mirror image, that's my webcam for ya.

I fret with the left, bow with the right

I was recently sent the album Tir, by Cerys Matthews (who I adore more than a little bit)

so I might try dabbliing at some traditional Welsh songs, like Ar Hyd y Nos, Calon Lan, or Mil Harddach Wyt Nar Rhosyn Gwyn

this is Calon Lan
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v.....ED59C542CC

can't find any of her doing the other two on youtube, but this is other people doing the same songs. I've always really loved her voice especially though, even back with Catatonia. she's got a very endearing tone. some of these are a good bit more ethereal.

 ar hyd y nos

and mil harddach

I'm not Welsh myself, but I do love a lot about the Welsh language.
so I'll happily belt out along with these, and not a clue what I'm singing about. well vaguely, there's translations in the album sleeve.

oh, AND I'm pleased with myself from getting that from standard sheet music. it might be a small thing, but written music has NEVER clicked for me.
I still can't "read" it, but I was able to work out how to play it from it, so I'm  proud of that.

I've always found tab so much more logical

well whatever he said to me seemed to work

I've also been pointing out my bad bits to Richie on videos, and telling him to tell me if he spots them and I seem oblivious.

AND I figured out how to edit my video so that it's not showing a mirror image.
no more left handed violin

I'm working on the wrist. it's tricky. I think I might be using my hand too much to support the violin, so a shoulder rest might help. I read how when you then use your chin on it, it raises the scroll end, so your hand is basically then free from supporting it. so that might help.

whearas before I was thinking that I didn't have any reason for one, because I had no discomfort in not having one, if that makes sense. worth a go.

and I find filming and watching back really helpful.

I now have a much more "proper" violin. which I got from a UK company that comes across very similar to Fiddlerman (as I am in the UK, and not 100% on shipping internationally, but the level of customer service came over as very similar)

but obviously I won't be advertising them here, because that's not right or fair. and if I was in the US, I wouldn't be considering anywhere else but fiddlerman right now. I'm just wary of instruments travelling far between set up and final destination.

well the sound is about a billion times better, and it plays a lot easier.
it's an absolute dream to tune, and the warmth and resonance is a real eye opener to me.

so next time I share a video, you have that to look forward to.
it has a carbon bow, but I'm not sure how I feel about that yet. you know I said I like the bow on my old set.

well this almost seems TOO light. but it might just be a matter of getting used to it.

but if I don't get used to it, I can always switch bows.

after just a short time getting acquainted, I feel like this will help me improve a good deal more. I'm not scratching so much, or catching as many un-wanted strings.

and yes, I'm totally in love with my new toy.

so I'm very excited. I'm almost instantaneously a better player.

and I can hardly tell you how much my written music playing has come on.

I was sat as a passenger in the car transcribing music into letters to make it easier for me to sight read the other day, and my mum told me that when she mentioned that to Mr Rattus, he said "yeah, she's amazing"
*wipes a little tear away*

feeling quite ridiculously pleased with todays session.

I know it's not perfect, but I feel like I made a big improvement in one session, as I only really had the first few lines down. so I must nag Mr at practicing the guitar part for Elizabeth my dear, so we can try and play it together.

there were times I remember thinking I was losing it with my wrist, but watching it back, it was never as bad as it felt like it was in my head, so that's good. I've trained myself to pick myself up on that.

excuse the proliferation of cages behind me (intros going on. baby Hex is in the white barred cage so he can interact with the big boys in between intro sessions)  which also means I'm nearer to the TV, which is noisier than I thought it would be on the recording. the pale rat in the smaller dark cage who hops out of their sputnik for a wander is my Mojo. she lives with her sister, and also with the rat in my Avatar.