I will resume normal posts on the stated schedule starting April 29.
Sidelined
27 Tuesday Mar 2018
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in27 Tuesday Mar 2018
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inI will resume normal posts on the stated schedule starting April 29.
04 Sunday Mar 2018
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inThis will help keep me predictable with my readers without burdening me with habits I won’t keep.
Second and fourth Sunday of every month. It’s challenging to practice and blog about it. An audio or video will be posted on each fourth Sunday.
04 Sunday Mar 2018
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inI am continuing to get better, based on third-party feedback, which is good. Here’s a quick update on the most recent lesson.
28 Sunday Jan 2018
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in≈ Comments Off on Shoulder Lock
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With regard to the Scherzo: I learned something interesting at the last lesson – that I’m seriously locking my shoulder instead of just dropping all my weight into the bow.
With scales – continue working on that third octave coming down. The only nice thing I can say about it is that the harmonic helps me find BOTH A’s, and now I need to work through this until I know it cold and can play it smoothly.
Schroeder has been back-burnered for a while, but it’s coming out again so I can put in a good 7+ hour week of practicing.
10 Wednesday Jan 2018
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inWorking on intonation primarily and keeping my LH steady. I had noticed in the mirror I was “typing” way too much. But this led me to realize I don’t have a comfortable feeling for extended positions. So, I’m just going to work on A and D major scales with as natural a LH until I do.
Other pieces seem to be coming along nicely, including my third position piece in C minor from Mooney, which I’ll write about tomorrow.
23 Saturday Dec 2017
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inI was told I was progressing!
Right now though, I’m avoiding practicing because the third octave of G major is proving to be challenging. I feel lucky if I can get G-A-B right.
Do any scales give you trouble? Which and where?
23 Saturday Dec 2017
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inMoving up to the current date, my counting is definitely better, although subdividing rhythms remains a challenge. As for my current lesson, the status looks as follows:
03 Sunday Dec 2017
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in≈ Comments Off on December 2017 Bi-weekly update
It’s been nine years and a couple of days since my first lesson back in 2008. Biggest highlight of my experience since the accident in 2014 was getting involved with Bloomsburg Preparatory School of Music and joining their New Strings Ensemble program (now called Concert League of Fine Musicians). I didn’t realize how much I had to learn about basic musicality and staying in tune with others, but it’s also opened up new horizons. I thought I’d be in it for two seasons and most, then progress to the advanced group. This did not happen, although being in the group has definitely made me a better and more musical player. Doing simple things in performance is harder than it sounds. Just staying focused enough to count is a challenge. But the conductor (and school director) says I’m getting there.
We finished our performance for the fall semester, so now I can get back to focusing on my lesson pieces.
Here’s the update, from the 11/17 lesson
13 Monday Nov 2017
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inTags
I finally managed to get a cello lesson scheduled after an overlong , four-week hiatus that was a combination of issues at the music school and health issues with me. Both seem to hvae been successfully resolved. Four weeks was a long time to be without a lesson. I thought I was doing much better than I actually was.
Main issues were
12/1 will be my 9th anniversary of starting the cello, so I would like to go into that date with some momentum.
09 Monday Oct 2017
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inBeen playing almost 9 years sounds like I’ve been playing for 3. Time to pay more attention to what I’m doing. Time to focus, and put all other spare time attractions aside.