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Things have been really busy lately so I haven't been able to be active much. Sorry about that. I'm still sawing on the violin daily though, so that's good. Lately I've been working more towards classical music, Gavotte (Gossec), Minuet 2, Chorus from Judas Maccabaeus and Musette. Some folk music and even working a bit of jazz. Self studying now because of the summer break. My practice sessions aren't as intense now and it's nice to be free to experiment more or play just for fun. On the other hand it's a lot harder to pinpoint the things that I really need to work on. Feel free to tell me what I need to work on.
'Armed with theory, practice becomes meaningful. Through practice, theory becomes fulfilled.' - Egon von Neindorff.
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Nice job. I did both if those in my cello. The Minuet 2 was a tad different than my cello version. I have that version in my Suzuki cello book, but in my lessons we used the Essential Elements Strings book. It is a little different.
Have not tried either on my violin. They are in my violIn Suzuki book.
Thank you for sharing.
The timing and intonation was off a little in spots. We all have that issue. But, you are just beginning those songs.
Can I suggest something? Work on one for the moment and break it into segments. Work on one segment for a while and the intonation and timing of thw notes down. Then work the next section and then put it together. Continue doing that song in those segments. Would do the Minuet 2 first.
Tap out how the rhythm should be and get used to it. Don’t do it at too fast of a tempo, but get the rhythm going so that you can put that rhythmic beat to the violin. Then play at that tempo with that rhythm. Hope I said that right. My cello instructor does that in trouble sections for me. Then I can remember the rhythm. It really helps. I do that at home before I start playing, exactly as he did it in my lesson.
Hope this helps.
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Thank you for your feedback. I'll work more on segmenting the pieces. You're right, the pieces are still new to me. Started working on the Minuet 2 weeks ago and Judas 6 days ago. Timing have always been a problem area for me, so I'll definitly try the taping before hand.
'Armed with theory, practice becomes meaningful. Through practice, theory becomes fulfilled.' - Egon von Neindorff.
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You are welcome. Both of those pieces are very fun to play because of the fingering, and especially their rhythms. Take your time because you can learn a lot about timing and rhythm from both of those pieces.
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I will. I'm having lots of fun with them already and I've the minuet mostly memorized by now. Although I still have a lot of things to get to. My teacher started me on vibrato before the summer break, so it would be fun pieces to work on the vibrato later on. As of now, I only work on vibrato alone so I can develop consistent tone and bowing. Need to get better intonation though before applying it to a piece.
'Armed with theory, practice becomes meaningful. Through practice, theory becomes fulfilled.' - Egon von Neindorff.
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Your reading seems good for 8 months in
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@Leaviathan Thank you. It's my second time around. I had to quit playing 6-7 months in last time about 6 years ago due to health issues. Unfortunately I had to pretty much start all over again when picking up violin the second time. I have some music experience from earlier (piano and guitar.) so it helps a lot with the reading as well.
'Armed with theory, practice becomes meaningful. Through practice, theory becomes fulfilled.' - Egon von Neindorff.
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I feel like you are playing more relaxed and hear improvement.
Keep it up. 
"The richest person is not the one who has the most,
but the one who needs the least."
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@Fiddlerman Thank you. I'll keep it up. Do you have any suggestions on what I should work on?
'Armed with theory, practice becomes meaningful. Through practice, theory becomes fulfilled.' - Egon von Neindorff.
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HP said
@Fiddlerman Thank you. I'll keep it up. Do you have any suggestions on what I should work on?
Position.
How comfortable are you when you play? I looks like your neck might be slouched forward. If I'm right, perhaps you can get the instrument in a better position (higher, closer to your neck) with less fill between, and perhaps use your jaw to hold rather than your chin. I worry that you might get neck pains.
However, if I'm wrong, just make sure that you relax your neck and do not squeeze. Being able to play comfortably will allow you to play for long hours while enjoying yourself rather than forcing yourself to continue.
Rhythm
Listen to some recordings and play together with them. Perhaps slow the recordings down for practice.
Use a metronome
It's better to practice at a tempo that you can achieve the fastest notes and play the slower notes in tempo. In other words not change the tempo when you get to the eighth notes or sixteenths.....
Intonation
Everyone has trouble with intonation. The key thing is to hear when you are too low or too high. In the beginning it's helpful to focus on intonation once in a while and write arrows down or up if you are consistent.
That being said, I notice your improvements and enjoy seeing follow up videos.
"The richest person is not the one who has the most,
but the one who needs the least."
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@Fiddlerman I love that idea to write arrows up and down where the intonation issues are consistent! I am assuming you mean to use the sheet music to mark those little arrows in places where you always or most often either go flat or sharp. I have that issue with my cello sonata in the same place all the time. I try to remember, but always forget.
