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(16 votes) 
Regulars
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It’s interesting to read about others’ goals and progress, and it makes me think about my own goals for the coming year. I’ve been fiddling for a year and a half and I think I have made good progress on basic skills. Amazingly enough, I have more interest and enthusiasm than ever!
Next year my big goals are to improve my bowing and backup skills, also get better at hearing the music in my head and learning by ear. I plan to build my repertoire of tunes and genres, and better coordinate mandolin and fiddle. And I’m looking for more opportunities to play with others. That’s it -- it will be a fun challenge to get it done!
Thanks for helping me think about things -- y’all are the best!
Strabo
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@Strabo Since your to reply to goals for 2022 referred to 2023 goals, I started a topic thread for 2023 goals an moved your 2022 goals reply to this topic for 2023 goals.
As like the topic for goals for 2022, we can all revisit this topic at the end if 2023 and update how we did, and update or change our goals during the year, if need be.
My goals for 2023 are: (I am not going to mention vibrato and intonation as they are a constant every year.)
I need to be able to play in something other than 4/4, so I need to pick another time signature. I just had major issues with a waltz, so I think I need to try to learn a waltz on each instrument.
I need to learn to bow my cello better, especially that dastardly C string.
I want to pick a song on my violin, viola and cello (either different songs or the same on 2 or all 3 instruments) and work on it and have it be able to be played smoothly by the end of 2023.
🐭
The Bumblebee Flies!
Please ignore any typos. My typing ability on a real typewriter did not transfer to these device key pads.
Regulars
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It's going to be EXTREMELY hard for me to set Edgar aside, but IT'S TIME to zap Mortimer with some ELECTRICITY!
This also means getting over my software anxiety!
Regulars
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I need to think about this--right now my goal is to come up with some goals by the end of the year. . .
Characterize people by their actions and you will never be fooled by their words.
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My goal is to come up with some goals by New Years. 
Following this thread. 😁
"The richest person is not the one who has the most,
but the one who needs the least."
Regulars
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I’ve been doing this long enough now that I think I’m ready to try a different approach to working on my skills (or lack thereof).
I’ve discussed this with my teacher, & one of the suggestions she had was to focus of works chronologically. I’m liking this idea. I was working on some Vivaldi before the holidays, so I want to finish that. But then I think I’ll start with something by Corelli, and then go from there.
I will select pieces (with teacher guidance), & address the issues/problems/skills/technique that are in those specific pieces I’ve selected.
As I’ve mentioned in other posts, I recently purchased a “little” viola (14” Fiddlerman Master). I do not intend to become a viola player—but I thought it would help enhance both my violin playing & my musical understanding of things; things like intervals & harmony, etc., My experience with learning is that sometimes lessons come from things you don’t even expect. I think tinkering with the viola will do that for me.
So, I guess my goals for the year are to
1) Focus on specific techniques as I come to them in the chronologically ordered pieces I get to, &
2) Broaden my musical knowledge by spending some of my practice time on the viola.
Perhaps that seems a bit broad (which, for me, goes against the grain), but I think shaking it up a bit will be a helpful approach for me. I want to see what direction each step takes me, and focus on the specifics as I come upon them.
Characterize people by their actions and you will never be fooled by their words.
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Oct 18th 2023 will be my 5th anniversary of violin playing, and I need to aim for a performing ability by then of grade 7 ABRSM, so I'll make a series of performance videos at each grade from 2 upwards to see whereabouts I fall over. I also have to work on 3-octave scale and arpeggio speeds. It would be nice to make some ethnic music videos too.
Andrew
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I'll continue working through Suzuki book 4; I'm currently on No4 (the Vivaldi) though I can hardly claim to have 'mastered' the first 3 lol. The main learning points for me are more advanced bowing (particularly off-the-string) and speed. I might make a video of my attempt at each one just to give me something to work towards, and to give me a line in the sand to judge how I progress in the future.
Also slowly working my way through the Mazas studies.
Regulars
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Okay, time to decide… I was starting to make a long list of things I have to work on. That's not reasonable, but that way I have some chance of meeting some of my goals!
1) work on fast(er) détaché, which means improving left/right hand coordination (or brain/hands coordination). Slurs have always felt easier because only one hand to manage.
I'm thinking the Telemann viola concerto (mvt 2, or mvt 4 - which I prefer) might be good in order to practice that.
