wlotus | Violin Practice (Reply)

This morning I practiced my violin for 30 minutes. How do I know when I sound decent and not like I am skinning my cat? To me, the notes sound forced and scratchy, nothing like the string section of the NY Philharmonic. But overly critical self-assessment aside, I enjoyed making the music...even if I felt shy doing so. (In spite of being at home alone, wtf????) I mostly did scales to wake up my muscle memory. Since the shoulder rest takes the pressure of the instrument off my hands, I have started using my fourth finger, instead of open strings. Granted, my pinky is far weaker than my other fingers, but I have the freedom to learn to use it, now. I still find myself gripping too hard with my thumb out of habit, though, and that causes cramps. I guess my thumb has to get used to not having to work so hard. :-) That's some muscle memory I need to unlearn.

While my scales sound decent, my arpeggios and anything that requires me to skip notes, particularly when moving from string to string, are scratchy. I think I'll work on that, tomorrow. I even ventured a little into the third position, but I have to unlearn my thumb grip to smoothly make the transition. I don't have the finger speed I used to have in first position, either, but I know that will come back, in time.

I tried to study today, but I was too wiped out. I thought I had gotten a full night's sleep, but I must have been mistaken. Tonight will be an early night.