Feeling like more of an intermediate to advanced beginner now.

September 9, 2008 at 11:08 AM

I felt it time for an update.
I have a new, real, violin. Its a bit like learning all over again.
2008 is the year of vibrato - thankfully its still 2008, gives me a bit of time to get a bit better. Every time I play I still have to polish those bloody strings, I still have lessons where that's all I do. I'm over being scared or frustrated by it now though - its more there than it was, I have to believe it will continue to e so. Its my thumb now, I think - amazing how it tightens up.
I'm having a lesson every 2-3 weeks but it goes on for a couple of hours typically. I have been going through Handel sonatas - now D major. Previously A major. I love these. There's always something more that I want to do.
As opposed to Thais Meditation, which I have also started. I don't like listenting to this piece, much less playing it. Never the less, it was this piece that I have recorded myself, to get an early marker of the new violin and what I can do with it. Youtube was pathetically slow in accepting the upload, so I have a link here to my photobucket site if anyone is interested:

As usual, all comments will be appreciated.
Don't watch the last couple of seconds if you are offended by swearing.

We are due for another nervous players' recital evening shortly - looking forward to taking my practise with potato chips and knee bends that step fruther, and will report bacvk on their relative merits for dealing with the rush of adrenalin that upsets the begining playing.

As to the new violin - all up has cost me about AUS$400.00, which isn't a lot (about US$250.00) but I'm pleasantly surprised. It a small 4/4 (352mm) but a bit heavy. Made by a chap in Lingenthal in 1987. One of our occasional posters Jasmine has luthiered it for me - it arrived with a bit of oddly cut dowel lying in its belly, an overly long tailgut, a popped seam, a rather high nut and a home made bridge. She did a great job, reshaped the bridge, new soundpost, etc. It was already strung with eudoxa's so I'm keeping them on for a bit. I like them, and its good to practise tuning. I'm curious as to its story - I assume it has been specifically made to be this size, it has a lovely little neck and scroll. But has it ever been played? Or did someone new buy it and decide to use it for soundpost and bridge shaping practise, then lose interest or die or something - what led it to arrive in a shop in the state it was in?
I'm back with my kun SR, and I think I fel more comfortable than I did with the 3/4. It sort of rests on me, and I am actually starting to feel some head freedom, although with some TMJ spasm on the right.
I'm pleased that it doesn't hurt to use my left hand, which was why I moved from a 4/4 in the first place.
I am determined to upload a video of me getting through a whole piece from memory. I'll try to rmember to do it tomorrow. Ha Ha.

From al ku
Posted on September 9, 2008 at 1:36 PM

sharelle, you rock, not because you are a great player yet or ever, but you are cool and real, with real problems needing cool solutions that i cannot provide, but here is something to think about.

to me, FEEL wise, it is not about the speed, as in, it is a slower piece by tempo and being slower may invariably lead to certain feel. it is more about proactively getting hold of that feel: melancholy, about letting go with hesitation, about looking foward with hesitation,,,in a nut shell, it is rather misty, in outlook and through the eyes, as opposed to,,sunshiney. there is a slimmer of hope in this piece but i think the beauty is in the distance. the longing...

i see you made great stride with left hand work, shifting with confidence, etc (i ignored the intonation parts here and there simply because you may not be that familiar with the piece yet, but you just can't wait to get it onto youtube for your dying fans i suppose). what i think you may need to pay more attention to is the bowing aspect, to create that feel. your violin sounds quite bright, making this effort more challenging perhaps. if you slow down even more with the bowing, particularly downbow near the frog, you may feel that you can capture/retain/savor the flavor and color even more with your strokes.

just play the first note. then pretend heifetz in the room suggests you to play with even more feel. repeat it many times, each time better and better,,,

rock on, sharelle!

From Royce Faina
Posted on September 9, 2008 at 2:58 PM

You Did Good! You and I share in something, both of us have to work on keeping our bows in the best contact points. I tend to creep up towards the bridge. Practising scales using 'figure eight bowing' is realy helping me alot! Hrimaly exercises also!

Your notes where stronger and more clearer than mine! Keep up the good work!

From Karen Allendoerfer
Posted on September 9, 2008 at 6:03 PM

Sharelle, I *love* the humor and spirit of this recording. I somehow managed to study violin for 10 years in school and never learn that piece . . . Your 4/4 violin has a nice clear tone. It sounds like a good value! And you seem comfortable with it. Unless you have medical issues I would think you should be able to stay with it.

Two comments that I hope are constructive and that I offer in the spirit of one who has struggled myself with similar problems.

1. Your left wrist sometimes looks a bit bent (flexed?) in the wrong direction. Especially during and immediately after you shift down from third position. I think if your arm and hand were closer to a straight line, especially in 1st position, you would find vibrato freer and easier. When I asked my teacher about this she said that I didn't need to do any exercises to fix it, I should just identify the places where I do it, and think about it there.

2. You seem to be moving/swaying your body around more than you need to. There have been a few threads around recently about how that can actually detract from expressiveness. Excessive swaying seems to correlate with when you are "losing the thread." Maybe that will just go away when you know the piece better.

From Karen Sternkopf
Posted on September 10, 2008 at 6:19 PM

Thanks for sharing. I have always liked Thais as I grew up listening to the opera and Dad would point out the Meditation to me.

I got a kick out of the bad note followed by stopping the bow to fix it (couldn't see the fuzz). It reminds me of a band conductor at Brevard when I was a teenager who told his band, "...watch a violinist someday, they stop and look at their bow when their intonation gets bad!" LOL

From sharelle taylor
Posted on September 10, 2008 at 8:55 PM

Al, Royce, Karen, Karen, All of you, thankyou so much - your comments are helpful. I can see clearly what you are talking about with the left hand. If FEELS like I'm moving much more than I am. I spent yesterday doing a deep polish on the strings and watched to make sure my hand LOOKED like it was doing vibrato, and the sound improved markedly - its funny you should mention the angle of the wrist, as this is something I asked my teacher about and she gave me the same advice as your teacher, except she added that I need to keep polishing as well...
I really don't feel much for this piece, which makes it hard to play with feeling. I don't like the intervals, the pacing, there's no surprise or ahh moments except in the last repeat when the piano matches with ?augmented chords, so on my own I don't even get that. But I am gonna pretend about the masterclass and nail that dynamic.
Yes, I do wander up to the bridge a lot when I play - I find it hard to play in the soft sound point, so am practising Simon Fischer's soundpoint exercises and at least in practise it is improving - it just doesn't translate at all yet when I start on a piece. I find also that I have improved in that respect on this violin over the 3/4, (believe it, or not!) so I wonder if the habit has developed becasue of sound production on the smaller instrument. This is as long term as vibrato, methinks.
I shall proceed.

From Stephen Brivati
Posted on September 11, 2008 at 12:48 AM

Greetings,
you look good here! I have often felt the Massenet should be treated with this kind of irreverent musicianship you are offering. Very much n tune with the real world. One question and one surprisingthing...
What chinrest is that? Is it the ear shaped thinginy from Shar or an even deeper model from elsewhere?
I also wondered why your bow wa sso tight the stick is actually convex/ You might be more comfortable with it substantially slacker unless the stick is actually bent that way for some reason. Just an idle thought.
Buri

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Feeling like more of an intermediate to advanced beginner now.

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