@Katie L Thanks, glad it helped— 2 octave D scale is a good scale to start practicing 3^rd position. Finding the 1^st finger D on the A string is an important “anchor” point for 3^rd position.

ELCBK said

...I was surprised to learn that an 'Appoggiatura' might be played very differently depending upon what Era it was composed & who composed it (Wikipedia)...

@ELCBK  The information in the links you have for the appoggiatura & acciaccatura are really good.  I’ve encountered the appoggiatura in the Mozart quartet I’ve been playing (just like the 2^nd example in your appoggiatura link).  I’ve gotten used to the annotation now, but I had a hard time with it at first—my brain says “grace note” and wants me to play it the same way I’d play the grace notes in Katie L’s example.

stringy said
Better way of doing it Sharon;) I was thinking for Irish style playing. 

@stringy  Thanks—as I indicated, I’ve posted how I would do it.  I’m not saying that my way is the definitively Right Way; or that other ways are Wrong.  Playing it in 1^st position is not wrong, and may even make more sense (depending on what is in the previous measures). I believe if I played it in 1^st position, I would use a 3^rd finger vibrato on A on the E string to go with the open A string dotted half note.

Strabo said
Sharon, that was a great explanation. It made so much sense, seemed so logical!

My reading (and counting) ability is very rudimentary, but you made it all very transparent and easy to grasp. Thank you!

@Strabo Thanks—I was a percussionist in my youth—I’m all about the counting! 

Katie L said
Sharon you have inspired me to really concentrate on my rhythm. Is there a method you can recommend? I’ve been looking at the I can read music books by Joanna martin. I really need basic stuff. 

  

Sorry, I’m not familiar with any methods. As a drum student when I was young, I learned from a music teacher who insisted that I count everything out loud during my 1^st year of lessons, so it’s ingrained in me now. 

I looked at a sample of the Martin book you’ve mentioned—seems to break it down well, but I guess it’s better to see/hear it than to read it in a book.

I found this lady who does a wonderful job explaining basic rhythm notes in this first video—wish her video showed her whole class on this. 

In this other video, she talks about counting in 6/8 time. 

A couple of things I would recommend:

Put instrument down, & count out loud. Just like I did in the above video, counting out the basic rhythm of the measure or measures you're working on sets you up to put the notes in right. 

Next, clap out the beat (one, two, three, four) and say the rhythm of the notes you're going to play (e.g,. like I did in video:"one and two, three, four" etc.,).  This helps reinforce the rhythm without the complications of doing the left & right hand things on the violin.

What to call the notes:  There are various ways to do this, & it doesn't really matter what you call each part as long as it makes sense to you.  As a reference, I've attached a copy of "my language" for the rhythms.