*lol*

I am going to go to the beginners orchestra session on Saturday It is all arranged. I can only fail miserably, become a complete laughing stock and sacrifice my dignity forever, but, hey, what the heck!

that's right echelon but if you are like me you'll go back for more time and time again then one day you can be the one laughing at the new 'laughing stock' joining

ps don't take the above seriously I hope, it will be a great experience for you and don't dare to give up!

*lol*

Right, I have until Saturday to learn how to play in F Major then I might be more prepared. I'm not currently playing any flat notes, but I can do an F Major scale

Well, I guess it's just the same finger pattern as the C major 2-octave scale?

I am so jealous! Even if I could only play the open strings I would happily sit on the back desk where I would probaly grin like a cheshire cat all evening!

There is one orchestra near here who may have me if I pleaded enough but:
- it's on the same evening as a church thing I really ought to attend
- My husband already struggles to get home early enough for me to go to choir on one evening a week and to pick up our son from Boys Brigade on another, plus doesn't get to play his sax at all, so I think I would be asking a bit much to expect him home on another evening too. (The church thingy starts later plus it's ok to turn up late)
- I happen to know they are playing a piece in Eflat major - I have only just managed F major, so 2 more flats to go. I know where they are in theory - but in practice........

I need a day time orchestra - do such things exist?


Enjoy your orchestra, and let us know how it goes - I want all the details!

Babybird, if echelon has not done F major I doubt it is in the knowledge what a c major 2 OCTAVE is
Echelon, F major will be easy peasy soon enough for you, sorry if I am saying anything you might know already but it is:
start on D string with finger 1 and 2 down on string, finger 1 on the 'normal spot', finger 2 right next to finger 1, it is a 'low 2' we call it, that will be your F. Of course you don't need to put down finger 1 at all, but i think it helps when you are 'new' to the low 2nd fingers, it is there as a guide
then to play G just play your 3rd finger normally (leave gap between 2nd and 3rd to go up a tone)
then play an open A string
then LOW 1st finger (near the nut) on the A string for your Bflat
then leave a gap from 1st to 2nd finger for a tone so to get the C (and you place your second finger as a LOW 2nd finger)
then again leave a gap for your 3rd finger to leave another tone and get the D
then play open E then LOW 1st finger again (near nut) on e string to get an F
finished

again, apologies if you knew this already and I made a fool of myself

Oh, yeah, I can play C Major 2 octaves, plus the arpeggio.

*lol*

jojo, I play viola, I don't have an E string! I also can't read Alto Clef that well, which is why I get muddled up a bit at times.

I thought this was viola C major 2 octaves is a G1 scale, F Major is G2. Just start with the 3rd finger on the C string and have your 2nd finger in the same position that you would use for the F in the 2nd octave of C major

Yeah, I can do the scale, it's just playing in that key that I'm not familiar with.

Ah, I see. I haven't played much in it either

*lol*, we'll get there!

My teacher suggested that when I learn a new scale I find music in that key to play - it was working, but I haven't found much in F major to practise on . Good excuse to buy more music

My alto clef reading is very 'finger-based' (ie I know which dot is which finger without necesarily knowing the note name) - it's ok for now but I reckon it will all come tumbling down when I start shifting (if I ever get that far!)

That's where I am too I really must try harder to memorise the note names .

My teacher gave me a 'scales test' last week and it took me quite a few minutes to work out where to start on the viola.... and I got a ticking off for taking so long!!! Apparently the examiner won't wait five minutes while I work out which note to start the scale

I have terrible difficulty naming the notes as well because my alto clef reading is still quite weak. Also, if my teacher asks me to play a particular note I have to figure out where it is - I can't just go straight to it. So, if she asks me to play an B or whatever, I have to count up the string to find its position

I have to do that too! So I'm finding things with flats and sharps hard - I might know a piece has an Fsharp - but i don't know where the F is to sharpen it!

Same here. Not sure if I'll ever manage to learn alto clef properly, as I've been using the cheat method (i.e. read it as third position on the violin) for years. I do shift, but rarely above third position (luckily most viola music doesn't go that high! ).

I can't read it either

Wow, I'm glad that I'm not the only one who struggles. I guess it's just a matter of time and practise.

viola?????
that's explains it then

I never have any trouble with alto clef and can still read treble fine. Still, I'm not actively playing in treble at the mo, except singing 2 days a week. Bass I struggle with and really have to think about in theory exams, but if I were to learn, say cello, then bass clef would also fall into place.

Well I had been getting on okay until I took Chloe to the luthier yesterday. He lowered her bridge and changed its curved and now I'm completely confused and feel like I've gone right back to before square 1.

I know that the new bridge height is better, because my fingers aren't getting anywhere near so sore - but I've now started catching other strings while I play, which I hadn't been doing before.

I'm trying to find a teacher, but it's proving to be a bit tricky...

don't despair, your muscles will learn the new position soon enough!

Thanks JoJo. It's just that I now seem to be worse than when I first got her.

You might be better taking Gandalf to the luthier for his set up sooner rather than later - otherwise you may find you have the same problem.

I've noticed that playing my new violin (which has been properly set up) is a lot easier than the previous one so much so that if I try and play the old one (just out of curiosity I tried) I hit all the strings and it sounds awful!
Strings on the new one are thicker though which seems to make a difference and feels easier to play.

