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Ok, here we go. This is my first classical attempt since long , Vivaldi's Largo, the first part. I think I need more elbow movement for this classic piece. Overall I don't find I sound like I am playing for three years, but it's my first day practising this song.
You can be honest. I wish I had made more progress since I quit classical violin classes (to find out about old time music).
This is on my new old French violin. I am taking it to a luthier specialised in French instruments on Saturday to have it checked.
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I honestly think it sounds great, everything is there, don't get caught up in how good you think you should be after a certain time, it doesn't matter, what does matter is the pleasure and achievement playing brings you.
Sounds great.
Cant beat a sunny day
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By the way, I should add, never believe these people on you tube who say they have been playing for 3 years, and proceed to belt out some perfect rendition of Haydns, they tell lies to get hits from people who never touched a fiddle in their life and have no idea how difficult it really is.
Cant beat a sunny day
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@Anja -
You have beautiful tone and a nice relaxed bow hand!
There is always so much to think about, but look at 'bow distribution'. I have seen you can be a confident player 🤗 so try to use the full length of your bow for those long notes - especially for Classical music.
Have you tried vibrato? This is the perfect piece to try or practice vibrato with.
...I still can't do vibrato very well. 😞
- Emily
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Good intonation, very nice legato.
You're actually rushing the piece a little; I notice it gets gradually faster as you go on, and my sense is that you're playing at a faster-than-average tempo to begin with. I think most or all of the technical issues I see would probably be solved just by taking your time and really luxuriating in the long notes. You'll naturally use more bow that way, for example. Also, when you jump down to the lower notes at 0:40, they really aren't that fast and you don't need to hurry so much to reach them. It's a fairly natural tendency to rush when we see faster or more difficult passages, because we automatically think we're going to have to move quickly; sometimes I pencil "NOT THAT FAST" in my music before fast passages, to remind myself that playing faster doesn't mean racing ahead.
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I think you sound really good @anja and enjoyed listening!
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Anja
Sounds good, enjoyed that.
Thanks for posting
Mark
Master the Frog and you have mastered the bow.
Albert Sammons
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Sounds good to me. Intonation is mostly fine, tone is good.
Some notes don't start cleanly, but that's more likely because you don't know the piece that well than any technique fault.
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AndrewH said
Good intonation, very nice legato.You're actually rushing the piece a little; I notice it gets gradually faster as you go on, and my sense is that you're playing at a faster-than-average tempo to begin with. I think most or all of the technical issues I see would probably be solved just by taking your time and really luxuriating in the long notes. You'll naturally use more bow that way, for example. Also, when you jump down to the lower notes at 0:40, they really aren't that fast and you don't need to hurry so much to reach them. It's a fairly natural tendency to rush when we see faster or more difficult passages, because we automatically think we're going to have to move quickly; sometimes I pencil "NOT THAT FAST" in my music before fast passages, to remind myself that playing faster doesn't mean racing ahead.
Thank you Andrew for your insight! Great observations, and yes at 0:40 I felt that I needed to be in time so was in a hurry 😉 I will give it another try today.
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ELCBK said
You have beautiful tone and a nice relaxed bow hand!
There is always so much to think about, but look at 'bow distribution'. I have seen you can be a confident player 🤗 so try to use the full length of your bow for those long notes - especially for Classical music.
Have you tried vibrato? This is the perfect piece to try or practice vibrato with.
...I still can't do vibrato very well. 😞
- Emily
I cannot do vibrato yet, I hope I one day will succeed. I saw a video of you playing, you have such a beautiful tone and way of playing. Your fiddle sounds amazing too!
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This is the second morning I practice on this piece, thanks to this topic I made some noticeable progress!
BUT:
- I forget to repeat an B in the beginning
- then I make a wrong bow change in that piece where I clearly have to play slower and that gets me into trouble with the string changes
- the tempo must improve: I cannot speed up anywhere and I must respect the pauses of the piece and their respective lengths
- not every note comes through with the same clarity
- the last note must be much longer
- I must get more inside the violin: my head/chin should lean more against and towards the violin
- overall I am satisfied for a second day.
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@Anja -
The 'fiddle' you heard me play was probably my Viola 🤣, but both my Viola & Violin are Carbon Fiber - they cannot compare to how beautiful your old violin sounds!
THANK YOU, for posting this thread! You are helping ME right now! I can see I have not been using enough bow for slower pieces and cutting some of my notes short because of it.
Have you seen this video?
It can help show you bowing, also tempo, rhythm & phrasing - if you slow it down on a laptop (or tablet) & play along.
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ELCBK said
@Anja -Have you seen this video?
It can help show you bowing, also tempo, rhythm & phrasing - if you slow it down on a laptop (or tablet) & play along.
That video isn't going to work for a play-along. Anja is playing a transposed version in A major, not the original movement in E-flat major. For all the other things, it's good.
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enjoyed watching Anja!
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AndrewH said
ELCBK said
@Anja -
Have you seen this video?
That video isn't going to work for a play-along. Anja is playing a transposed version in A major, not the original movement in E-flat major. For all the other things, it's good.
Thank you, Andrew!!!
Sorry, I didn't pay close enough attention!
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ELCBK said
@Anja -The 'fiddle' you heard me play was probably my Viola 🤣, but both my Viola & Violin are Carbon Fiber - they cannot compare to how beautiful your old violin sounds!
THANK YOU, for posting this thread! You are helping ME right now! I can see I have not been using enough bow for slower pieces and cutting some of my notes short because of it.
Have you seen this video?
It can help show you bowing, also tempo, rhythm & phrasing - if you slow it down on a laptop (or tablet) & play along.
Haha and I was constantly thinking that is one remarkable fiddle lol. Now I get it. Long bow strokes, the first few months I took private classes with a classically schooled teacher everything was about making sounds and long bow strokes. It's how I learned to play.
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Ah this is fab thanks so much for sharing. I like your tone as well. Been having a go at this one myself !! Will enjoy watching your progress 😁
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Katie L said
Ah this is fab thanks so much for sharing. I like your tone as well. Been having a go at this one myself !! Will enjoy watching your progress 😁
Look here , this piece is beautiful, it's called Jupiter and was composed by Gustav Holst, it is what I am practising today:
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@Anja -
That's wonderful!
Thought you might want to see that Fiddlerman did the arrangement & mixing for this International Group Project (back in 2014 - many years before I started playing).
Thaxted from Gustav Holst's Jupiter - Group Project Thread
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ELCBK said
@Anja -That's wonderful!
Thought you might want to see that Fiddlerman did the arrangement & mixing for this International Group Project (back in 2014 - many years before I started playing).
Thaxted from Gustav Holst's Jupiter - Group Project Thread
I have to learn this one too anja!
THANK YOU for sharing that @elcbk. I Just got bit by that melody. Isnt that played in ceremonies or something along those lines.. I mean outside of concert halls. seems familiar.
EDIT...
sorry folks no disrespect intended.. "I Vow to Thee My Country" wonderful song, and composition. Its also used in a Hymn. I also read that Holst wrote it about his English village?
Im pretty sure Ive heard this over the years but 1st time connecting all..DUh. 🙂
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