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Well, the challenges of playing the violin just keep on rolling in!
Over the past several weeks, I had to contend with: nerves from my first performance, playing while something hilarious was taking place, extreme hot weather, bad strings & slipping pegs, violin gremlins that disturb me only when someone has a camera out AND, most importantly, myself as a novice fiddler!
Just when I thought things were getting easier, along comes this candlelight tour where I'll be playing a few songs! At first, I thought, this shouldn't be too bad! But, I didn't take one thing into account. The fact that I still occasionally look at my finger board to get my bearings!! Granted, I try to rely on sound and muscle memory as much as possible, but wow. Darkness makes a whole world of difference!
Anybody have any experience or advice for low light playing?? I'm hoping it's just an environmental thing where I'm just used to playing in well lit areas! LOL
“Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I remember. Involve me and I learn.” ~Benjamin Franklin
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Hmm.. Well, there's a few things you could do.
1.) Assuming your fingerboard is ebony and very smooth, rub the fingerboard down with a little glow-in-the-dark waterbased acrylic craft paint. It should peel right off the ebony later, since that stuff doesn't stick all that well anyway. And then you tell your cohorts that your violin caught a minor case of foxfire.
2.) mount a small candle on the scroll with some soft beeswax or similar material. Tell them you thought it would be a nice touch for the tour.
3.)Try to figure out how to make a pair of night-vision goggles look like "period" clothing.
Actually, for #3.. Don't worry about making them look "period", since nobody will see them anyway, since it will be dark.
"This young wine may have a lot of tannins now, but in 5 or 10 years it is going to be spectacular, despite the fact that right now it tastes like crude oil. You know this is how it is supposed to taste at this stage of development." ~ Itzhak Perlman
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Wait til the cannons fire!
I am amazed at how old people of my age are.....
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Daniel you are the McGyver of the forum....so many options...and so stealth.... I always love to hear what you come up with!!!!!
Vibrato Desperato.... Desperately seeking vibrato
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you could just close your eyes and pretend it's still light outside... maybe that'd help.
"If you practice with your hands you must practice all day. Practice with your mind and you can accomplish the same amount in minutes." Nathan Milstein
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Fiddlershop has a light that clips onto a music stand.
Or a torch
, sorry, flashlight
, gaffer/duct taped to the forehead might suffice
I am amazed at how old people of my age are.....
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How about having a candle lantern nearby. Check to see if it will be a full moon. If not and it's anywhere near like where I live you can't see your hand in front of your face at night.
You could try practicing in a closet like Terry but leave the light off.
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You could put one tiny strip of glow in the dark tape where your first finger falls while in first position. That would at least give you a "home base" to shoot for.
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DanielB said
1.) Assuming your fingerboard is ebony and very smooth, rub the fingerboard down with a little glow-in-the-dark waterbased acrylic craft paint. It should peel right off the ebony later, since that stuff doesn't stick all that well anyway. And then you tell your cohorts that your violin caught a minor case of foxfire.
I could do something like that and say it was lightning bug juice! 😀 
TerryT said
Wait til the cannons fire!
That would only allow me a few milliseconds of play! ......wait....that's not a bad thing with my playing! LOL
I have a candle lantern with a mirrored backing that I'm going to use. But I need to find a way to have it level with at least my chest while standing.
I've been practicing at night with the lights off as well. It just that I mess up big time on some of the songs I love playing! I don't have a problem with some of the easier ones, but I want to play the ones I just learned so bad!!! (The Girl I Left Behind, Rosin The Beau & Yellow Rose of Texas)
Kevin M. said
You could try practicing in a closet like Terry but leave the light off.
I wish I had a closet that big for me!! If that were the case, I wouldn't here my neighbors or wife complaining about the "cats!"
“Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I remember. Involve me and I learn.” ~Benjamin Franklin
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Practice with your eyes closed from time to time. 
"The richest person is not the one who has the most,
but the one who needs the least."
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I am envisioning some anglerfish style headgear for your candle lantern...
or glow in the dark nail polish so you know where your fingers are
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Fiddlerman said
Practice with your eyes closed from time to time.
Oddly enough, I do that on a lot of the songs I have memorized. But I do peak every now and then! LOL I guess I'll just have to practice blindfolded!
dionysia said
I am envisioning some anglerfish style headgear for your candle lantern...or glow in the dark nail polish so you know where your fingers are
Ha!! I'd be the talk of the camp! I think my wife actually has some glow-in-the dark polish left over from Halloween! ......wait?!?! I know what I'm doing for Halloween!
“Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I remember. Involve me and I learn.” ~Benjamin Franklin
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I sometimes close my eyes while I am playing but I don;t think that counts because its only when I am concentrating and trying to "feel the music" and I can always open them again. 🙂
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I do to! ......and then cheat when I lose my place! LOL
The funny thing is that I'm not looking to see where my fingers are. Most times, I'm looking to make sure I'm bowing in the same place!
I guess that's why I sound so horrible when I'm playing from sheet music! Once I memorize a part or song, it sounds so much better! LOL
“Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I remember. Involve me and I learn.” ~Benjamin Franklin
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