Welcome to our forum. A Message To Our New and Prospective Members . Check out our Forum Rules. Lets keep this forum an enjoyable place to visit.
Check out our 2023 Group Christmas Project HERE
Log In
Register
Home
Topic RSS
(0 votes) 
Offline
Hum.. I feel a LULL coming on. (No slump .. no slump...no slump)
Maybe it is the weather change. I am not sure. Maybe it is because I don't hear progress in my newer songs? Maybe I don't have that ONE song that I am working on for a group thing. 
Maybe I am only playing the Easy version of Ashokan and I don't know how to go about with the harder versions... 
I know there is a Red Wing Thing coming (Perhaps that seems daunting to me and I am shying away from that).
Perhaps it is because I know I still have to straighten out that bow. (@cdennyb thank you for helping me). When Denny came to pick up the Traveller, he video-ed my bowing and showed me some issues I am still having. He also gave me a little tip on how to see if it is straight without the mirror. I was playing from sheet.. when I play from sheet my bow does wander more.
I don't know. I am just sharing this because I don't want to go in to a full slump. I never got my Swan Lake going and I know that is a special song for me.
Just sharing my life as a musician thoughts. Feel free to talk or share your violin/viola/mando lulls, slumps, challenges.
Vibrato Desperato.... Desperately seeking vibrato
Offline
Well.. I got a nice pm pep talk.. and a little retail therapy... (a new gold e string and a violin holder to mount on my stand). That helps my lull a bit. 
Vibrato Desperato.... Desperately seeking vibrato
Regulars
Offline
How fun to meet a fellow forum member in person!! And it sounds as if it was just in the nick of time.
It might appear that I am in a lull but tons of things are happening here with family and fiddle!! I want to do some videos but busy working on things for my jams and lesson with JamTeach. Tuesday jams roll around so quickly!!
Don't worry about the hardier version of Ashokan - I for one want to play the easier one like a pro before I move on. I am working on getting every bit of emotion out of the long notes. Someone at jam said it was beautiful - well up to the point where I lost where I was in the song!!!
Violinist start date - May 2013
Fiddler start date - May 2014
FIDDLE- Gift from a dear friend. A 1930-40 german copy, of a french copy of a Stradivarius. BOW - $50 carbon fiber. Strings - Dominants with E Pirastro Gold string.
Regulars
Offline
It was fun! We played and I had a chance to try my luck at the Traveler... wow... a different sound than I'm used to. It was so loud... Plus I got to help out Toni with the technical stuff by changing the strings on her soloist violin. Easy peasy stuff....
"If you practice with your hands you must practice all day. Practice with your mind and you can accomplish the same amount in minutes." Nathan Milstein
Regulars
Offline
SWEET!!!!!!!!
Regulars
Offline
Sorry Toni. I get those lulls too. Times when I am just not excited about anything and can't seem to make any noticeable breakthroughs, a bit board and unmotivated. I give myself a day or two off without thinking about the fiddle and then pick it back up and start plugging away. Sooner or later I get re energized. Youtube helps inspire me.
Opportunity is often missed because it wears suspenders and looks like hard work.
Regulars
Offline
@coolpinkone
You and me both Toni.
But we will prevail, as we always do. 
BTW.... There is no 'easy' version of Ashokan. Just ones that that are harder than others. 
Just remember. Most of the people on the planet can't play 'any' version of it
Seen it all. Done it all. Can't remember most of 
..... What was I saying????
Offline
Thanks John...we shall prevail.
I did not play a stroke of violin yesterday. I will play after work tonight.. and spend some time going over what I want to play and need to play.
Vibrato Desperato.... Desperately seeking vibrato
Regulars
Offline
its that time of year. End of summer, darker shorter days, Christmas is just around the corner, another year older... the whole works.
In a few weeks you can start on Christmas music - if you haven't already. Its usually pretty simple playing, but always fun to do. For now... just keep trudging forward. Its hard to get out of that feeling, sometimes you think you find something that draws you back, but it doesn't last long. you just have to be persistent until the feeling fades.
"I find your lack of Fiddle, disturbing" - Darth Vader
Offline
@Tyberius ... very very true....
Just making the list is getting me excited. I had so much fun with Christmas music last year... I am excited again.
Thumpity thump Thumpity Thump Thump...Look at Frosty go..
Yes... time to have some fun....hummmm.. I wonder if November 22nd is too early to play Holiday tunes.... on Street Jelly.
Vibrato Desperato.... Desperately seeking vibrato
Offline
Nice seeing you holding the Traveler violin.
Did the sound change after changing the strings on the soloist?
"The richest person is not the one who has the most,
but the one who needs the least."
Members
Offline
I think that the "lulls" are a necessary part of the process. A time of consolidation between the more "fun" breakthrough periods. In the breathrough and obvious progress times we make our gains, and then during the lulls we polish and fine-tune those gains.
@coolpinkone: So how is the new E string working out, Toni? Do you like it better than whatever you were using before?
