@Pete_Violin I am not sure what is hanging you up in measure 14.  That run begins on A on the E string, first position and you should be able to walk down those notes relatively easy. 

If I do a G# there is no problem. I have been trying to hit the C and G naturals for many months now. If I could get my fingers a tad narrower, I would be fine. LOL 

As long as lifting the first finger for a second while I play the C or G naturals won’t cause a bad habit in the future, I will do that jus to get done with this song.

Somehow when I had my first lesson, I knew my instructor was going to do that song. I mentioned that to him. I told him I should have ripped it out of both books I have it in. 😂 

I think my issue is, or one issue is, I am having to control the violin itself because I cannot keep it tight enough under my jaw. Just a couple more days and I can try a new set up with a taller chinrest. Maybe I should give it a rest until then and just do the other song and then my cello songs. If it is the setup issue, mainly, I will be struggling for naught until I get my new setup. 

Thanks for the help. Much appreciated.

@Pete_Violin I usually play ahead before my teacher presents a song for me to work on.  We have a joke where I tell her whether I hate the song coming up... meaning, I have played it and it is more complicated than others.  So she knows there will be work to be done on that song. LOL.. it's hilarious!!!

We aren’t using a book specifically. He is doing violin like cello. He selects a song tbat would contain what is needed in the next step of learning. This time I have a song from Suzuki Book 1 and the Essential Elements for Violin Book 1. The EE for violin book 1 aong is in the Suzuki book 1. Ut is better in the EE for violin. I did this song with that first instructor I had, but from the Suzuki version. Unfortunately, like I stated before, with that instructor, IMHO, it was just a half hour for her to have someone with. No issues were pointed out. I had issues, as I dis with every song done with her, but she never addressed them. Thankfully, my cello/violin instructor actually instructs. I also have hour long lessons now. 

Also be aware that the goal is not to CLAMP down on the violin with your jaw

Yes, I know that. My wording was to the extreme. Right now the violin is not secure at all. The shoulder rest cannot get higher to make up for the short chinrest. It worked before but I have adjusted the angle of my violin or something. It is much easier to actually see the music with whatever I am now doing now, and feels right, except for the being too “gappy” between the chinrest and violin. I think “gappy” is a better choice of word. I should not be having to bend the neck down this much to my chinrest. I should not be getting a sore neck after 15 minutes of playing. 

When I am doing those C and G naturals, I feel like I am going to drop my violin. Part is due to my issues with just hitting the mark, but part of my issue with hitting the mark, after playing a bit more last night, appears to be because I am also trying to keep the violin in place (or at least it feels like I should have to). 

I think I will just not worry as much about it until I get my new setup, as I think the issue will not go away until that happens.

I do not consider myself to have an extremely tall neck, but every setup I get, after using it a while, I keep thinking that a taller chinrest and the shorter shoulder rest would be better. But then, the taller chinrests are always described as for people with long necks, so I figure I am wrong and fight with the normal height chinrest. The shoulder rests never seem to get tall enough. So, I decided to go with my gut feeling and try the opposite, taller chinrest and normal height shoulder rest.

I ordered the 40 and 50 height Flesch center mount chinrests, the Kun Bravo collapsible and Mach One Curly shoulder rests to try. Maybe I can get a combination that works from them, or one of the chinrests with one of my current shoulder rests. We will see.

Thanks for the help talking this through.

@sf_bev Hi! Thanks for responding.

The other issue with thinking Itzhak Perlman or any professional as an example, is that they most often started at a young age, grew up with the issue and adjusted accordingly as progressing. Or they cam across the issue during the process when they were more proficient and more able to adjust. I am 65 and learning. Using professionals as examples, for me, is defeating. The entirety of the learning and dealing and adjusting for the issue is a whole different process, with the aging complications to include along with everything else.

I used to look to the professionals, but I find it defeating. Not because I think I will never play like they do, I don’t aspire to that. Reality is there. 😂 But, we never see them in the learning stages to see what they did, so it is no help. We see their perfection, which will never be. So, watching them for pure entertainment is great, but for watching and learning from their performances, not a help at all. 

I have not seen the instructor since being given the song. My lesson after the first lesson when it was assigned is Friday. I was hoping to get it squared away before then, or at least almost squared away. We noticed the issue and tried to work on it during the lesson, but never quite got it. I have not made much progress. I was hoping for some before Friday. I have my hopes set on the setup fix.

I do use my fingertips. That is a little different than my cello, but with my violin and viola, my fingertips are always used, wrist is straight, etc. My hold may be an issue. My hold issue, from the way it feels to is partly due to the fact that there is such a gap between the jaw and chinrest, unless I really bend the neck. I also keep my left hand fingernails trimmed. 

Does this association between the gappy setup and hold and fingering issue make sense to you all? I don’t want to get my hopes up too much.

Well, off to give it another whirl while my decaf cools to drinking temp.

@Pete_Violin 

About the bowing. That was my first violin lesson with this instructor and hadn’t had many violin lessons before, and literally no useful ones. My instructor really gave me too much. He was used to my cello speed. That much would have been fine with my cello.

I really cannot get into “fancy” bowing until I can control my straight bowing. For me using that “fancy” bowing only hurts my learning to make my bowing straight and correct. Many don’t have issues with doing a couple things at one time, but I am not wired that way. I am very systematic and structured when I am trying to learn things. After I learn whatever it is, I can take off, but getting to that point is slow and systematic. 

I did not have a lot of issues with cello and it goes a bit fast, but violin, right now, is more of a challenge. I suspect that I am reaching a point in cello where I will have to slow down. I can feel it in the songs we are doing. I think it is because I had a lot of cello lessons a few years ago. I am beyond what I did then at this point and I can feel the need to slow cello down, too. If I have major issues with my cello assignments before my next lesson, I will let my instructor know.

It is just the way my learning operates. I can’t have a lot thrown at one time. Part is because I really need to get things down pat before I pile more on or I get defeated and  I get confused.

I am in no hurry. I am having fun, learning and keeping busy. If I am still at that learning stage when I can no longer play, that is fine. I am having fun.

@sf_bev I actually received the two chinrests and 2 shoulder rests from Fiddlershop today. I have a setup that seems much more secure. I have boxed up the shoulder rest and chin rest I am not keeping to send back tomorrow. 

I was right with it being better for me with the low shoulder rest and 40mm chinrest. I was using it quite a bit today. Aside for my normal issue with getting the intonation right, the movements going to the C and G naturals is much easier. I no longer feel I need to keep my violin from falling. It has also helped with the B on the E string that was giving me issues. 

I am keeping my fingers crossed that it was not just due from it being different. 

I ended out with an extra tall Flesch (40 mm), and a Kun collapsible shoulder rest. I have the Kun as low as it will go at the shoulder and higher at the chest end. 

I am returning a 50 mm Flesch chin rest and Mach One Curly shoulder rest.

Thanks for asking and coming with assistance.

Thanks, @Pete_Violin. I hope it keeps up. Sometimes something new just seems better because it is different, so, I am keeping my fingers crossed that my neck doesn’t start getting sore, telling me the chinrest is too high.