August 2005

August 31, 2005 14:57

Hello all!
I am feeling my improvement from last year. Especially in my octaves/scales/double stops etcetera. I mean, last year, I was having trouble vibrating on my high F in a three octave Fmaj scale. Now...mwahaha!

Right now, I'm trying to decide on a present for my friend's birthday. I've pretty much settled on my fav recording of Night on Bald Mountain. I mean...what's not to love? Still debating though, as I haven't a lot of extra cash. Ah, the life of a musician...

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August 30, 2005 15:03

Not much new here. I've been too swamped with school to spend more than an hour practicing, especially since I can't practice after nine o clock. And my mom is expecting so when she has the baby, I can guarentee that my practice time shall be utterly limited. I might have to practice outside and disturb the neighbors a bit. Mwahahahaha...

Then, I've been trying to finish my "Kyrie". That's going pretty well. A few chords need working out and rewriting, but other than that...not bad for someone with minimal music theory and no composition classes!

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August 28, 2005 13:14

My lovely beautiful orchestra music came in the mail the other day. One of our relatives was over, and must've thought I was nuts, cause the second my dad handed me the package, I let out a squeal of delight and ripped it open, as if it were Christmas come early. But dear old Aunt Cindy must've thought I had truly gone off my rocker when I lifted N. R-K's Capriccio Espagnol to my face and inhaled the scent of brand new sheet music, unedited and unarranged. Twenty four new pieces for this year they sent me, including the accursed Stars and Stripes Forever (we're doomed to forever have to play that accursed piece...all the old benefactors love to hear it.)

Now I can't stop practicing. Mom finally had to send me in to the university my Dad works at, so I could get some other things done. Like schoolwork. The reason I fell behind in Latin last year was because I ditched the blasted language for the more melodious tongue of music. And who can blame me? I understand Beethoven better than Caesar's ramblings on the Gallic Wars and Virgil's Anaeid (sp?). Ah, the horrors of being a homeschooled sophomore.

My teacher still isn't back yet, though, and I'm dying to tell him all about summer camp and my new music, and stuff. But for some reason, he feels that he HAS to go to Colorado for the ENTIRE summer, leaving his three or four students hanging precariously by threads to await his return.

Well, that's my doings for the week. Now I'm off to read "The Betrothed" for Lit. class. Did anyone know that Verdi wrote his famous Requiem Mass for the first anniversary of the death of Manzoni (the author of Betrothed)? Fascinating...

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August 19, 2005 15:33

I am not a good violinist.
I CANNOT motivate myself to practice without my teacher around.
I'm going to *really* try, starting this monday, cause I MUST learn this.
I think part of it is that I have nothing to work for.
When I'm learning a solo piece, I am working towards either a concert or the praise of my teacher.
When I'm working on a duet or chamber music, I'm motivated by what everyone else will think.
In orchestra, I'm motivated by what chair I'll get.
But now...I just have nothing to work for.
I can't wait for orchestra and all that to start!

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August 16, 2005 14:30

SOMEONE KILL ME! I'm not practicing very much! I keep giving myself excuses (i.e. I haven't anything to work on, it's the offseason anyway, it's my last few days before school.) At MAX I practiced forty five minutes today. That's SO horrid for an orchestral performer wanna-be! *beats brain on wall* I just can't motivate myself! What to do?!?!?!

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August 15, 2005 13:03

I'm trying to get back in my practice "groove" so to speak. I pulled out some duets I'm working on with a friend; namely, one of Mozart's Sonatas for Vln/Pno and Invention No. 8 (Bach).

Being my lazy self, I haven't started preparing my repetoire for my September gig. I'm putting it off until Sept. 1 or so. After all, I'm not learning anything new.

May have found my first student too. I haven't even mentioned it to the parents yet, but they're looking for a violin teacher. Possible violin peep? Maybe...

Now I have to go order pickled sheep brains and a dissecting kit and stuff for my first taste of Biology. Joy of joys.

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August 7, 2005 06:35

Well, I'm in Chicago right now.
I haven't been practicing, but, hey! It's the off season, right?
I whipped around some fiddle tunes, as planned, for the ol' relatives, some of whom had never heard of a violin!!! Isn't that AWFUL?! They recognized Orange Blossom Special though, and my Uncle said I played better than Johnny Cash. Yeah right.
I also played Monti's Csardas (my special abridged version for an InstaEncore moment.) but they didn't like that as much. Devil Went Down to Georgia was a surprisingly big hit, since I lost my place and ended up improvising the rest of the piece. Then they begged me to play Long Long Ago (tell me I'm dreaming; they prefer LLA to the Csardas???) and that was it.

Now I've sort of fallen out of my groove, if you know what I mean, but not too much. In a week and a half I shall be a Sophomore in highschool and the Principal Second of myString Ensemble. That's a big improvement from last year, where I was the understudy for the second chair second. ANd I plan on playing Scene de Ballet for all my competitions/college audition tapes/etc., so that's cool. This new season should rock the house!!!

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More entries: September 2005 • July 2005