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.
Log In
Register
Home
Topic RSS
(121 votes) 
Online
So, yesterday I had a good day.
I worked on the group project. I spend additional time on the last section because I have issues with the A and E strings, especially the beginning. The B (A string) to F# (E string). For some reason, I stumble. That said, the entire section is an issue, but I did whittle it down to just a SMALL ISSUE. I felt more comfortable by the time I was done. 😁 Persistence is NOT futile. 😂😂😂
I continued by going over the Gavotte and Minuet I started before the project.
I ended by playing pieces that I have been playing for a couple years, or more, and have memorized.
None of the pieces I play are Halloweeny, so not appropriate for Stringy's Halloween party.
I did place the 3rd finger first position tape on. I had the first finger tape on, already. I needed a guide as to where the first position begins and ends. This made it possible to get the 2nd finger fingering more accurate too.
Yes, I know, many do not use tapes and often show opposition to it in many places. If someone needs them, they need them, I am not a spring chicken and do not have decades to learn, I want to be as good as I can now. My muscle and touch memory, which I believe is necessary to play or learn without the tapes, is not as good as it used to be. I have no problem admitting I use tapes. But for some reason, I feel I must apologize for it. Weird. Yes, I use a proud tuner on my violin too. 😂😂😂 I am just doing this for fun and frustration is not included.
I won't be playing today, or if I do, I will just be pulling one from the rack and playing what I have memorized. Such a busy day.
About the Larson Tzigane strings on my Lord Wilton, I really like them. Soft on the finger, which is a huge need, and the sound is nice, Do I play better with them? No, but i do like the sound better, and the feel better, so it is more enjoyable. And, isn't enjoying it what it is all about?
Later.
🐭
Learn Violin and Fiddle
on
Fiddlerman's Fiddle Talk Forum
Online
Just finished working on the Group Project, the minuet and Gavotte. I did all three violins. Discovered something.
I want to use my Fiddlershop Lord Wilton for the project, BUT, I find much better results on the A and E strings when using my Parker (the one made by my grandfather). Hmmm. I still have issues with the A and E, but using the Parker drastically cuts that back, not just a little. Also, I did notice a little progress the more I did it on the Parker, not so on the other two violins. What to do, what to do. I love the sound of the strings on the Lord Wilton. I love that violin. I love playing it. It is much lighter, weight-wise, than the Parker. The Parker was hand made by my grandfather. I love playing that violin, too. It has a, surprisingly, nice sound. The third violin was not as good as the Lord Wilton and Parker.
I would like to get better at the A and E strings, but, I don't want to use a project that will be recorded and shared, and used with others, to be the source of learning. Maybe I should bite the bullet and use the Parker and concentrate on as good of a video I can do, and just work kn the A and E strings on the Lord Wilton after I am finished with the group project? I know of some songs that are all A and E strings that I can use, and Fiddlerman has great exercises.
Thoughts anyone? I am going to try my cello later.
🐭
Learn Violin and Fiddle
on
Fiddlerman's Fiddle Talk Forum
Regulars
Offline
@Mouse -
I think of "biting the bullet" as accepting (reluctantly) I have to fix something - force myself.
I haven't had much luck in forcing myself into much of anything this past year, or sticking with anything - so I have to keep coming back to work on stuff a lttle at a time.
Not sure exactly what you are having issues with on the A & E string, but I've had to specifically search for the best "A" in comparison to how the rest of strings react/sound. If I'm going to try new strings, I'll always check out the A first, separately. I only use one "E" - Pirastro "Gold Label".
If I've only been practicing for some time on lower strings, it takes me a minute to remind myself what articulation I want to feel & hear on the A & E - so I play a few notes of a tune for that. ...but I may also do that just to remind myself/my fingers what scale/mode my next tune is in.
Definitely works out better for me if I balance out my practice - tunes on low and high strings, slow and fast tunes.
...still, have to say I'll devote quite a bit of extra time working on things I'm having trouble with - so maybe I do "bite the bullet".
The good news - you still have quite a bit of time left to play on your A & E strings more and work out issues before the Christmas Project deadline.
The "A" string Thread - I started this one back in 2020.
I happen to remember this older thread (started by Gordon Shumway) I ran across a few weeks ago, The A String Thread - might be something in here to help.
Online
@ELCBK Not the sound. It is just bowing them, no videos please, 😁. It took me a while on the cello to get the A string. This is entirely different positioning on the violin. A lot of it is just me knowing that there they are, the A and E (mostly E). I think the more I do it, the less I will think about it. I need to just be more following the music, and less thinking about it, to a POINT!
