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That gig sounds like an epic, tell you what though better being prepared than frozen.
I would have been worried my stomach would start rumbling, in the time between arriving and getting the butties, it always happens to me at the most unfortunate time.
Glad things are going well for you, even with the adventure, theft and the other things.
As an aside, have you ever been in the musicians church? Very interesting, went in there in summer, to have a look and there was a string orchestra, about 12 musicians practicing Mozart, for a concert in there that night, I sat through half an hour of it but started feeling a bit guilty due to tickets on the night being 20 quid, and I was watching for free, 
Cant beat a sunny day
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Cheers, Stringy. Last string orchestra meeting was today (we did Eine Kleine Nachtmusik, btw), so my desk is clear now so that I can give 100% of my time to my teacher's requirements until mid January.
I wasn't able to find time to record the Fiddlerman Christmas special. I did want to have a go at the viola part too.
Only fly in the ointment is I really should start practising Brahms's 2nd Symphony for 29th March.
Andrew
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Night musik is one of my faves, I still keep banging away at that one myself, more out of masochism than anything I suppose. Hope that one turns out good, would be excellent with a complete orchestra playing it.
I have never bothered with the xmas special, may have a go at sometime in the future, but I dont relate to click tracks to be brutally honest.
That Brahms second is above me, but I am sure you will get it in time for the gigs in the new year.
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The string orchestra is intermediate, but smaller, and you can stand out badly.
The symphony orchestra is advanced, but all you have do do is get a basic proficiency with the music then its greater size means you can fly under the radar, so it's not too bad.
Andrew
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I thought I'd give you a BonMusica update.
Here's the most comfortable setup. But the red arrow points to the corner of the backing plate which is revealed as I rotate the rest's back-half towards my neck. This corner, rather than the visible nut and bolt, presses against a vein or nerve in my shoulder, so my only need for the time being is to cover it with something such as a piece of yoga mat.
Andrew
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I promised myself that over the holidays I'd practise orchestral material, but the Holst is unavailable on IMSLP and I've been concentrating on stuff for lessons (Bach, Tchaikovsky, Kreutzer) and can't concentrate on the Brahms at all because it's so bitty (in the long run my options are: improve so that I can sight-read orchestral stuff, and/or join the firsts where the music is less bitty). I guess I'll sight-read from my printed copy and daub the tricky bits with red marker pen for home practice. (Yeah, I know, the whole lot will end up daubed with red)
Andrew
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Jan 10 2025
Restrung Breton breveté: -
G = Vision; D = Vision, silver-wound
A = Prim high tension (aka orchestral)
E = temporarily left on the old Goldbrokat (tin-plated steel) .27
(0.25mm = low tension: 0.26mm = medium tension: 0.27mm = high tension: 0.28mm = extra high tension)
The supposedly high tension A hardly required any tensioning to bring it up to tune, which is worrying. So far, Vision are my favourite G and D for this violin. I just need to settle on a good A string. Vision A was weak-sounding. Vision Solo better. I'm trying Prim A because Oistrakh used it in combination with Dominant G and D. Initially it seems very nice, better than the Vision Solo. Trying out Prim D and G would probably be a rabbit hole.
I've never felt the need to be fussy about E strings (my teacher uses Goldbrokat because they are the cheapest in the UK), nor had one whistle except when it was obviously my fault. But I will probably switch to a wound one, as rapid shifting seems to threaten friction burns to my pinky.[added: bad shifting technique]
I was going to record the Tchaik Op.42 mélodie before and after teaching, but I sounded so bad after getting back to the flat that restringing took precedence. Orchestra rehearsals start next week, so the strings have time to settle.
Andrew
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My next lesson is tomorrow and I had considered last weekend deleting my FB account due to compulsive behaviour and ADD. Today I spent all day on FB and didn't practise the violin, so tonight I deleted my FB account.
Andrew
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Bravo, @Gordon Shumway. Alf would not have done that, but good for you! I just do not understand the attraction. Tried it twice, for two specific reasons, a few years apart, and deleted both.
I know some people who should delete theirs because too much time is spent on it, and some just get into arguments with "friends", to which I say, "Why not just unfriend, or delete your Facebook". Go figure.
Think of all the time you now have to actually enjoy yourself and your activities.
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I had two twitter accounts and deleted both unused, then I accidentally created an X account not realising what it was and deleted it unused, but I had been on FB for 15 years.
Andrew
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I haven't figured out the real reason for those. I email, text or call people I want to communicate with. I just don't understand why it is done, but that is me, 😁 A lot of people do use them.