There are sections where I always creep down the fingerboard and catch myself later. Then I do the opposite in another place. I also, never do a shift far enough down in the same place and try to remember to go a tad further. I will make a an arrow note. I can mark those areas.
Ok, back to HP. Did not mean to hijack. It was just such a great tip! That little tip blew my mind. 
I can’t wait to see your next video, HP. I am very impressed.
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@Fiddlerman I'm usually comfortable holding the violin. However I do sometimes get minor neck pains after a long practice session (2 hours or even as much as 2,5 hours straight.). I'm bad about dividing my practice time throughout the day so I usually end up with doing a hour, hour and a half at the time. Mostly because I forget about the time while I'm working on various things. I feel like my hold improved after changing my chinrest from a Flech to a SAS, although it could probably be slightly taller. I'll work on my position. I don't want to get injured, I've had enough health related breaks already.
Thank you so much for your feedback, I'll work on it all.
'Armed with theory, practice becomes meaningful. Through practice, theory becomes fulfilled.' - Egon von Neindorff.
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Great vids HP, thanks for sharing. Nice discipline to on your daily practice too.
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@Heinrich Thank you 
'Armed with theory, practice becomes meaningful. Through practice, theory becomes fulfilled.' - Egon von Neindorff.
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cid said
@Fiddlerman I love that idea to write arrows up and down where the intonation issues are consistent! I am assuming you mean to use the sheet music to mark those little arrows in places where you always or most often either go flat or sharp. I have that issue with my cello sonata in the same place all the time. I try to remember, but always forget.......
Yes Cynthia, you could print out a part just for this. Obviously you may not want to write on your nice sheet music.
HP said
@Fiddlerman I'm usually comfortable holding the violin. However I do sometimes get minor neck pains after a long practice session (2 hours or even as much as 2,5 hours straight.). I'm bad about dividing my practice time throughout the day so I usually end up with doing a hour, hour and a half at the time. Mostly because I forget about the time while I'm working on various things. I feel like my hold improved after changing my chinrest from a Flech to a SAS, although it could probably be slightly taller. I'll work on my position. I don't want to get injured, I've had enough health related breaks already.Thank you so much for your feedback, I'll work on it all.
You are very welcome!
I'm glad that you are comfortable. That means a lot.
Also, you are right that it could be better to divide your practice sessions, but not just for the physical aspect but the mental as well. One learns differently throughout every stage of practice. Short concentrated sessions are better than long un-concentrated sessions. But if you are good at concentrating for long periods, more power to you. 😁
"The richest person is not the one who has the most,
but the one who needs the least."
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Clothes are overrated..by them Childens some violins and a lesson or two.
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@HP, I think you're doing quite well, and you are further along than I am. I am not familiar with the pieces you were playing, but I especially enjoyed the 2nd piece.
The pointers I have are based mostly on reading I've done to try to correct my own issues, so they are probably overly technical, but here goes:
1) Your violin is tilted down a little and your neck seems bent forward (as @Fiddlerman mentioned). I think these issues could be solved by raising your violin stand. If you raise your stand and concentrate on standing straight (posture, posture, posture!) those issues will likely resolve themselves.
2) Your bow hold seems tense and your pinkie is extended. I've been working on my bow hold from Day 1, and I have similar issues (especially the pinkie). Nicki Benedetti has an excellent video on the bow hand and how to have a relaxed hand. It starts at 12:21 in this video:
Marc Bouchkov has a unique approach to holding the bow, and it seems to be helping me a lot. It's found here:
Hope this is helpful. I know I tend to look at details more than most people, so just take it for whatever it's worth.
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sf_bev said
Your violin is tilted down a little and your neck seems bent forward (as @Fiddlerman mentioned). I think these issues could be solved by raising your violin stand. If you raise your stand and concentrate on standing straight (posture, posture, posture!) those issues will likely resolve themselves.
Partly the reason for this posture is because HP has such long arms that she can rest her left upper arm and elbow (almost) against her body with a stoop that seems small to her.
My arms are so short that if I tried this, I'd be pointing the violin down at an angle of 45 degrees. For HP it is subtle and she is probably unaware of it.
Dear HP, sorry to talk about you in the 3rd person! Try to stand straight, neck straight (but always relaxed, right shoulder low). Experiment with how far your left elbow needs to be from your body. Your left wrist is admirably straight, but, if need be, it could be brought in a tiny bit - sometimes it bends outwards a little.
Andrew
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Nicely done, I think it's coming along quite well. 
I also have the songs in my Suzuki books for the violin and the cello, But I haven't gotten quite that far yet. I think I've gotten up to Andantino in my violin book and Rigadoon and Etude and my cello book. Kudos for keeping up with practice!
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