I should have explained that the sound of the strings is fine, it is the bowing. I did figure one part of the equation out, but my arms do not like to go where they need to. I am going to check and see what of the set up for the Parker is different from the Lord Wilton. I know the Parker has the Fiddlerman Freedom Chinrest. It is a tad higher in depth than a Fiddlerman or other violin. I had to take it off the Lord Wilton because I found it too low. I do love that chinrest. I use the same shoulder rest, Bon Musica.
Ah! I switched to the Bon Musica AFTER I removed the Freedom chinrest from the Lord Wilton. Maybe that Freedom chinrest will work with the Lord Wilton now because the Bon Musica does give the violin a little more height than the other one. i could not raise the other one any further, it became unstable because the screws were not in far enough to handle it,
I am going to be getting more busy around Nov-Dec than usual, so I am hoping to get a good video before then, so really not that much time. It takes me forever. Hmmm, maybe like a lot of things with me, it will just all of a sudden click. I guess I can just keep doing both and when the time comes to video, video with whichever one works best.
Thanks for replying, your thoughts are much appreciated. Your reply got me doing more thinking, not always a good thing, 😂🥴.
🐭
Update: The Freedom Chinrest did not work well with the Bon Musica. Have to use a different chinrest with the Bin Musica. I really want something I can use the Freedom with.
Learn Violin and Fiddle
on
Fiddlerman's Fiddle Talk Forum
Online
I just finished with my violin. I did the group project and it was much easier after watching the video Fiddlershop made.
I am using the Lord Wilton. I do have issues with the E string. I did find, however, some little diddies I have in some little books I just had spiral bound that have some pieces with quite a bit of E string, so I am doing those, too. Using the E string in actual songs helps me more than exercise.
All in all, it went quite well. I used my audio memo app and recorded my playing. I can hear which notes I often get flat, ie the C on the A string. I could also notice progress on the E string.
I am not using the click track. I need to be more comfortable with the fingering and bowing. I did use it for a little while to give me an idea of the tempo. Maybe, next week I will be able to work on it with the click tracks.
I gave the second violin part another try. It is seriously a no go for me. I will see if I can do the cello after I get a video for the violin done.
🐭
Learn Violin and Fiddle
on
Fiddlerman's Fiddle Talk Forum
Online
Violin went quite well today. Next time I am only doing the third time through. I need to strengthen that part.
I had to move my cello today so I could let the Roboroc clean and not go around it. I miss it. This week, I will use it again and see how it goes. I think it will be fine. 😁
🐭
Learn Violin and Fiddle
on
Fiddlerman's Fiddle Talk Forum
Member
Offline
@mouse i too use tapes on my fingerboard. You do what you gotta do to help your intonation and finger placement. I've been having a bit of trouble with the f# up into the key change, as its a bit awkward for me, but I'm a beginner (I just started learning to play at the beginning of this year).
Online
@celeigh87 If you are talking about the group project and the f#, I am having to spend a bit of time on that section. I am more used to cello, but my arm gets too tired too soon on the cello now, at least for now. So, I am doing violin, which I am not all that familiar with, but it does not require as much arm strength to bow compared to the cello. I just have to build up the bowing arm strength for my cello. Old age!
I noticed you tried a shoutout above, (@mouse). They way you did it dies not work. Here is a link to the instructions for shoutouts:
https://fiddlerman.com/forum/f.....-shoutout/
By the way, welcome to my cubby hole!
🐭
Learn Violin and Fiddle
on
Fiddlerman's Fiddle Talk Forum
Member
Offline
@Mouse Thanks for the info on tagging people. It was this years group project I was talking about. Sorry I didn't specify.
Online
@celeigh87 It worked!
I kind of figured you were talking about the project, 😁. It should be a really nice piece when it is done.
🐭
Learn Violin and Fiddle
on
Fiddlerman's Fiddle Talk Forum
Online
I was able to get some more violin time in today. I can actually feel progress with the Group Project and my pieces. This does not happen often.
In the Group Project, the transition from the twice through the first page to the second page is really becoming smoother, and not even thinking much about it, thinking about always just makes me think too much about it, if you get my drift. Did not have that issue today at all. All relaxed playing. What a switch.
🐭
Learn Violin and Fiddle
on
Fiddlerman's Fiddle Talk Forum
Online
Ok. I did my violin again, just now. I did the GP, and my other pieces, and a couple pieces from Suzuki that I remembered.
I paid attention to my bowing and really felt progress! Yippee! Seriously, not just wanting to feel that, I think it has improved. My E string was much much stronger.