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Twittter was interesting in theory because you could say whatever you wanted in 120 characters, so lots of genuine celebrities used it to talk to the world, as it took no time out of their days. It was supposedly innocuous, except that when someone said something contentious, it was impossible to refute it in 120 characters.
What X is is very unlikely to smell nice.
I think Pierre might have given me a top fan badge on FB only a day or two ago. Sorry, @Fiddlerman!
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Gordon Shumway said
I think Pierre might have given me a top fan badge on FB only a day or two ago. Sorry, @Fiddlerman!
😂😂😂😂😂 You might get bottom fan now. 😂😂😂
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Gordon Shumway said
Twittter was interesting in theory because you could say whatever you wanted in 120 characters, so lots of genuine celebrities used it to talk to the world, as it took no time out of their days. It was supposedly innocuous, except that when someone said something contentious, it was impossible to refute it in 120 characters.What X is is very unlikely to smell nice.
I think Pierre might have given me a top fan badge on FB only a day or two ago. Sorry, @Fiddlerman!
I don't know anything about that badge, but I miss the badges here. I don't know why the developers couldn't help me out. I should give it another go.
"The richest person is not the one who has the most,
but the one who needs the least."
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Fiddlerman said
Gordon Shumway said
I think Pierre might have given me a top fan badge on FB only a day or two ago. Sorry, @Fiddlerman!
I don't know anything about that badge
I guess I'm not surprised - the badges were just another FB psychological trick to stir up people's enthusiasm for ever more clicking.
Andrew
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Gordon Shumway said
Fiddlerman said
Gordon Shumway said
I think Pierre might have given me a top fan badge on FB only a day or two ago. Sorry, @Fiddlerman!
I don't know anything about that badge
I guess I'm not surprised - the badges were just another FB psychological trick to stir up people's enthusiasm for ever more clicking.
LOL, I should have said, YES, I gave you that badge!!!
"The richest person is not the one who has the most,
but the one who needs the least."
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Fiddlerman said
Gordon Shumway said
Fiddlerman said
Gordon Shumway said
I think Pierre might have given me a top fan badge on FB only a day or two ago. Sorry, @Fiddlerman!
I don't know anything about that badge
I guess I'm not surprised - the badges were just another FB psychological trick to stir up people's enthusiasm for ever more clicking.
LOL, I should have said, YES, I gave you that badge!!!
Andrew
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Not sure if I'm bored with symphony orchestra repertoire or if my orchestra is in a Romantic rut at the moment, or if it's just a bit of a drag sawing away in the 2nd violins. The string orchestra is welcome relief. The problem with a symphony orchestra is if you go much before Beethoven, half the brass become redundant. My teacher sees a bit of a Romantic bias. Can you see a bias?
This year the tally will be: -
Beethoven x 1
Fauré x 1
Fanny Mendelssohn x 1
Brahms x 2
Dvorak x 1
Sibelius x 1
Holst x 1
Elfrida Andrée x 1
Schumann x 1
Andrew
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Thats some list there, no doubt about that, it would take me about a 1000 years to learn a tune from each of them, but must say my only real delve into classical was a bit of bach from suzuki 3, or 4 it might have been, and the mozart one which I still dabble with now and again, but classical isnt really my thing, admire people who can play it though as I know it can be very complicated.
I was at one time learning corrente from baroque 4, but got bored with it after a while, I now stick mostly to the Irish and a few from playfords which are from the baroque period but are country dances, rather than courtly ones. I am developing a great interest in English folk music from 15 to about 1800.
Good luck with your rep, there seems to be a lot to learn there but I am sure you will get through it, especially if you dont drink too much red wine like I do;)
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That's a very heavy Romantic bias.
Romantic bias is very common in community orchestras, but you're playing music composed later than what I've typically seen in non-auditioned community orchestras I've played in. Those orchestras played mostly music from the first half of the 19th century. Programming music for a community orchestra can be a challenge. If you go earlier than Beethoven, aside from brass players getting bored, the other issue is that the style can present a challenge. It's easy to make it sound stodgy if you don't get the phrasing just right, and there's nowhere to hide mistakes. If you get into the 20th century, you have to be careful to select music within the orchestra's technical ability. Also, copyright becomes an issue with more recent music because you have to spend money renting parts.
In selectively auditioned community orchestras, I've seen much more 20th and 21st century music, but not a whole lot more pre-Beethoven. Almost half of what my orchestra has played in recent years is from the first half of the 20th century. We've only programmed 3 pieces composed before 1800 in the last 4 seasons. At 6 concert programs a year, it works out to one pre-1800 piece for every 8 concerts.
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