I've just realised that I missed my ONE YEAR ANNIVERSARY in August while I was away soooo....
I have now been playing/learning the violin for ONE WHOLE YEAR!

I suppose I really ought to have a party but first a reflection on a years' learning....

Last summer I saw a TV programme about Nicola Benedetti and thought she looked and sounded gorgeous - I had played the violin for a year when I was six so I wondered if I could try it out again....

So.. I started toodling on Dad's fiddle playing open strings, Gmajor scale and a couple of Scottish tunes...
Then I bought 'Jim' my very own violin, a Zeller, and learned Dmajor
Then I joined the 'Alford Fiddlers', a Scottish music orchestra
Then I started lessons with Ruth, my fabulous teacher .. and learned A major!
Then I played in my first concert in the city with the orchestra - boy was that exciting and terrifying!
I started working for grade one but Jim was too big for my hands so....
.. along came 'Claudia' my 7/8 size Gliga Gama!! Hooray because she's small and sweet
Then I played two duets with Ruth in the Class concert in front of about 40 people - that was terrifying and I shook to bits but I did it despite a shaky bow and jelly knees!
I missed the entry date for grade one so started working on Grade two pieces..
Then I took grade two in June and passed with distinction
Then I took five weeks off to go abroad and forgot everything I'd ever learned...

BUT I'm back into it all now and playing almost every day again and loving it. I've really started to get the hang of vibrato and shifting positions and although both are wobbly with some hard work I hope they'll become second-nature in time. Oh and I'm also playing in another fiddle concert on the 28th Sept - Scottish duets! Oh and then grade 3 in November.



And Claudia? Well I've just bought her a BAM case from ebay for being so good and she's off to have her soundpost, bridge and strings checked out next week when I take Dad's fiddle to be valued and his bow rehaired at the luthier.

Oh - I'm also going to see Nicola Benedetti playing Bruch in the city tomorrow and I just can't wait! It's a real dream come true and I'm still madly in love with the violin.

Sorry for being long-winded but just had to share

Happy Anniversary!

Congratulations!

Got me thinking. I reckon it's the 33rd anniversary of my first piano lesson around about now!

Happy Anniversary


It's about my First Anniversary for the Oboe too...

Happy Anniversary!

Hi Lottie,

Just curious - I notice you have a 7/8 Gliga Gama - what made you go for the 7/8 size? I am wondering if (when I eventually save enough for an upgrade) a 7/8 size would suit me better.....are there any problems getting strings to fit or anything like that? Would love to hear more....

and happy anniversary by the way!

Orla

I chose a 7/8 because the first violin I bought ( a 4/4 Zeller) was rather chunky at the neck and my hand was starting to hurt with stretching my fingers.. my hands are not big. I tried a 4/4 and a 7/8 Gliga together and just liked the feel of the 7/8 better. It's really not much of a difference at all - only fractionally smaller but the slightly more slender neck suited my hand too. It has a good sound too (it doesn't sound like a child's fiddle) although it's brand new and needs lots of 'playing in'; it already sounds better after only six months playing and I really 'belt' out my scales sometimes .

I haven't measured it but I think it's less than half-an-inch shorter than a full-size so, no, there are no problems with strings etc because it just uses standard strings and I carry it in a full-size case. I use a full size bow (and even my rosin is full-size hahah )

The interesting thing is that now I've been playing violin for a year my hands are learning to stretch and increase their agility so that when I play on my Dad's full-size violin I have no problems adjusting the intonation or stretching to use my fourth finger like I used to. I can even shift position on Dad's 4/4 quite accurately. I guess my hand is much more flexible now. If I was going to change violin again I would probably go back to a full-size.

If I do take my grade 3 exam in November I will use my Dads 4/4 because it's an outstanding fiddle with a magnificent sound but I'll use it for about a week before to let my hand adjust. Like I say, the difference is very small but my 7/8 got me started off when I was getting pains in my fingers on my Zeller.

Lottie, you're not thinking of cheating on Claudia, are you? She'll be on the phone at three in the morning to Hamish, crying again.

I don't know how you sleep at nights...

So it's HAMISH she's been calling ... I wondered who'd been running up the bill.... I thought it was the dog phoning his girlfriend in Knockando!

I've told Claudia that if she can go from a boy-soprano to a hunky tenor by November she can certainly perform in the exam so she's in the shed doing bench-presses and drinking guiness as I type... no more quiche and Schloer for her....