Picking it back up! (Long post)
Hey everyone! I used to play violin as a kid/teen. I wasnt very good. Only so much you can do if all you can afford is a 150 dollar instrument and being in your schools orchestra. I've missed the feeling of playing for the last several months more than Id ever thought I would. So I decided to dust off my childhood violn and resume practice.
So far, i have been reading The Violin Lesson by Simon Fischer and practicing intonation with songs like mary had a little lamb, and other elementary songs that were committed to memory ( notes wise) I also am working on my bowing and tuning my fingerings to open strings, in an attempt to retrain my ears and gain greater accuracy than before.
Im a far cry from how I used to play. And Im a sad helpless cry away from anything closely considered intermediate. I will get there eventually.
My strings on my violin are "fresh" I changed them out before I stored it for the....devastating 5 ish years I havent played. I know. I know. Shame. I could be so much further along if Id studied and played regularly. Reading The Violin Lesson and reflecting on how I sounded as a kid has definitely opened my eyes. I sounded much worse than I thought. And while my highschool orchestra teacher was rad, there was only so much he could teach me in class. I am confident that the tools he did give me will help me regain what I have lost without practice.
Unfortunately Im not in a financial situation where I can afford a tutor. But to combat some of these things I plan on recording myself when I think Im sounding somewhat reasonable and dissecting everything. Focusing on one to two major issues at a time. Like right now Im focusing on intonation/ear training( reingraining solfege and tuning), and bowing.
Are there any tools you guys have learned that may also be useful towards progress? How can I tell if something is off with my instrument( im not talking about the " its the player not the violin" thing. Like the sound post being out of place) ? Im open to any and all advice.
Just please be kind. Im aware that without a tutor I will struggle to make certain progress because it sometimes takes someone on the outside looking in to pin point what it is you struggle most with.