Violin New Year's Resolutions 2009

January 2, 2009 at 05:52 AM ·

It is that time of year, again.  What are your violin New Year's Resolutions for 2009?  Finally tackle that piece you have wanted to learn?  Practice more?  Form a new good habit?  Start a new etude book?  Or, maybe even start the violin for the first time!

Come on, please share!

Replies (44)

January 2, 2009 at 02:10 AM ·

My violin resolutions are:

  1. Learn the 3rd movement of the Schumann concerto.
  2. Memorize at least one movement of Ysaye's 1st Solo Sonata.
  3. Clean the cat hair out of the case once in awhile.

My non-violin resolutions are:

  1. Finally, finally, finish Proust.
  2. Eat chocolate every day (easy).
  3. Stop daydreaming about winning the lottery...

Happy New Year!!!

January 2, 2009 at 06:39 AM ·

I can't do this lol my list will go on and on and on. And it'll change day to day garunteed. So I'm out on this one boys and girls...

And be careful about that second, non-violin resolution Anne:)

January 2, 2009 at 07:20 AM ·

Yes, Anne, I made a list too!

  • Carry on with the lessons in Alexander technique

  • If necessary, visit the people at Utrecht Conservatory --see www.violinistinbalance.nl -- to get it right

  • Practice technique for musical expression: things like bowing, phrasing, dynamics

  • Find people to play with

  • Make better use of violinist.com

Happy new year, everyone!

Bart

 

January 2, 2009 at 09:34 AM ·

  • Use my newly acquired Violin Practice Journal throughout the year.
  • Play through a piece or a portion thereof in my imagination when I lay my head down for the night.
  • Find a practice partner.

I'm pleased to find this thread; I needed to commit to some resolutions to improve. As it is, I'm just getting started. I'm scant days from my fiftieth birthday and have purchased my first violin and lesson less than two months ago.

January 2, 2009 at 08:07 PM ·

1. learn hand virbrato

2. improve my bowing

3. find other violinists to play with

4.  always have fun and not let myself get discouraged because I can't play anything how I want it to sound.

January 2, 2009 at 08:26 PM ·

1. Play without a shoulder rest.

2. Practice intonation in the upper register.

3. 1st movement of Winter Vivadi.

January 2, 2009 at 08:29 PM ·

I said I wouldn't do this because my list will go on and on for ever but I'll give it a try:)

  • Find a high-level private teacher (within the next month)
  • Better develop my bow arm
  • Better learn my 3 octave scales
  • Continue to learn the Kabalevsky violin concerto
  • Get The Lark Ascending to performance status*
  • Participate in the concerto competition at the camp I'm attending this summer
  • Keep things in tune past 7th position

Okay, I have to stop now or this list will be fifty things long:)

*It's almost there!

January 2, 2009 at 08:41 PM ·

Too busy drinking to figure this out.  Try this thread again in several months.

January 16, 2009 at 08:27 AM ·

play in tune

reaaaaaaaallllly in tune.

AND

get a sautille which is entirely controlled by the fingers/wrist, instead of only shoulder initiated bouncing all the time.

loosen up. Literally. my shoulders and neck have been reaaaaal tight the last few months, and I'm not totally sure it's just directly from playing. I have a really solid technique, but I'm not sure where I'm going wrong. I visit to a therapist may be in order.

Anyways. Happy new year all!

Matt

January 16, 2009 at 08:34 AM ·

No resolution and no-resolution itself is not my resolution either.

January 16, 2009 at 01:08 PM ·

Do the best I can in my next - and last! - exam.

Play like this uk.youtube.com/watch  (in my dreams).

Understand what Yixi meant (or didn't mean).

January 16, 2009 at 01:56 PM ·

Non-Violin Resolution #2 is going quite well...

January 16, 2009 at 03:38 PM ·

My only resolution for 2009 has been to try to decrease the anxiety in my life.  I think that will help me overall as a violinist, although music isn't generally a big source of anxiety for me now as an adult, more of an anxiety-reliever.

January 16, 2009 at 08:00 PM ·

That's deep, Yixi! Read any Nagarjuna lately? Good luck with that thing that is neither a resolution nor a non-resolution, nor even a thing!

Smiling to Yixi,

Bart

January 17, 2009 at 08:38 AM ·

Bart, it's not even a word, nor a thought, nor anything can be named, nor nothing...and definitely not deep;}

Smilling to you too!
Yixi

December 12, 2009 at 10:18 AM ·

Greetings,

It's reckoning time. Here 's what became of my propositions:

  • Carry on with the lessons in Alexander technique: did that.

