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Hi all! I’ve finally recovered a bit from my cold, so I’ve recorded a video of the piece and a video of my comments. I’ve been working on this about 6 weeks and it’s beginning to feel more connected. I’m still working on learning the right fingerings and smoothing out the phrasing and tempo. Because it was late evening and I live in a condo, I’ve played this with a mute. I hope it’s not too much of a compromise on tone. I’ll see if I can record without the mute during a reasonable hour. Questions - 1. How do you uncover those little mistakes from bad habits created years ago? I’ve always focused on tone but not so much on counting, rhythm, or correct bowing. Now that I think I’ve got the basic outline, I want to make it correct in rhythm and bowing. 2. I’m thinking about ordering a book and CD for the Suzuki method. Which level would be best? I’d like to start on the more basic side of my skill and get rid of little gremlins. 3. What’s the next step in refinement? I still hear some fuzz. Any thoughts on what’s causing it? For some reason I don’t see an option on YouTube to get embed code for the videos using my iPad, so I’ve linked the videos instead. It’s my first time uploading here so please let me know if I can simplify or improve the video. Thanks! Patrick Seattle, WA 14 Responses Posted: December 17, 2017 Last Comment: December 19, 2017 |
Replies
Posted: December 19, 2017 |
Thank you! Beth,Those were all great points and give me a direction to go with my practice. I’ll refine it (probably for at least a few weeks) and post again. Thanks again! Patrick |
 Beth Blackerby Posted: December 18, 2017 |
This discussion includes members-only video content |
 Frieda Posted: December 18, 2017 |
Impressive, love your sound and vibrato! |
Posted: December 17, 2017 |
@Frieda, Thank you! I have played from 5th grade to second year of college, and then stopped. I’m picking it up again after 25 years. @Ray, I haven’t used software to combine parts and compare - that’s a very interesting idea. So far I use a metronome and when I don’t understand the written music I find a video on YouTube that shows the score while it is being played. I like the software idea too! |
Frieda Posted: December 17, 2017 |
Hi Patrick, Very well done and the video’s of Beth will help you a lot with all your questions! I noticed that you have a very stretched left pinky, just like me 😀! I am working on that but my teacher doesn’t mind... Thanks for sharing and... how many years are you playing the violin? |
Posted: December 17, 2017 |
I know that you do not need advice from someone with my skill level, but on the subject of rhythm here is part of what has worked for me. Mentioning this more from a stand point of learning what you use so that I can improve. I will transfer Beth's playing (with the piano, but not the ensemble), to Grarageband. Now I can make subsequent track(s) while listening to Beth playing the same part. The tracks that make I can now listen for where I went astray. I make sure I mark these areas on the score sheet. If you use this method, move the left headphone off your ear so that you are able to both hear Beth on the right and your playing on the left. If, after a few try's I can not keep up, I transfer Beth's track to Anytune Pro which allows me to make any size loops and I can slow down the tempo with no degradation in quality. What do you use? Best, Ray |
 MariaTess Posted: December 17, 2017 |
That is correct Patrick... Gudnite... |
Posted: December 17, 2017 |
Okay, I think I’ve found the series: lessons 284-397, is that correct? Thanks, Patrick |
Posted: December 17, 2017 |
Beth, Thank you for your input! No, I was not previously aware of the study series on this piece. I may have found it courtesy of Mary, below. Can you please confirm and/or let me know where the entire series is at? I’ve also found the sheet music with fingerings in the Resources section and I’m currently studying that. I would like to go through your material and learn it as you would instruct. For me this piece is currently hacked together with some poor habits and minimal complexity just so that I can hear the notes. I do love this piece and it’s a breakthrough for me to be learning it, but as much as I enjoy playing it I also need to keep working on improving it. I want to work on this piece in the “new” personal habit of tempered fingering, bowing, and tempo. I think it would currently be likened to a drawing that has the rough outline but needs more contour and value. Thanks, Patrick |
Beth Blackerby Posted: December 17, 2017 |
Patrick, thank you for sharing your Meditation with us! Great playing! You already have a refined musical technical palette for this piece. I will get back to you with a video response with some further suggestions. Just wondering if you saw that I had a series of videos on this piece? I go phrase by phrase and also have my version with Maxim Vengerov's fingerings. You mentioned adding fingerings to add more sophistication. While I always liked my fingerings, I thought it would be a fun project to notate Vengerov's sinceI love his playing so much. |
Posted: December 17, 2017 |
Thank you! @Mary, thanks for sharing! I’ll check out Beth’s tutorial on the piece - I did not know about that. Thinking back to high school, I don’t think I ever did something this difficult, so taking the piece this far is telling me that I’m learning and improving as an adult. But just as you’ve said, the tempo and phrasing can still be developed. Time to get out the metronome. I also want to do the right positions and fingerings, and not just the right notes. It’s a rush just being able to play it all the way through! Now I need to keep improving. @Maria, thank you. Like you I find the descending shifts to be very hard. When the shift involves a larger distance and is descending that’s what typically challenges me. I practice these shifts slowly to get the right intonation and then repeat until it feels natural. Then, I try to speed up and maintain the intonation. |
MariaTess Posted: December 17, 2017 |
Congratulations Patrick! That was beautiful, imagine without the mute on... You have 100% mastered all the passages and what an accomplishment...! Now, looking forward to hearing your playing without that sound constricting muting device. If you don't mind me saying...As I pause and reflect on this piece it reminded me of myself as a child trying to learn and say/pray the rosary completely including the 5 mysteries+litanias while feeling/moving the beads ascending and descending which I find more difficult! As for fingering and bowing I am following the manuscript but def. not entirely I will minus and add my own take on this. Some may call me Cimarron but it's alright, my late father used to call me that since I was a toddler! :)) Thank you much for making and sharing this video... Glad also that you're feeling much better! |
MariaTess Posted: December 17, 2017 |
This discussion includes members-only video content |
MariaTess Posted: December 17, 2017 |
This discussion includes members-only video content attaching your video here Patrick...Still watching it |