"This young wine may have a lot of tannins now, but in 5 or 10 years it is going to be spectacular, despite the fact that right now it tastes like crude oil. You know this is how it is supposed to taste at this stage of development." ~ Itzhak Perlman
Offline
@Georganne I agree .. YOUTUBE is very very inspiring. Even if it is just my Fiddle Tune a day.
@DanielB , the Gold E-string is en route from Fiddleshop. I will let you know if it sounds different... (If I can tell the difference).
I agree that the lull is part of the progress also. I also am not the kind of person that takes not practicing lightly. Even if I have been overwhelmed, I get that practice in, sometimes even when I don't feel well. I have never regretted a practice that I forced myself to do. I have regretted a time or two when I let fatigue keep me from playing.
I missed a day.. yesterday I came home after an errand and I had the intention of taking another day off... But I worked on Ashokan, Minuet 1 - Bach, and Godfather. I ended up with a good long practice. So I guess I didn't have my disciplined practice, but I played and listened and try to make improvements. It was a good time with my violin.
:)Thanks for all the conversation all.
Vibrato Desperato.... Desperately seeking vibrato
Offline
@Fiddlerman I think your question was for @cdennyb about the sound of the soloist changing... but
In my opinion... it became lively again. Those strings that I had on it were about a year or so old... (Zyex). I think they had dulled up a bit. So I noticed fresh clear sounds now.
Denny did sound analysis on my Soloist again... I don't know exactly about all that stuff. He explained it of course.. but I can't really say much about that.
Vibrato Desperato.... Desperately seeking vibrato
Offline
You and I both Toni.
Glad that it sounds lively again. Yeeeeee Haaaaaa!!!!!!
"The richest person is not the one who has the most,
but the one who needs the least."
Honorary tenured advisor
Regulars
Offline
@coolpinkone, the best thing to do, IMHO, when you're in a slump is to learn to do something completely new that you couldn't do before. This breaks you out of the pattern of doing the same thing over and over. Once you learn to do something new, and learn something new to practice, the slump vanishes because you've moved along again (even though, perhaps, not in the same direction as before) Most importantly, look back at the things that used to seemed hard, but are now easy. The same thing will happen to the things that seem hard now.
For example, have you tried to do this (and if you can then find something different that you can't do -- yet!)
Or maybe this? Notice that he says you'll be able to do a fast upward staccato with daily practice for about 2 years (not 2 days, 2 weeks or 2 months).
A positive attitude may not solve all your problems, but it will annoy enough people to make it worth the effort. ~Herm Albright
Offline
Thank you Uzi.
I am very eager to try both of those videos. I don't know if I can do that yet, but I am excited to try. I am practicing with my pen at my desk... it is harder than it looks. I have not focused much on bow grip and I like those exercises. It will be very clear if I am doing it correctly. Thanks. I will give it a shot and who knows maybe post a video for feedback.
Thanks a bunch.
**** ugh.. I don't get home to my violin until 9 pm on Wednesdays... that is 9 more hours ..... 
Vibrato Desperato.... Desperately seeking vibrato
Offline
Oh dear lord Uzi!! Holy cow that is hard... Something to learn and adopt.... So yes.. That is what that relaxed bow hand is about!!!
Vibrato Desperato.... Desperately seeking vibrato
Members
Offline
That is a seriously cool technique for only 3 min a day for a couple of years. That's a bargain! It def goes into my practice sessions. I've been meaning to go through the Sassmannshaus material again for a while now. I made a brief trip through it back when I was only a month or two in, but of course I could only get so much out of it that early on.
The only specific technique I have actually worked on every day for about 2 yrs has been open string bowing. I feel that has been worth it, and continues to be worth it.
@Tyberius: Start Christmas/Holiday music "in a few weeks"??? Are you kidding? I usually start reviewing and adding to that in about July or August. LOL
"This young wine may have a lot of tannins now, but in 5 or 10 years it is going to be spectacular, despite the fact that right now it tastes like crude oil. You know this is how it is supposed to taste at this stage of development." ~ Itzhak Perlman
Regulars
Offline
HAHAHA Daniel. I started last ... nope... THIS month about the first. (still another day yet here). This year I am throwing in some slides and some trills and even a triplet on top of the often misplaced, string dragging, squeaky and scratchy double stops. I tell you, from my vantage point, It sounds more like a heavy metal band where all the musicians are playing something different ... all at once. Hey, Its a new sound
- That's how I roll. 
(not very heavy metalish, but you get the idea)
@Toni - I think we'll all end up with carpal tunnel after that one. Look at the smug little look on that girls face. She's standing there silently declaring,
" What, these three little movements? Oh I just don't think of it. They all come so naturally to me. You mean you can't do ANY of them? Oh, well ... Oh, uhm ... *pause* Well, I can.
Did I mention that they all come Naturally and Effortlessly?"
"I find your lack of Fiddle, disturbing" - Darth Vader
1 Guest(s)
Mouse
tonyluo
ELCBK
