2013.08.05 Practice Update

Viola Practice

Warm-up

Tuning  - using the iPhone app: Tuxtuner		Tonalization  [tone production]: Mis--si--ssip--pi   Stop -- Stop  000 121 02 11 0 [Au Claire de Lune]
Intervals  [Red book] p4. seconds, thirds		*Finger Patterns  need practice moving from D to C# [or C] & moving from Ab to G

C MAJOR SCALE

1. Twinkle Twinkle Little Star [C&G]
2. Coventry Gardens 
3.  Stay [Rhianna]
4. We Wish You A Merry Christmas
5. Hora Lunga - Sonata [Gyorgy Ligeti]

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G MAJOR SCALE [F#]

1.  Mary Had a Little Lamb
2.  Skyfall [Adele] - very little progress
3. Joy to the World
4. BBC Sherlock – Main Theme (preferred version)

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D MAJOR SCALE [F#, C#]

1. Twinkle Twinkle Little Star [D&A]
2. French Folk Song
3. Lightly Row
4. Song of the Wind
5. Pachelbel's Canon in D

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F FLAT MAJOR [Bb]

1. Moon River

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B FLAT MAJOR [Bb, Eb]

1. Silent Night

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E FLAT MAJOR SCALE [Bb, Eb, Ab]

1. Sherlock Theme - abandoned
2. Sonate – hardly attempted

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D FLAT MAJOR [Bb, Eb, Ab, Db, Gb]

1. Claire de Lune [Debussy]

Callous Development

1st - well on its way, can hardly feel pressure any more

2nd - not thick enough to prevent nail from cracking yet

3rd - still hurts like a bitch after I practice for an hour or more but the scar tissue is finally thickening up

I've been working on intervals - fingering speed, accuracy and rhythm. The red book is very effective. I also made myself a practice sheet with all the Major Flat Scales on one page using MuseScore. What a great program.

I love, love, love my viola.

2013.07.12 Progress

I took a bunch of video today because I wanted to check my posture, left hand position and overall sound. These videos are not edited so be forewarned.

First, I tuned my viola using Tuxtuner [iphone app] and then I practiced a couple of scales: the D major and the C major scales.

Then, I did my book warm-up which includes some intonation work, namely mississippi stop stop and the 000 121 02 11 0 thing. I have no idea what that thing is called but it's a great warm-up.

There are number of short pieces that I work my way through in no particular order. Including: Mary Had a Little Lamb, Coventry Gardens, Canon and the Sherlock theme song.


I've been working on 'Stay' by Rhinna everyday for about 20 days. I've finally made my way through the whole song. I actually found this great program called MuseScore that allows me to download midi files and turn them into sheet music. It's a great program. The more I fiddle around with it, the more I realize it can do.

I also try very hard to play 'Skyfall' by Adele but it is extremely painful - even more painful that Canon if you can believe it. But I'm determined to learn that damn song, even if it kills me. Nice attitude hey? I should probably seek professional help for that unhealthy level of masochism.

Anyways, that's all for today. I'll leave the rest off. Next time, I plan on recording my favourite piece called 'Hora Lunga' which is an ode to the C string.

2013.07.10 Progress

Progress Video for July 10, 2013



After reviewing my video of Mary Had a Little Lamb [MHLL] & Twinkle Twinkle Little Star [TTLS] I noticed that my wrist was quite bent. I'm pretty sure it needs to be straighter. I need to pay more attention to that in the future. Maybe, I'll put something around my wrist to remind myself.

On the positive side of things, I also noticed that holding the viola has become much more natural feeling. I no longer have to think about how and where to place in. Tuning is also a lot easier. 

Practice Order:

Warm-up

Tuning - using the iPhone app: Tuxtuner

Tonalization [tone production]:

• Mis--si--ssip--pi   Stop -- Stop 
• 000 121 02 11 0

Scales [Red book]

• D Major Scale [both books] - 1st finger-pattern used in TTLS [F# C#] and perhaps MHALL [just F#]

• C Major Scale [Red book] - C3 - C5

*Intervals [Red book] - sometimes

Songs in D Major

Twinkle Twinkle Little Star [TTLS on D & A "Theme" - Suzuki Book p.9 - D Major Scale - F# C#] then play on C & G 

French Folk Song [FFS - Suzuki Book p.10 - D Major Scale - F# C#]

Lightly Row [LR - Suzuki Book p.11 - D Major Scale - F# C#]

Song of the Wind [SOFW - Suzuki Book p.11 - D Major Scale - F# C#]

Mary Had a Little Lamb [MHALL - F#]

Coventry Gardens [first 10 measures]

Sherlock Theme - sounds okay

I Still haven't Found What I'm Looking For [U2] - i can play: I have climbed the highest mountains...  and  I still haven't found what I'm looking for...

Skyfall [Adele] - Damn this song, it's so hard. I can do the first page but not very well. The best parts are: This is the end... and Let the Sky_fall, Let it crum_ble...

Stay [Rhianna] - can do the whole song, some parts are better than others but it does sound like a song now.

Hora Lunga - Sonata [Gyorgy Ligeti] - I can play most of it but I would call it my interpretation. This is my favourite song right now. I want more like this Sonata.

Callous Update

First finger is a go, second finger at step two, third finger still hurts like a bitch