2) Get better at double stops (in-progress)
3) Improve 4th finger strength and general left hand position (in-progress)
4) Practice vibrato 'seriously' : at different speeds with a metronome, all 4 fingers if possible. My vibrato is a bit random, not controlled.
I'm not too sure I'll manage to apply myself to it.
5) More broadly, improve musicality. I should try to decide how I want a phrase to sound like in detail, and actually listen to what's coming out of my instrument. Play more "cleanly".
If it helps me, maybe start a 'blog' here or on violaman.com – and do more videos (/audio) to track progress or lack thereof.
--------
This may all fly out of the window when I start work again, of course 
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I was just wondering how people are with their goals? Have you met any? Have you improved in any? Have you changed any goals, removed, edited, added different goals?
I am still working on my goals. My bowing may have improved slightly in my cello, but the "dastardly" C string has not improved. Still working on it.
I have not changed any of the goals but I have added one. I will get the Group Project cello part down smoothly! I will get the Group Project cello part down smoothly! I will get the Group Project cello part down smoothly! 😁
🐭
The Bumblebee Flies!
Please ignore any typos. My typing ability on a real typewriter did not transfer to these device key pads.
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@Mouse
Thank you, for bringing this up, Mouse!
This thread has made realize, what I really want to work toward has NOT made it into my daily practice routine! 😔 I don't know why I'm having such a hard time changing my priorities. Seems I've gotten lazy - easier to stick with what's familiar to me - working on intonation, playing cleanly, dynamics, phrasing, squeezing in vibrato, learning new tunes, etc... terrible excuses.
This is really bittersweet for me.
I feel like I've barely scratched the surface on electric violin. 😞
Definitely didn't expect to take so long getting comfortable with my low F violin string... it's been worth it to me, but with that new string came unexpected challenges. I didn't expect I'd still be taking so much time working on better bowing for each individual string, to balance playing overall.
I AM VERY HAPPY I can play in a lower range - this suits me well!
Kinda depressing I still spend so much time trying to 'fix' things 🙄, but of course that means I'm always trying to improve. I've finally got my left hand pinky under better control & I've spent a lot of time on my bowing hand, with several improvements.
General Music Theory exploration has also taken up much more time than I could've imagined, sparking more interest in several areas. Switching my mindset from just playing a melody to 'music as a whole' is a goal that's been slowly creeping into my life - grown too big to ignore!
So, I probably need to modify/broaden my original goal for this year even though it seems a bit too much/too late - maybe I can express it in a simple/less daunting way...
Think I need to make special allotted time for "EXPERIMENTING" a PRIORITY - at least a little bit, but everyday!
It's getting ridiculously hard for me to kick-start myself.
🤔... don't think I've ever had very tangible goals, more about discovery, maybe that's the problem. I want to become better at making what I hear & see in my head come out in my hands, but it entails SO MANY little goals - hard for me to pick even a 'group' to focus on... no wonder I feel like pulling my hair out. 
...jeez, then there's DAW - oh yeah, I have to
ignoring it!
Regulars
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EEEK, I have not kept up with my goal this year. Although there is still time to move it along. One thing is I am trying new skills and slowly working on older ones. I have been practicing more than I did last year so there is progress.
Regulars
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ive practiced, if can call it that, vibrato more this year but its not there yet. will continue that. try and work on speed and intonation. i know there will be more tunes to learn but need to keep touching the old ones.
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Here it is, a few days away from the beginning of
a NEW YEAR!
Did everyone reach at least part of a goal set for 2023?
Reached part of 'my' goals but found some deep rabbit holes when I started on them. I ended up learning much that I never imagined I wanted to & think it's added to what I believe is a music foundation I can keep building upon.
I did (finally!) learn to use a notation software, but might forget if I don't start using it more often! Been feeling MUCH more comfortable with the thought of diving into music editing software this next year, now that I have a little better understanding of how & what works together - and what I want to achieve.
Still, I have much more experimenting to do on the electric side of playing, but at least I started & it's enough fun to keep me well motivated!
Getting comfortable with a wider range on the fiddle, especially with a low F string, has been a challenge worth pursuing (to me). I didn't expect to tackle a 6-string violin so soon, but I've spent a lot of time making improvements in both of my hands.
I regret not recording more this year, but I seem to be at a point where I'm constantly altering/honing, or a trying new approach - like I'm close to figuring some elusive 'thing' (or 'things') out. ...pretty sure this is just a phase I'm going through & everything with my playing will settle down.