  • If necessary, visit the people at Utrecht Conservatory --see www.violinistinbalance.nl -- to get it right: I'm on their waiting list

  • Practice technique for musical expression: things like bowing, phrasing, dynamics: carrying on next year, and the next..

  • Find people to play with: so far, two pianists; I'm joining an orchestra project next year.

  • Make better use of violinist.com: hope I did.

Bart

December 12, 2009 at 03:14 PM ·

I'd forgotten all about this.  But since Bart is fearless, I will be too.

Schumann:  Didn't memorize the 3rd mvt, but I took care of business. 

Ysaye:  No.  I worked on the 1st mvt of the 1st sonata, and I couldn't get into it.  Flame me now, but Ysaye isn't my guy, and I'd rather practice solo Bach.  Life is too short...

Cat hair:  Still in place.  Whatever.

Proust:  Ha Ha.  Not Marcel, but I have been reading more, and making more trips to the library. 

Chocolate:  Just about.

Lottery:  Still dreaming.

So much for '09!

 

December 12, 2009 at 08:19 PM ·

1. More regular schedule of violin lessons.  I'm such a perfectionist that I keep postponing lessons because I haven't perfected everything I wanted to work on.

2. Rent a viola and see what it does to me.

3. Start working on all the Klezmer music I bought this past year.

December 12, 2009 at 09:08 PM ·

Play more (violin).
Play more (other things).
Learn a few new pieces that are within my technical skill.
Make others happy (which I hope is NOT by not playing more and not learning a few new pieces within my technical skill).

December 12, 2009 at 09:17 PM ·

Make it into music school.

December 12, 2009 at 11:11 PM ·

Sorry--I didn't read carefully and thought these were new resolutions for 2010!

My only resolution for 2009 (which was pre-v.com membership) was to spend more time playing the violin to relieve tension in my life.  And I did, although 2009 held much less tension than 2008.

December 13, 2009 at 05:37 AM ·

I will borrow some resolutions from Bart Meijer:

  • Practice technique for musical expression: things like bowing, phrasing, dynamics: carrying on next year, and the next..

  • Find people to play with: so far, two pianists; I'm joining an orchestra project next year.

I would add, "Teach my students to appreciate the first of Bart's resolutions I've cited."

December 13, 2009 at 02:52 PM ·

Okay, so I'm just going to jump on the band wagon and list my resolutions for 2010:

-Get into either the Youth Orchestra of the Americas or the Music Academy of the West for the summmer (I already sent out my auditions, so the only thing I can do about it is stay resolute :-P)

-Make a good impression on the viola professor at my dream school, which I will be visiting in January and applying/auditioning for next fall.

-Win a competition (not Tchaik or Queen Elizabeth obviously, something local but moderately big dealish)

-Be a better boyfriend, my lovely Lindsay suffers much neglect because of my musical endeavors :-( She is very supportive, though.

-Get in better shape- You gotta have this one as a new year's resolution...

December 13, 2009 at 08:31 PM ·

1. Learn to do vibrato better.

2. Work on my dynamics (especially piano) so my teacher will stop bugging me about it.  :P

3. Start working on the first Bach Violin Concerto (the one in A Minor).

(:

Hanna

December 13, 2009 at 08:31 PM ·

1. Learn to do vibrato better.

2. Work on my dynamics (especially piano) so my teacher will stop bugging me about it.  :P

3. Start working on the first Bach Violin Concerto (the one in A Minor).

(:

Hanna

December 13, 2009 at 08:32 PM ·

Whoops...didn't mean to post that twice!

December 13, 2009 at 09:17 PM ·

Preludium and allegro that doesn't sound "student"!  Quite difficult with my non musical studies. Maybe I should say accept that, anyway, I'm not going to be a professional violinist to not get as "disturbed" when it sounds bad and be as hard on myself (it is just because I don't have ennough time) but I can't make such a resolution; I'm too stuburn to accept this lol   So I'll stick with the first resolution.

Anne-Marie

 

December 13, 2009 at 11:02 PM ·

I simply want to work hard on learning to play the violin. I only started to learn it about an year ago, but honestly I haven't been devoting a tenth of the attention/concentration that I could devote when practing. Practice a LOT LOT more techinique (I've been neglecting that so much). There's so much I need to perfect. But basically focusing a lot more on the study of the violin.

December 14, 2009 at 02:58 AM ·

This should be fun...I'm listing my 2010 resolutions:

1. Get my murderous vibrato down to something a bit slower

2. Get my right hand to stop bouncing while I play....that bow bouncing thing literally just started, and I have been playing for 30 years.

