#5: My Fingers!!!

So for all the times I didn't practice I regret! Not only did it not help me play any better (duh), but now my fingers are suffering. When you play you are suppose to use the tips of your fingers, and when you don't play for a while (or don't play for that long) then try to throw yourself into practice your fingers feel the pain. The only good thing about it is it's only my left hand, the really bad thing is I have to type while they are throbbing.

I have to say most of the beginning of the duet is coming along fairly well. There are obviously still some problem spots, but they are working out much better than before. The shifting parts are becoming pretty good in intonation. I actually realized the one note I have to shift up into VI position for is the E harmonic which makes it much easier to check if it's in tune. I usually use a metronome to help keep tempo, especially when I haven't gotten the piece up to full speed. Today I made a bit of a baby step with tempo. Unfortunately I have not been able to speed up much because there always seems to be one little area that messes it all up and makes a whole bunch of little areas. But I have began weaning myself off the metronome at the speed I'm at now. Instead of listening the beeping and watching the ticker/pointer/arm thingy, I was able to mute it and only watch the whateveritis. I have to say I almost did a happy dance. The second part of the song is not as well off as the first, but I'll get it eventually. The difficulty with it is it has some funky rhythm that messes with my timing. I love the ending because it sounds like part of the Star War theme to me. To think some of Mozart's melodies and light sabers have came together.

I will admit that Bouree is not as far along as I would like it to be (neither is the duet but whatever). The second half is doing okay, I'm still having some trouble with the accidentals. I decided I'd really try to work on the first half of it today. Shortly after starting my fingers were tripping over themselves, trying to work with the weird flow. Some of the fingerings are really strange, making me go from a string from one side to the other of the violin and then back in the matter of four notes. I also looked at the recommended tempo for it today and was confused at first by it saying 1/2 note = 84 bpm. When trying to work it out on my metronome I realized a 1/2 note would be like it was in 2/4 time. I then looked at the sheet and saw that it's in cut time. I don't like cut time. I can deal with funky times, but cut time - I just don't like. So I'm going to work on it in 4/4 for now and will eventually work it into cut time. I really hope Hungarian isn't in cut time.

Scales are going better than the songs right now. I think I've found out how I want to shift while playing B flat major. I'm going to work on it this way for now than I'm going to fix one thing and hopefully it'll be perfect (ha ha I make myself laugh). One day I decided I had plenty of time to practice for a while, and it's a good thing because I literally spent an hour on only two scales. I'm going to help my friends little sister tomorrow. I'd like to see her play a song I have, it'd make her extremely happy.