@Fiddlerman I also seriously feel that I have improved all around. I feel more comfortable, I feel more, for lack of a better word, adequate. Adequate may not sound like anything great to most, but for someone who does not think she was getting anywhere, it is huge. Fiddlerman, can you confirm whether or not my thinking about what happens with the chinrest changes below is really happening?
I changed my setup, and that is part of it. I love the Fiddlerman Freedom chinrest, but had to replace it with a different one because my holding of the violin changed and did not work with the shoulder rest. The chinrest was too low. I switched to my Forte shoulder rest the other day, or whatever it is called, and put the Freedom back on. Voila! I love it with the new way I am holding my violin. The E string bows much better now.
I do believe the sound has improved greatly. Part is because I do believe the Freedom chinrest always allows the sound to come out better and stronger and fuller. Seriously, I notice this every time I have switched it out for another after using it a while. The sound gets weaker and is somewhat muffled with the more solid or larger area chinrests. I switch back to the Fiddlerman Freedom, and the violin opens up again. Mind you, it does not matter which strings I am using, but the result is like this, without changing strings, only when changing chinrests. I would say it is due to the shoulder rest, but I have switched back and forth and kept the same shoulder rest, bow, etc. Only change was the Freedom chinrest. Does this make sense?
That said, my fingering has also improved. I do have to check back to the fingerboard tape for the "home base" quite a bit because I tend to travel on it, and get lost. Always have had to do that. I need a Garmin for my violin.
Now, this is all how it sounds to me, violin under my ears. Given the change under my ears, it must also be changed and improved in distance hearing.
That brings me to another thought. Maybe, just maybe, the violin is not sounding better, maybe my EARS are getting bad?
Thoughts, without getting technical with all that decibel and other technical talk. That just blows my mind, and I quit reading. I am too old to learn all that techy stuff. Envious of those who know so much about music, but I really cannot get into it like that. 🥴
This has all really been a surprise.
🐭
Learn Violin and Fiddle
on
Fiddlerman's Fiddle Talk Forum
Regulars
Offline
@Mouse said .."Adequate may not sound like anything great to most, but for someone who does not think she was getting anywhere, it is huge. "
I know exactly what you mean and feel the same way. It doesnt mean we wont keep at it. Its not like we say to ourselves... whelp.. check..done with that fiddle thing now.. but just means we can enjoy where we are in our progress and allow ourselves some happiness with that.
Online
Exactly, ABitRusty.
🐭
Learn Violin and Fiddle
on
Fiddlerman's Fiddle Talk Forum
Online
I do find it both odd and interesting that I actually notice things about my playing violin now.
🐭
Learn Violin and Fiddle
on
Fiddlerman's Fiddle Talk Forum
Offline
Mouse said..........
@Fiddlerman I also seriously feel that I have improved all around. I feel more comfortable, I feel more, for lack of a better word, adequate. Adequate may not sound like anything great to most, but for someone who does not think she was getting anywhere, it is huge. Fiddlerman, can you confirm whether or not my thinking about what happens with the chinrest changes below is really happening?.............
Yes I can, and this is why.
More solid wood vibrating on the violin makes for less vibration. I can totally understand that the sound opens up. I've noticed that as well.
Congrats on Adequate... 
"The richest person is not the one who has the most,
but the one who needs the least."
Online
Thank you, @Fiddlerman. Now that I feel adequate, I will strive for confident!
Learn Violin and Fiddle
on
Fiddlerman's Fiddle Talk Forum
Regulars
Offline
Where I am from, when anyone asks how are you doing about anything we may be learning, everyone always says 'I am better than I was' , usually followed by , 'not that great though', and laughs, and then the one who asked the question will laugh as well.
We know there is no such thing as being good, as there is always someone better than you, the best anyone can be is adequate, what really matters is what you think of yourself, not what others think, and that's the truth.
To thine own self be true, as someone once said.
Cant beat a sunny day
Online
Thanks, stringy, but I do have a different feeling about good.
We know there is no such thing as being good, as there is always someone better than you,
I think you can be good, even if someone is better. If that were not the case, nobody would be good at anything. 😁
🐭
Learn Violin and Fiddle
on
Fiddlerman's Fiddle Talk Forum
Regulars
Offline
I think you misunderstand me completely mouse.
If I were to tell you that you are the greatest living violinist, and then someone else told you that you were absolute rubbish, who is correct.
The only opinion that matters is your own of yourself, so being adequate at anything you do really is the best that anyone can hope for, how can you say you are good at anything when someone else will always disagree with you.
This is the meaning of the statement to thine own self be true.
Cant beat a sunny day
1 Guest(s)
ELCBK
Mouse
Fiddlerman