Personal Music Journaling

November 11, 2008 at 7:23 AM

With all the discussion surrounding the new blog page format, Karen's recent blog, and what Laurie wrote about what she looks for in a featured blog, I became a little more interested in the phenomena of blogging and what it means to different people (myself included).

Some use it as a mini-news/professional journal format: writing reviews on concerts or CDs, hot topics of the day in the music world, teaching techniques, etc... Many other use it as a source of internal expression: photo journaling, youtube inspirations, life stories, and so on. Then there are those who use blogging as an upgraded version of keeping a personal journal.

I'm one of the later types. I've kept a personal journal regularly over the past 20 odd years. Only since discovering this site did I move from pen and paper to electronic. The one thing it took me a long time to get used to was having my journal entries open for public review and comment. Receiving a comment on my blogs or not, or being "featured" has never been of any great concern - outside of the time I googled my name for the first time and my blog was at the top of the list ;)

I started focusing on blogging on my lessons awhile back: what I learned that day, what I needed to focus on over the next week, what worked, what didn't, and the funny moments I have during lessons. This has now started to morph into a study hall of sorts outside of class: blogging on my practice time between lessons. The end result? I get more out of my lessons and practice time. If someone else is inspired or learns something from my blogs, I'm even more pleased.

Enough about why I blog. Time to do it.

It was orchestra rehearsal tonight. I think I may have bitten off more than I could chew this season: 2 orchestras, one quartet, solo works, lessons, the Messiah for Christmas, and traditional Christmas Carols for family, and oh yes - my day job. I'm finally going back home for the holidays and my sister has demanded Christmas Carols. I haven't been able to spend the needed time practicing all the pieces that I'm expected to play over the next two months. Orchestra rehearsals are turning into practical etudes and technical studies: from shifting, vibrato to bowing techniques.

Tonight, I focused on vibrato in 1st postition. I'm lucky. In my section is a BYU and Julliard grad (both retired) - an endless source of inspiration and helpful advice. It's like having a mini-lesson between lessons (teacher approved of course). I came home with a new trick to try out between now and lesson night. But mostly I learned how much you can bow with a mute while still maintaining a piano dynamic. We are playing Shostakovich Piano Concerto #2. The second movement is played entirely with a mute. Rarely do I play with a mute these days, even a practice mute. I had nearly forgotten what a mute does to the tone of a viola. What starts off dark, becomes even darker. A lovely sound if I may say so. However, it does seem to require a different type of vibrato. I can't quite put my finger on it yet.

That will be a question for lessons this week.

From Karen Allendoerfer
Posted via 71.184.114.154 on November 11, 2008 at 11:37 AM

I still keep a written personal journal about the rest of life, mostly I just blog about music activities. So I don't see it as an upgrade so much as a "specialty" category.

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Personal Music Journaling

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