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Ode to Tragedy
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Joined: 17 Feb 2011
Posts: 121
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 Posted: Fri May 20, 2011 9:40 am Post subject: Had my 1st lesson today... |
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Hi,
I had not given up playing, I have been practicing steadily as usual just not posting about it.
I had my 1st lessons today in irish fiddle specifically.
It was really fun but frustrating cos the lesson ended too quick and I won't be able to afford regular lessons.
She gave me some pointers.
She told me to sort out my wrist which is ok ie straightforward enough for me to correct.
One thing which confused me a little you all might be able to shed some light on is she said that the way I play is that I was playing every note staccato whereas she suggested that I should play several notes in a bowing.
Now is there a specific method for doing this or just 'play it by ear'?
She said she know it may be unhelpful but she said eventually I will get an intuition for it and to just focus on playing a few each bowing or something of that nature.
Oh yes another thing she said is I should probably learn to play things by ear so I'll have to work on that I guess.
I know you will have those exercises for me lamuel but is there a way to do it through practicing as I find exercises really dry. I may well come to them once I want to refine it but I find exercises take the fun out of playing and that is the whole reason I got into playing in the 1st place!
I really enjoy irish fiddle cos it is down and dirty and you can get stuck right in.
Actually I'm gonna get some videos posted soon, prob within the week to really get some more hands on tuition hopefully from yall and I think that will be a much more interactive experience.
So you can feel free to hold off giving me detailed feedback till you hear me play.
I only didn't do it before because my playing was stilted and I didn't think it was worth it but now I am getting the hang of some of the tunes I think it would be a catalyst for my progress.
She said, and I agreed, that I am not good enough to play in sessions so I am gonna have to stick to solitary playing till I get up to spec. This is a shame but it is what it is and it'll take as long as it takes I guess. I still enjoy playing alone the moreso the m,ore proficient I get but I know playing at a session would be a whole different arena.
So you can watch this space for my video uploads but that is an update.
----
To talk about in the meantime tho, I'm interested in the differences between irish fiddle and classical cos I feel there is quite a bit of a fence between the two. I want to mainly know that if I learn fiddle style will I be stilting myself for learning 'improper technique' when it comes to classical.
From what I gathered from what she said, the advice she was giving was that of the 'proper' way to play which would conform to classicalists although many fiddlers will play how they want and you shouldn't necessarily follow what the fiddlers do. So what I gathered is that classicalists know the superior form and technique which would also aid in traditional fiddling so I'm thinking it is a good bet to stick with learning classical form etc while still playing the fiddle stuff. |
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Ode to Tragedy
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Joined: 17 Feb 2011
Posts: 121
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| Posted: Fri May 20, 2011 1:43 pm Post subject: |
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| Thinking about it now she must have only been referring to slurring about doing several notes per bow right? |
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Lemuel
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Joined: 12 Aug 2010
Posts: 515
Location: Mt. Elgin, Ontario
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| Posted: Fri May 20, 2011 2:00 pm Post subject: Re: Had my 1st lesson today... |
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| Ode to Tragedy wrote: | Hi,
I had not given up playing, I have been practicing steadily as usual just not posting about it.
I had my 1st lessons today in irish fiddle specifically.
It was really fun but frustrating cos the lesson ended too quick and I won't be able to afford regular lessons. |
That's great. First of all, I'm glad you are diligent with your practice (I was wondering if you were discouraged - but I'm glad I was wrong).
| Ode to Tragedy wrote: |
She gave me some pointers.
She told me to sort out my wrist which is ok ie straightforward enough for me to correct. |
I would like to know what about your wrist (left or right?) she pointed out.
| Ode to Tragedy wrote: |
One thing which confused me a little you all might be able to shed some light on is she said that the way I play is that I was playing every note staccato whereas she suggested that I should play several notes in a bowing.
Now is there a specific method for doing this or just 'play it by ear'?
