August 2012

Vacation Time (Come and Gone)

August 25, 2012 14:31

Hello folks!

Recently got back from a little vacation I took, and today I took down my violin again (I keep it on a "String Swing"). It was a little out of tune so I fixed that, and started to play around with scales. This was my first time playing in about a week, so I felt a little out of practice.

I started playing around with some pieces that I am working on (particularly a piece called Il Mostro by Ashram) and I noticed my vibrato sounded a lot smoother and cleaner. My intonation still could use a bit of work, but it's definitely progress.

So, what's that like for you? How long can you take a practice break to really see what progress you are making? I practice just about everyday (scales and etudes probably once every two days, and performance pieces everyday). I know some people may practice a lot more than I do, but nonetheless I can see I am gaining more skill by the day. Hey, you can't get any worse right?

Enjoy your day,
Kendra

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Celebrating Classical Music

August 15, 2012 18:50

Good evening, day, or morning,

I have been playing the violin for the past six years, and only in the past three or four have I been studying classical music. When I began to learn I started with fiddle and traditional music to my hometown and province, Labrador.

When I started to learn classical music first I thought it was boring and all sounded the same (ignorance to the genre itself at the time, among not having acquired a sophisticated taste in music, I was about 16 or 17), but overtime I realized how diverse the music can be.

When I started to take the music more seriously I seen how much of an impact the sound can have on people, whether it be joyous or saddening. I believe my array of emotions have been expanded to include subtleties of emotions, such as melancholic and over dramatic compared to just happy and sad.

One of my first dramatic impacts of music was during a festival in 2008. I was practicing a solo piece for two months for adjudication, and when the time came to play, the piece went very well. A few days before I had some help and tips from the musician who would be adjudicating me, and really helped me perform to the best of my ability. I cried so many happy tears when he said I was on the right track to becoming a great violinist.

I come from a small community with little musical connections, so I take violin lessons via Skype. I am focusing on classical music along with etudes and other drill exercises. I learn something new everyday, whether it be related to classical music or not. I apply my training and learning to other music I have interest in (I really enjoy video game soundtracks and the "neoclassical" genre) and I am beginning to see how classical music and its theories can be applied to all sorts of music.

Probably the main reason I enjoy classical music is because something can always be learned from it. Be it technical skills or the feeling of great emotions, something is always there. I believe learning music takes a lifetime (not technically or literally) but to see how music impacts so many lives and what people can learn from it - is a lifetime accomplishment in itself.

Kendra

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August 2012

Vacation Time (Come and Gone)

Celebrating Classical Music

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