December 29, 2007 at 4:34 PM

I think my mom just wanted some attention last night. She usually is pretty good about either helping, i.e. "What was that plucky thing you just did? Can it be a little louder?," or she usually just stays out of it, because I get mad when she refers to pizzicato as the "plucky thing" or harmonics as "the whistle gone bad."

Thanks Yixi. All of your and others advice has really helped. I think by next August, I will be really ready; I just need to get a hold of my nerves.

From Eileen Geriak
Posted on December 30, 2007 at 12:50 AM

Haahahahaha !! Maybe MOM was just getting back at you for all your attention grabbing just a few short years ago.....being a mom myself I can see her game clearly....(snicker)
But......also, struggling to find some practice time myself, where I'm not "annoying" anyone with my playing....I can also certainly relate to your end of the matter as well. Very frustrating !
Hang in there hun....and be glad you picked up that beautiful instrument at a young age when it's easier to learn. ;)

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Mothers and Practicing Don't Mix!

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