This might not help anybody, but maybe somebody.

I consider a kind of liberality useful which just lets it go. In the last days I've been telling myself, "Just be funny," when it comes to solo in my Gavottes. I have two Gavottes in my program which I found difficult in the beginning. Having more routine on my tenor recorder, I found those solos quite funny though. That's exactly what I adapted for my violin improvisation: The gavottes are a bit quick, but that's no reason to rush! That's the lesson I've learned over the last days: Doing funny repetitions of 2-note phrases, funny trills and making it melodically a little amusing. Suddenly I like my violin gavotte solos. December concert, here I come—I'm not afraid anymore....

My Bach gavotte (3rd Suite) ends with a very accentuated, short F major chord—"ram-bam!" In the last months I had said to myself, "Don't try to join in on violin, you will never be on point!" Well, if I anxiously try to be on point, it sounds and looks ridiculously. But if I do it self-confident and quite a bit funny, it's very interesting!! I cannot see my fingers on the spinet, I can't be on point. So what? I liberally yank it out of the cuff. Of course I do the last notes and I like it that way. This certainly is not the philosophy of an orchestra musician, because in an orchestra you always have to be on point. But I don't want to be an orchestra violin.

The first thing violin beginners should ask themselves is, "What is my goal, my personal dream?" Playing in an amateur orchestra, or rather be a soloist? For the orchestra dream it's probably better to have a teacher. Musical directors don't like people with too individual tone and phrasing. Years ago I made  that experience in a church trombone choir. My ideas was, I'm an experienced jazz trumpeter and it wouldn't be a big deal to join in just by the way. Well, the leader told me to change my sound. I never came back. They don't understand that, but I don't have time to study being a church musician. And of course, my personal sound was an investment over many years! Now the seem to be a bit mad at me. They are reformists and maybe consider it my catholic laziness. But that's their problem. We should not anxiously listen to that kind of talk. That's what I meant before.

BillyG said

   Yup.   I'd be pretty happy with that (as a temporary, or intermediate goal !   It means there's always more to aim for....)  

   Per ardua ad astra probably applies to our learning path with violin/fiddle as well.....  

At present I'm aiming at baroque music, having a couple folk standards in my program as well. But it could just happen that I finally end up in a folk band. Who knows? If the people are nice and they even bring on gigs (which is an area where I'm fairly stupid)....