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I have been playing for all of about a month or so. Watch out for my accidental harmonics! Anyways, here's the vid, any critique is of course welcome.
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wowsa Joe.
All I can say is that if I could play like that after a month.. I'd have been over the moon.
YOU are doing it!!!! Right on!!!
Vibrato Desperato.... Desperately seeking vibrato
Honorary tenured advisor
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Very nice. Looks great for a beginner. Don't raise the fingers on your left hand as much if you want to be able to develop speed. Maybe you could bring your left elbow a tad to the right, but that's about it for now. Keep practicing, you're looking good. Maybe we should change your moniker to Joe Above Average.
A positive attitude may not solve all your problems, but it will annoy enough people to make it worth the effort. ~Herm Albright
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Thanks Uzi and Pink, I appreciate the kind words! Also, I will get that elbow under control and bring it a tad more right-wise. It's nice to hear I'm not hurting anyones ears too badly 
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Great job for a beginner. The "accidental harmonics!" that you are referring to come from playing too close to the bridge with not enough pressure. For now, just play closer to the fingerboard and practice pulling the bow as straight (parallel to the bridge) as possible.
Keep up the great work.
"The richest person is not the one who has the most,
but the one who needs the least."
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Joe,
Keep up the good work, a good base to start from study and practice works.
Mark
Master the Frog and you have mastered the bow.
Albert Sammons
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Great progress for the first month, I reckon you're well-on-the-way !! 
.... Who was it - wait - yup Uzi - the fingers and elbow thing (yes, that was pointed out to me as well !!! LOLOL ) - and I have found it does make quite a difference - when it was pointed out to me I initially found it difficult to adjust the left elbow position (like I was "over-compensating" and sometimes "going the wrong-way" basically because I was thinking too much about it...), but once you get the idea it becomes natural - and it really does make the fingering easier - much less stretching and straining.... Example - I originally found it real difficult to get the pinkie in use (cleanly and on the fingertip rather than a "flattened" fingertip) on the G - swinging the elbow in towards the body - it became easy-peasy... Well, that's what I found....
Keep up the good work ! It's so rewarding !
Bill
I seriously recommend not copying my mistakes. D'oh - 
Please make your own, different mistakes, and help us all learn :-)
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What's really kind of funny is that I was out in the garage shortly after this, working with a new scraper I'd bought and I managed to cut my left index finger 
I'm on the bench for a few days
However, your kind remarks and critique have not gone unnoticed! I will get that left elbow over further, bow straighter, and try to stay off the bridge of my fiddle Which incidentally, doesn't sound too bad for an instrument left for twenty years in a closet
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Hey there, don't let a simple cut finger stop you... get out the super glue and fix it! Ha.
Bad luck about the scraper... hope you cleaned it after getting it all bloody-wouldn't want it to rust... (You probably did that for a Halloween prank huh? Scared all the neighborhood kids away so you could keep all the good candy for yourself. I know how it works... can't fool me.
Get well soon... back to square one... rock on Joe.
"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
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cdennyb said
Hey there, don't let a simple cut finger stop you... get out the super glue and fix it! Ha.........
ROFL - Actually there is some truth in that though. Skin glue is more and more popular now a days. I did a search on skin glue and it's definitely worth a consideration.
"The richest person is not the one who has the most,
but the one who needs the least."
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Joe for 1 month, that's actually VERY good and sounds awesome!! I haven't tried to tackle this "Bobby Hicks" tune yet but I'd say your doing really well.
One place where we are all in the same boat as beginners: "Flexible fingers and wrist with the bowing hand. I just recently had a little bit of a breakthrough with that. Have you ever thought of trying "colle excercises" with a pencil?
I do them each day. They are pencil push-ups using a pencil making a bowgrip and then pushing and pulling the pencil with your fingers. After a while you'll be able to translate that to the bow and it will loosen up your wrist and I think you'll see an even bigger leap on your bowing. For me personally, it really helped.
This weekend maybe I'll make a little video, to show folks how I do it, I mean, there's quite a few on you tube, but if it will help someone have their bowing breakthrough then I'm all for it. At first it's really awkward, but quickly you'll see the benefits of it.
My wrist and fingers is alot looser than they were but not still where I want them to be.
" I just keep telling myself...."It's all about becoming one with your bow"
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