No, but I'm working on similar. I've got some chamois and some faux chamois.

The latest news.

I had a spare fibreglass case (Crossrock - cheapish and nastyish) which fits the violin because the two bow slots are the opposite side from the chinrest. I can still use my Wolf Forte Secondo. So far so good.

Then I had a rosin saga. I was using Hill dark on a Jonpaul Carrera and it was sounding hissy and thin. Often that's a sign that you've used too much rosin. I think I wiped it with a microfibre cloth, but to no avail - the Coda GX sounded rich and buttery in comparison (a big difference, not a little one).

But it was so long since I last used the Coda that I couldn't remember what rosin I had used, but putting Hill light on the JPC seemed to do the trick. But then I found that the Hill light on the JPC only lasted about an hour. After a while I tried Guillaume (dark amber). That also seemed to do the trick and it lasted much longer than Hill light. I still have some Royal Oak Classic in my drawer. It's been a long time since I used that. Visually it's a lot like the Guillaume.

Too many is too confusing.

For any of this to be a valuable experiment it needs to be far more methodical.

Currently then I am using Guillaume on a Jonpaul Carrera and liking the sound I make, although the louder I play, the better I sound, which is a little worrying. My strings are 8-month old Visions. They will need replacing soon. I have Tonicas, Dominants and Evah Pirazzis to try.

Having said all that, I only like my sound when I have an earplug in my left ear. I may have damaged it, or I may have wax in it.

ELCBK said
@Gordon Shumway -

HAPPY BIRTHDAY! 

Have a great day! 

...no gif's, just for you. 😊

  

Belated thanks. I've been away for the weekend.

Currently happy. Although I thought Oct 18th was my 5th anniversary of violin playing, as my first violin lesson was 18/10/18, but now I find I bought a book on shifting in July 2018 from Amazon, so I'm now guessing I began on about my 58th birthday, which means my 5th anniversary has been and gone.

Vision Solo A, open, is better than Vision A.

Rosin = Guillaume for a long time.

Forgot to take music with me last weekend, so I started working on scales.

I had been practising three-octave scales desultorily, but I'm at the stage where I need to work on double-stopped scales. Thirds and sixths. These will be good for Bach; 10ths and fingered octaves won't. No need for complicated Flesch stuff, unless I download it from IMSLP.

I've just been looking at three-octave chromatic scales, wondering if there's a point. At least they demand a system. Barbara Barber's and Heifetz's systems are very similar.

I think I prefer Heifetz. Ending the chromatics 33 instead of 34 seems best unless you have skinny fingers. Mostly though the whole thing is an intonation exercise. Some kind of note pattern/rhythm so that you know what note you are listening for at any key point, otherwise you can really lose it. I haven't given it much thought yet.

Back to the question of friction between shoulder rest and clothing (since I'm back to my basic curved maple in conjunction with a Berber)

I ordered a 1m strip of 50mmx6mm wetsuit neoprene.

And also Lidl had some 1000-grit "sanding fleece" (£1.50 for 2 sheets or 4 sheets for £2) which might be fun, but might also ruin my clothes!

I'll keep you posted.

My practice has a schedule. That way I don't stagnate.

In addition to examining detail, you have to limit how much time you spend doing it, otherwise you won't progress. You have to keep pushing forward.

If you do harder things, that is a better way to make easier things easier than sticking to easy things.

A few years ago I kept tripping over my feet, but I finally stabilised at around grade 4 and decided to spend a year practising nothing but grade 5 pieces, then a year at grade 6, and so on.

I've just finished a year of grade 7 and have just started on a year of grade 8 before I join the Dulwich Symphony Orchestra next September.

I alternate fast baroque + slow "modern" with fast "modern" + slow baroque.

So my schedule until mid September next year is: -

Vivaldi Autumn + Brahms Op.100

Kreutzer #10 + BWV1004 Allemanda

Vivaldi Winter + Kreutzer #29

Beethoven Spring + BWV1004 Sarabande

Vivaldi Spring + César Franck

Copland Hoe-down + BWV1001 Adagio (revisited)

Vivaldi Summer + Gershwin arr Heifetz Summertime + It Ain't necessarily so

Bartok Rumanian Dances + BWV1006 Louré

I will practise each pair for about 40 days, then drop them for the next pair.

I'll try to find a teacher next year, and I'm sure I'll need a lot of remedial work.

This is much harder to do with the Suzuki materials, as their idea is 3 steps forward, 2 steps back, 3 steps forward, 2 steps back; and without a teacher you need more motivation, I suspect.

To measure yourself, the ABRSM syllabus is better because the steps are single. You can find it online (and there's New Zealand too) and use IMSLP, although IMSLP may be less helpful with fingerings and bowings.

I won't be around much, though, as we have family issues, so I'll lose at least 6 weeks' worth of practice time this year. I'll try to do some recordings next year.

stringy said
... learning winter in 40 days, but I am sure you will manage it...

  

No, that's not my expectation. All I intend is to employ it to develop more technical facility than I have. No piece I learn is ever good enough to perform.

Good news on the teacher front, though - we had a substitute conductor today who was a violinist. Her schedule is full, but she told me that the wife of our usual conductor runs a teaching agency, and fees are £35 per hour downwards (my old teacher had recommended an unqualified teacher who wanted £50 per hour), so when our family issues are resolved, I'll look into that.

Gordon Shumway said

ELCBK said

...is this plan to prepare for a violin audition with the Dulwich Symphony Orchestra? 

Yes and No. They don't actually audition - they just suggest that you should be about grade 8 standard.  

Mind, a couple of years ago they stipulated grade 7. A lot of people bluff their way into such orchestras, so it's possible they will require auditions next year, but they have a website where if you are a member, you can download the music annotated with bowings to practise during the summer before termtime begins in September, so I'm hopeful I'd pass an audition.

My father died on Sunday (please don't commiserate publicly), hence my absences from the forum for a couple of weeks at a time; and I'm off again today. I may be back mid November. My mother has given me permission to take my violin to practise.