Day 15

February 14, 2007 at 1:48 PM

I really liked Laurie's advice that it takes 21 days to form a habit, so you should practice 21 days in a row to form that habit. I looked back at my practice log since I started playing again last October and discovered that I did not have a single 21-day consecutive stretch in that time. This is not unusual for me. I've always had trouble with consistency and habits. I work out also, but I don't do that every day either. In fact, there's very little I do every day other than eat, sleep, and brush and floss my teeth (and I have perfect teeth, no cavities--maybe there's a lesson there!). A long time ago, however, I had about a 6-month long streak of practicing every day. It was when I was living in Germany. It started because I liked my teacher, and I wanted to please her. But then at some point, the streak took on its own momentum and I didn't want to break it. It lasted until I left Germany and came back to the U.S. for college.

So now, I'm on day 15, 2/3 of the way there. I don't see any reason why I can't make 21.

Except for this back, neck, and shoulder pain thing. Last night I read through an old shoulder rest thread on v.com and tried again to play without one. I put the instrument on my collarbone and kept my head and shoulder relaxed. My teacher in CA had already advised me to keep the instrument more to the front and center, so I do that naturally already. It still didn't work very well without the rest, but better than before and I didn't give up immediately. I found that after about 10 minutes or so I could actually play about as well as with the rest. But my left bicep got really, really tired from holding up the instrument. It was burning.

So then I put the shoulder rest back on but continued to use my left arm a little bit to hold up the instrument, and that seemed do-able. It took enough of the pressure off my left arm that it wasn't burning anymore. And I could continue to keep my head and neck straight. I realized just how automatically I was contracting my head and neck muscles as soon as I put up the instrument. So I stopped that. And I found that my vibrato was much looser, for a longer period of time. In fact, it never froze up in 35 minutes. And I think the Legende sounded better than it ever has. I feel much better about the prospect of performing it in church.

So, this seems promising. Maybe someday I'll even be able to practice vibrato an hour without freezing up ;-)

I don't need to dump the shoulder rest entirely, but it seems like I do need to give up this cherished idea that I should be supporting the instrument entirely with my chin and shoulder, without the help of the left hand, at all times. Where did that idea come from? I distinctly remember being shown and told that by some teacher or other, but I couldn't say which one it was, or when. And I even showed my daughter that recently, and made her do it too. Oops! Or maybe it's just an ideal, something you should be able to do for a few seconds, but not for hours on end.

From Albert Justice
Posted on February 14, 2007 at 5:55 PM

As you get your practice habit going, be sure and mix things up. There will come a point if you are anything like me, where it feels like repetition more than wished.

I'm on Day 84 or something, though it's really more like 184--I started keeping track awhile back, and though I've probably missed one or two days, do find that mixing things up is important.

From Richard Hellinger
Posted on February 14, 2007 at 7:16 PM

I think I might start using a practice\lesson log. I am going to look up some old threads on them. I think I have practiced for some extent every day this year and last. Though my practicing has become more productive lately (with my new teacher).

From Laurie Niles
Posted on February 15, 2007 at 3:29 AM

Keep doing it! :)

This entry has been archived and is no longer accepting comments.

Day 15

Subscribe

Laurie's Books