Week Two: Russian Dance Tune

     This week, as promised, I worked on polishing the Russian Dance Tune song. As simple a melody as it is, it is not without its challenges. I was able to work on violin three times this past week, with each practice session lasting about forty-five minutes. Unfortunately, the song is still far from perfection.

     The biggest struggle I have been having with this song lies on the E string. Since E is the highest and thinest string on the violin, it requires just the right amount of pressure from the left hand and just enough bow rotation from the right hand in order to produce the right sound. The proper bow angle is very natural and close to the body, so it barely requires any extra thought, but an even amount of pressure from the bow is still necessary in order to produce the ideal pitch. When the mechanics are correct, E can be a lovely string to play on, but otherwise, the result is a shrill, piercing scratch that makes your ears scream bloody murder. 

The Danger Zone

     Unless you, or someone you know, has journeyed through the process of learning to play the violin, you are most-likely lacking an appreciation for how brutal the higher sounds of the violin can be. A few months ago I found a story about European violinist, Arcangelo Coreli, that related to my struggles with the E string perfectly. Apparently, Coreli hated playing the higher sections of the violin because he believed that it sounded like screeching. Even though he played phenomenally, he never wrote anything above a D. On one occasion, Handel asked him to play a piece that he had written. This piece went up to a high A and Coreli refused to play it. When Handel assured him patronizingly that it could indeed be played, Coreli laughed in his face and said "I didn't say, Herr Handel, that I couldn't play it. I said it shouldn't be played!"
These are often my thoughts exactly while practicing the violin. 

     So, I was unable to master the physics behind the E string this week, but I will not give up. I will continue to work on making sweet music flow from the E string, but for the next little while, I plan to remain in my comfortable territory...at least until my ears recover.

Arcangelo Coreli

     After I decided I was sick and tired of forcing painful noises out of my instrument this week, I took it into my own hands to start working on a new song. This one is a favourite of mine and I look forward to sharing it. Largo from The New World Symphony relies much less on the higher notes of the violin and more so on the lower ones. It is a few pages ahead of where I am in my book, so it obviously requires more skill in the area of freely moving the left hand, but I am absolutely in love with it. Even as I played the melody for the first time-as rough as it was-I was so excited! I can't wait to add vibrato to it in the next few weeks as my playing improves. This step forward was my highlight this week. Since I had no violin lesson due to Thanksgiving, my goal is to work on it so that I can surprise Piotr next Saturday. 

     For the next week I will be working on Largo religiously and also practicing the Russian Dance Tune...reluctantly...in order to improve my skills on the E string. Along with this, I will continue to adjust my posture as needed so that I am well on my way to becoming a real violinist. My final hope this week is that I will be able to make more time for playing the violin so that I am practicing more for longer periods of time. Lack of practice can only result in lack of progress, and that contradicts the purpose of this project entirely. 


Until next week!