3. Get all the way through Paganini's 5th Caprice...albeit not at tempo

4. Successfully participate in 2 symphonies and keep it all straight

5. Learn to fiddle...yep, going to visit the "dark" side :)

6. Play on Sunset Pier (Key West, FL) in October just for fun, just to make people smile

7. Remember that I play for me...not because of him...and that I can do this without him

8. Purchase a new violin

9. Purchase less than $400 of new music...spent way too much money this year re-building my library of sheet music

10. Practice 2 hours per day...and remember that after that 2 hours, I need to actually put the violin down and eat (I seem to get consumed with my playing, and the next thing I know, 3 hours have gone by, as has dinner time).

That's enough...

December 14, 2009 at 06:17 AM ·

 Ok, here we go:

  • Find a new instrument - am shopping for one this Saturday and putting what's left after trade-ins on lay by. Pay it off before my 30th birthday.
  • Improve my higher position intonation
  • Scales scales scales.
  • Learn more music theory. I'm a bit rusty there.
  • Rid myself of stage fright, or at least manage it! I want to be able to play for others without getting nervous and messing up.
  • Technical skills. Bowing. 

December 14, 2009 at 06:40 AM ·

at the new years , I will introduce more people to buy my cheap violins because I am a violins seller , and also I learn violins, be hard to study

December 14, 2009 at 01:04 PM ·

This year

  • did as well as I could in my last exam. Alas.

Next year

  • spin out the pleasure of searching for a better violin, while avoiding divorce
  • get through an orchestral concert playing all the right notes
  • attempt Prelude of E Major Partita (realistic), and Paganini 24 (probably not)

December 14, 2009 at 03:39 PM ·

Work hard for my two teachers;

Work on bowing tecnique

Work towards getting into the next level of violin and play before a jury.

See what I need to do to play in a chamber ensemble here at the University.

December 14, 2009 at 05:18 PM ·

to just shut up and play.....;-)

December 14, 2009 at 05:36 PM ·

Yes you have it Phil!!!

December 18, 2009 at 07:54 AM ·

Here's a new one: learn to play scales in French, German, English, American, Dutch, Italian, Spanish, Chinese, Russian..

It's an idea of my marvellous teacher. So far, I haven't a clue, but she can do it: play a scale in such a way that the hearer can tell in which language it is. (Chinese seems easiest: just skip a few notes. But I fear that is too cheap a trick.)

December 18, 2009 at 02:31 PM ·

English: lift your little finger and nose while performing the scale!

Italian: vibrate each note in the scale and fake to fall dead under emotion

American: smile, smile and smile even if you make mistakes in the scale

German: very detached scale

Russian: don't move a hair while playing the scale and keep this d_ _ _ head straigh or...

Just joking be sure (silly and totally non justified stereotypes)!

Anne-Marie

December 18, 2009 at 04:46 PM ·

And the Chinese scale is a copy of the Italian scale, but there is no end of debate about quality.

December 19, 2009 at 04:16 AM ·

 I've already fulfiled one of my resolutions, and it's not even the new year yet! 

I just put a deposit on this beautiful thing: http://twitpic.com/u3wxd

Gliga Genova 2. It sounds amazing. I tried out about 3 or 4 different instruments this morning, this one stood out by far. It comes with a case and an Articul carbon fiber bow. I took the bow home already; I tried it out at the shop and  was astounded by how great it felt in my hand. 

I'm so excited!!! :D

December 19, 2009 at 10:11 PM ·

Good for you, Heather!

Meanwhile, I got another project for the new year: learn proper vibrato. Today I learnt I should; that's the first step!

It seems to involve doing eew-eew-eew with the violin against a wall... See what comes of it.

December 19, 2009 at 11:37 PM ·

Heather,

Congratulations!

Can't think of a better way to both end this year and begin the next one :-)))))

Phil

December 20, 2009 at 02:27 AM ·

Yes...vibrato against the wall...that is exactly how I was taught also :)

December 20, 2009 at 11:49 AM ·

mine for the upcomming new year 2010 is simple, Just to learn to play ! I am a new student and my violin has been in the shop for 2 months so by Jan. it should be out and I can start learning proper playing NOT screeching sounds LoL

have a blessed and merry Christmas all

December 20, 2009 at 02:32 PM ·

 Well, my resolution for 2009 was to decrease anxiety in my life, and I did that to some degree.  I shed some responsibilities that were causing me anxiety.  But then new ones cropped up.  I'd have to say the results are mixed.

But for 2010 I'd like to: 1.  finish learning and perform the Franck sonata 4th movement; 2. get into a routine for getting the 1st violin parts marked and the bowings distributed in orchestra; 3.  do another string quartet performance that I am not late for.

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