Awful excited to share another year with all the Folks here on the forum - definitely looking forward to everyone's new Fiddling Exploits & Adventures!
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Emily said:
Reached part of 'my' goals but found some deep rabbit holes when I started on them. I ended up learning much that I never imagined I wanted to & think it's added to what I believe is a music foundation I can keep building upon.
That well describes my 2023 experience. I made excellent progress on some of my goals, fair progress on others, and had some awesome learning adventures in unexpected areas.
- I vastly improved my ability to learn by ear: that accelerated my progress in every other area.
- I also significantly improved my bowing skills. While I’m far from possessing classical purity of stroke, I now have much better control of the bow and that makes the music much more musical.
- Unexpectedly, I discovered the benefits of cross-tuning. That’s a deep rabbit hole with all sorts of potential complications, but it has provided real payoffs for me.
I had limited but noticeable progress on other goals, but I’ll keep slugging away on them. I’m gently considering some additional objectives for the coming year, and of course I’m greatly looking forward to future adventures with my fiddle.
Best to all in the sparkling New Year!
Strabo
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Damn, a year has passed already...
I am a bit more comfortable with speed and détaché, even though I'm nowhere near managing the "normal" speed of Telemann 2nd and 4th movements. Work-in-progress there. My double stops feel better too (I still have Hoffmeister's Tema con variazioni as a long-term goal, but right now it's mostly just painful, to both fingers and ears), and I think my 4th is slowly getting stronger / more responsive to what my brain tells it to do.
A for other goals, I didn't work on my vibrato and I think it's pretty much the same. Not too sure about musicality and playing clean. I don't think I recorded any videos this year, only a few audios - I'm getting lazy. Recording is helpful but depressing at times :--( !
Not sure if I should set goals for 2024. I think work will leave me a bit more free time (and energy) than 2023, so maybe I will think about it.
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My goals for 2023 are: (I am not going to mention vibrato and intonation as they are a constant every year.)
I need to be able to play in something other than 4/4, so I need to pick another time signature. I just had major issues with a waltz, so I think I need to try to learn a waltz on each instrument.
I have played a waltz on my viola, violin and cello. I had the most issues with my viola, but then I did have issues holding it, and am still working on the set up. I did find a better set up for them violin.
I need to learn to bow my cello better, especially that dastardly C string.
I am better with the cello, and my C string has improved. I am working on shifting, now.
I want to pick a song on my violin, viola and cello (either different songs or the same on 2 or all 3 instruments) and work on it and have it be able to be played smoothly by the end of 2023.
I was successful with this on my cello and violin. I still on,ynhave the same songs on my viola that I can play smoothly.
Over all, I am satisfied. I had been less active on all three in the middle of the year, and then picked back up. I had things to take care of, and was distracted, I don't think it really affected my progress because it is soooo slow anyway. No biggie, I am not doing this for anyone, except myself. I am enjoying it. I actually was amazed that it did not seem to affect my progress, when I was able to get back in to the swing of things. It was not any major issue that sidetracked me, I just had some things to get done that I had put off, and decided to finally get them done.
🐭
The Bumblebee Flies!
Please ignore any typos. My typing ability on a real typewriter did not transfer to these device key pads.
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SharonC said
...
So, I guess my goals for the year are to1) Focus on specific techniques as I come to them in the chronologically ordered pieces I get to, &
2) Broaden my musical knowledge by spending some of my practice time on the viola.
Perhaps that seems a bit broad (which, for me, goes against the grain), but I think shaking it up a bit will be a helpful approach for me. I want to see what direction each step takes me, and focus on the specifics as I come upon them.
I’m good with what I’ve accomplished this year. I’ve enhanced my skills, and I’ve learned more music. I’ve spent some time on my little viola, so that I can read alto clef okay (still find myself getting confused sometimes as my brain decides to shift to treble clef in the middle of a tune!), & playing it has helped me recognize intervals better.
Of course, I would say I didn’t do as much as I wanted; not as much music, not enough practice, etc., but I know now after years of doing this violin thing as an adult learner that I am grateful for the progress I make, small as it may seem. When I ask myself, “Do I play better now than I did last year?” I can say “Yes. I’ve improved.” So, I’ve met my goals.
Now onto 2024!
Characterize people by their actions and you will never be fooled by their words.
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