She said she know it may be unhelpful but she said eventually I will get an intuition for it and to just focus on playing a few each bowing or something of that nature. |
You more than likely mean "detached" bowing. "Staccato" is generally a more complex bowing technique(s). I would say, get used to both detached (changing direction of bow for each note) and slurred (several notes with up or down bow) bowing first, keeping your bow on the strings, before you go on to other bowing techniques.
The key (foundation) is a pliable wrist, and cradle like hold of the violin bow. (Many beginners grip the violin bow way too much, and press the violin string way to hard).
| Ode to Tragedy wrote: |
Oh yes another thing she said is I should probably learn to play things by ear so I'll have to work on that I guess. |
Playing by ear is essentially playing without the use or aid of printed music. You would be matching the sound you hear to the physical location of the notes on your instrument - nothing wrong with this.
| Ode to Tragedy wrote: |
I know you will have those exercises for me lamuel but is there a way to do it through practicing as I find exercises really dry. I may well come to them once I want to refine it but I find exercises take the fun out of playing and that is the whole reason I got into playing in the 1st place!
I really enjoy irish fiddle cos it is down and dirty and you can get stuck right in.
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I agree with you - exercises are dry, but beneficial if done right. If you think about it though, taking a particular bar or set of bars from your favorite music and playing it repetitively over again is like an exercise. For me, exercises have a way of pushing me beyond a certain level, so that when I come back to play that level of music, it is easier.
| Ode to Tragedy wrote: |
To talk about in the meantime tho, I'm interested in the differences between irish fiddle and classical cos I feel there is quite a bit of a fence between the two. I want to mainly know that if I learn fiddle style will I be stilting myself for learning 'improper technique' when it comes to classical.
From what I gathered from what she said, the advice she was giving was that of the 'proper' way to play which would conform to classicalists although many fiddlers will play how they want and you shouldn't necessarily follow what the fiddlers do. So what I gathered is that classicalists know the superior form and technique which would also aid in traditional fiddling so I'm thinking it is a good bet to stick with learning classical form etc while still playing the fiddle stuff. |
Try not to get bogged down on details of technique, and this style or that style. Unfortunately, it took me years later to learn that many great violinists are quite original (artistic) in their own style (interpretation). They also go through and learn a variety of techniques, not just one type.
Playing the violin or any instrument involves both technique and art. Technique can be taught to a certain extent, but art is much more difficult to teach and is subjective in many cases, which is an expression of the heart. Of course, a classically trained violinist maybe able to "technically" play fiddle music, but may not be able to express it appropriately.
I hope this is clear. |
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Ode to Tragedy
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Joined: 17 Feb 2011
Posts: 121
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| Posted: Fri May 20, 2011 2:14 pm Post subject: |
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Well I just texted her to confirm that she was talking about slurring. I don't wanna badger her to much with my many questions though  as I could go on and on so want to find other sources.
Yes I was confused at 1st because I am used to playing tunes from sheet music and seeing it written whether I should slur or not.
In one sense I like the idea of irish fiddle music 'letting it all hang out' in terms of being more 'open to interpretation' but in another I like my strict methodical guidelines so I can better know what to do; at least at this early stage.
What I'm starting to see with any of the playing though is that alot of it is about how you express yourself through the tunes what do they call it 'rendition'? This is great as it's what I got into it for the expression and all.
I'm thinking if you would be gracios enough to critique my playing then it will supplement my lessons with her though I won't be getting one of those for a while now I think due to price.
I'm thinking I'll put them up on youtube as well to get a range of input as essentially it will be the same as free lessons.
I learn best on my own I think without the pressure of a teacher in person so I think this might work better- still having lessons here and there to keep me on the straight and narrow.
Just fiddling with the camera to try and figure how to work it...
Oh yes and I forgot to add about the wrist that I was propping the base of the neck up with my wrist and should have it with palm faced towards me going straight down. |
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Benedict White
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Joined: 27 Jan 2011
Posts: 113
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| Posted: Sat May 21, 2011 5:47 pm Post subject: |
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| No problem, I think people will be happy to provide both positive comment and advice. |
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