Schradieck Exercises for Promoting Dexterity are killing me. Page 1, ex. 4, m. 1, last 16th note, when played in a-minor: fingers won’t go into position fast enough. The left-hand low-#2 is so sticky I can’t up the tempo past 90. How to get the hand to relax and unstick this finger? Slow meticulous movement to retrain? Out-of-box fast beats to challenge fingers? A lot of repertoire requires super-fast 16th notes, so there is a necessity in finding this finger speed and coordination.
The Bach Double is challenging me on all fronts! I will have learned a lot by the time I can play it, but, UGH! Some days getting there feels impossible. Fingering and bowing technique are several levels more complex than before. Fingers trip over themselves, and the right arm refuses to release the string at the end of martele strokes. It is a struggle, but the only thing to do is to keep tackling the problem piece, every day.
My String Trio is working! So excited to reach this milestone. The barrier-to-entry is towering, but after 6 years of onerous practice (and patient, attentive rock-star teachers) I’m finally getting to do what I wanted to do in the first place. My dream is coming true.
The nice thing about sitting in the last row of the 2nd violins in Adult Amateur Orchestra, is that everyone assumes that you’re not very good and that you’re not going to get any better, and so it is easy to slack off, and people generally are appreciative when their expectations are met. It is a relief not to have to work super-hard for a change.
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