I played my new violin with the bow I have on trial for about 45 minutes. I'm really liking the two together. 

The violin seems to fit me. It is appearing to be so much easier for me to play than the last one. I am thinking it might have some similarities with the Fiddlerman setup. I find my brighter Fiddlerman easier to play than the dark violin I traded in for this new dark violin. I find the comfort and ease of play between the new dark violin and my Fiddlerman brighter violin to be similar. 👍

My hearing is so picky as to which violin I use for pop and classical, vs fiddle type music. That is the reason for the dark violin as well as the Fiddlerman. I just mention this for those confused with the two violins.

Back to my session. I find I can hear when I am playing in tune easier with this violin. I also feel like I can feel when I am holding the fingerboard properly so my fingers are where they should be when I start. These things seemed to be more difficult with my other dark violin. I am not talking the color dark. The sound is darker, warmer, etc vs a fiddle type sound. I think this new one is dark/warm, but I can hear it better, is the best I can explain it.  It has a sweet soulful sound.

I found it was easier to correct my intonation when I slipped up. I will be playing it again later today. 

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Ok, my playing was pretty good yesterday. I managed to play two versions of Happy Birthday. I posted them in the Share a video.

Happy Birthday in Share a Video Forum Group

I traded a violin in for the one I was playing in the video. My new one is much easier for me to handle. It is dark, warm and sweet. I have a Fiddlershop Concert Deluxe violin and this one is easy to play, also. I noticed the bridges, although different brands, have a similar curve. The one I traded in has a flatter curve. I can do string crossings much better on my warm dark violin now. The one I traded in gave me other issues that are much better now, too. I just was not ready for that other violin. 

I am also trying a new bow, which I used in the videos. I really like that bow and will trade the one for the one I bought from the same shop a few years ago.

I did find that I needed to replace the chinrest that was it came with with my Holstein Freedom. It really does make a difference.

I will get my cello back this coming week. It will get a new bridge, new strings, and a polishing up. 

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This morning, before lunch, I did about 30 minutes on my violin. I didn't do too well, I think I was rushing it because it was lunch time. I will get back to it, later. 

I put more details about this session in my topic in the Learning to Play forum group about doing Fiddlerman's 35 day challenge.

I Am Doing Fiddlerman's 35 Day Practice Challenge

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So, I just did 50 minutes of practice time and about 20 minutes going through my books. I discovered a section on patterns in the back end of my Essentials Book 2. I am not really much into book 2 of this series, but, I looked through it and found some pieces that fill the gap between their 1st book pieces being too simple and not helping with making me concentrate on my fingering for intonation and bowing. I find most of book 2 beyond me because there are a lot of keys I am not comfortable with yet and won't tackle until I am more consistent. 

In my searching, I found patterns mentioned and explained, a bit, in the back. It also has exercises for each string using the 4 patterns. I will add these to my lesson plan. I think it will help. Patterns were mentioned in brief in lessons, when I took cello, but were never ever explained and shown to me. 

I was searching for a scales book. I thought I had one. I did not find one. Drat! Wait a minute, I think I know where one might be. Yes, I found it. Rubank Scales in First Position. I will add a scale to my next lesson plan. I will add one that is not familiar to me. 👍

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I am beginning to feel a little more confident with my violin. I have accepted that I will have really bad days, but I am hoping they become fewer and farther between. 

I won't be able to get to the practicing/playing in the morning, unless I manage to squeeze it in. I am hoping to be able to. I can't do it right now. My husband is on the phone. I know that anyone reading this would be thinking, "Why aren't you playing niw instead of doing the blog?" 

Later.

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I had a harder time with those strings. No matter which bow I used, the cello strings seemed to be fighting them. Not sure if I should continue trying to play on them or take them off and put another brand, that I know I like, on it.

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I have received comments as to why I am playing around with violin, viola and cello. These comments mostly come from people I know. Here is my explanation.

I started with cello. I love the sound of a cello. It can be so deep and mournful, but then it can be sweet and light. I love how it becomes part of your body. They look lovely angled up from the floor. 

In spite of that, my first inclination was to try violin. The problem? I thought my not so slender, fingers, especially at the angle my arm and wrist would be, would be a problem. The neck is so narrow and the strings so close together. So all the things I loved about cello won out. 

Eventually, my curiosity about the violin and wondering if I could do it crept up, again. My cello was not very portable, either. I couldn't take it outside, very easily. When I do, I have to allow for the endpin. I started thinking, again, about the violin more and more. I still loved my cello. It is still my favorite.

My husband said I should give it a try and see. Heck, other people with wider fingers than I have can do it. Turns out that I can do it.

So, I thought, why not do viola, it is almost like playing the violin, of course, it is a little different, not the same size so adjustments are made for fingering, and I bow it a tad differently to get the sound out of the strings. 

I think a lot of the reason is the interest in those particular instruments, wanting to try, wondering if I could do them, and simple curiosity. I did not want the "Woulda, shoulda, coulda" nagging me when it would be too late.

I love all three, my cello is my favorite, but the violin and and viola are close seconds.

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I have been doing the 35 Dy Challenge and have not been posting much here. I finished the first challenge that I used to work on my intonation on my violin.

I Am Doing Fiddlerman's 35 Day Practice Challenge

I am going to do it again, but I need to take some time to use what I did accomplish. My results are on the last page if the above linked post. 

I am in the process of creating a plan for a cello challenge. I will also do the challenge again, for my violin to improve my bowing. 

I am hoping my violin will transfer my viola w/o having to do a challenge, but if I need to use the challenge for aspects of the viola, I will.

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Wow, it has been a while. Update time.

I am still working on my cello playing. It occurred to me, when doing the latest Fiddlerman Group Project, that I rarely use the C string and have a really difficukt time with it, I changed my plan for learning cello to deal with this.

I started with book 1 yesterday. Book 1 rarely, if ever, uses the C string. I am playing the songs as written and for those that I can, I move them down so the C string is the lowest string being played. I got a lot of C string playing practice yesterday. It was great. I will continue doing this.

I do not know why the C string treated like it is a mystery or not part if the cello. It is pretty much ignored in book 1, at least the series I am using. It makes me think it is hard, and tht causes me to be very hesitant to use it, like I am not ready. 

I am still working on my viola and violin, also. I have improved on both. I have not improved my vibrato on either. Vibrato on my cello is much easier to learn and control, still in the learning stage, though. I think it is the way the instrument is held. With the cello, it is very stable. With the viola and violin, it is. balancing act on my shoulder, making vibrato very difficult for me. It may very well be, I don't have my set up right, I don't know, It is comfortable, but a balancing act for vibrato, shifting, too actually. But, I will persist.

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