What strings do you have, Jacobi? I'm trying to decide what to get...

They are Corelli crystal, set was £29 ish (I bought a full spare in case I break one!) I didn't pick them, the violin shop I went to chose them when they upgraded them from the original standard factory ones so they probably thought they worked best.

The GDA are all fairly thick and the E obviously much thinner so that took a bit of getting used to (on the old one they were cheap steel ones and all pretty thin!), reading the back of the string packets I think corellis come in different tensions? Looked too complicated to me, there are different colored thread wrapped about both ends of the string, it does look nice though

*EDIT*

Just seen your other post in a new thread and you were thinking of these

Re settling in, the A string (at least) was taken off to reposition it when I bought it, so from being replaced when I bought until now it is about 3-4 days and still settling in. I haven't experience of other strings (apart from fit for the bin ones ) but I think they sound very nice!

Last lesson this evening

Poor Babybird.



You'll have to give me a lesson at Leeds - it's a really good way of reinforcing what you know.

A violin lesson?

Yeah, give it a try, Claudia! You can teach good bowing for a start and try holding a violin when you're used to keeping a viola upright!!

Enjoy your last fling tonight.

T'was sad

You can teach me bowing and things at Leeds.

I feel sad for you!

Have one of these

Poor Claudia, armes Mäusle!

Thanks everyone

What's your next viola move then? Going it alone a while? Or going for one of the teachers E mentioned?

I'll be alone for at least a year, but that may have something to do with being 8 time zones away!!

On the progress side, I had a go at my scales and even picked out a few Grade 3 ones last night. After that I got out my Glazunov Elegie score (my fave viola piece) and had a pick at that. I hadn't touched it for months as it was such a sorry mess last time, esp as I had to do some flats and low 2nd fingers, but now I've been using both much more, the fingering felt much more natural and I may even be able to do something with that piece one day. It is, however, a Grade 8 piece, so there's no chance of that being this week!

Yippee, I managed!!!!

I went to the beginners session on Saturday and it was fine. Everyone was lovely and there was only a few of us there, so it wasn't embarrassing or anything. I can't say that I managed to play every note, but I didn't disgrace myself either My hand was killin' me after 3 hours of playing, but it was loads of fun.

and

Apparently a group meets up every Monday evening at the same place and that is geared towards beginners as well, so I might have found what I was looking for. The main orchestra plays stuff that's very challenging, that's the one that I dropped out of with my flute, so I was worried about going back there, but this other group seems fine.

I am so happy!

Well done.

I'm glad I PM'd you after your 'I wish I was good enough to play with other people' post, and then pestered you into trying it.

Yes, the main orchestra plays quite challenging music - I struggle as a grade 7/8-ish player and sound absolutely rubbish compared to the other flute players.

I have heard before that the main orchestra has a much higher standard than the organisation's other orchestras - and it sounds like this might be true.

Yeah, thanks Flossie - I'm so glad that I tried it. I didn't realise that they practise every Monday evening there. There's nothing on the main website to indicate that this group even exists.

I'm getting nervous: my viola exam is in the third week of June and Pan is not back from the Luthier.

Today I am going to write the name of each scale on a piece of paper and put all the pieces in a box. Then I'll pull out one and play it until the box is empty. (When Pan gets home .)

My plan is to do this every day (when Pan gets home ) so that I can learn the notes!!! I have the finger 'patterns' okay but I need to learn which note goes where for the sightreading

One of my viola pieces (not an exam piece) has TRANSPOSING in it!!!! It jumps into treble clef!!! So I need to learn these notes properly or I'll end up in a real guddle!!!

When are you due to get your viola back hun? Which grade are you doing?

I don't know. He said about a week but this Thursday will be two weeks. I'll wait 'till Thursday then phone him but I don't want to hassle him into doing a rush-job (I think he's in his eighties!).

I'm doing grade 3

My teacher has offered to lend me her viola but I can't: it's just too beautiful and special.

I do have an ultra-cheeeepie nasty Chinese viola behind the sofa so I don't really have an excuse but instead of bringing it out I've been playing my violin instead.

Poor Aggy. You'd told him that he was deputising for Pan. He must be feeling very hurt now.

Oh you're right!!! I'm such a BAD person for showing Aggy disrespect because if it wasn't for him I wouldn't be playing the viola at all.

*feels very bad and goes off to give Aggy a big hug... and maybe a run-through of some Telemann *

I had my first violin lesson this evening and I really enjoyed it although it was surprisingly tiring.

My teacher agrees that my old shoulder rest is too high, so I'm going to order an adjustable one - I think she said Kun or Kuhn, or something similar.

My teacher had a quick go on my violin and says that it is good. Chloe sounded very nice when she was played properly.

Violin is tiring at the beginning being such an unnatural position and all, but you'll soon build up your stamina.
Your teacher is probably recommending a Kun rest - have a look at this link for some of the different types: http://www.thestringzone.co.uk/categories/kun-shoulder-rests

Glad you enjoyed the lesson!
x

I'm not actually finding the position tiring at all - it feels very comfortable (apart from the fact my shoulder rest is a little bit too high, which I already knew). My teacher didn't actually make any adjustments to my posture or how I hold Chloe, because she said that was good.

What I found tiring was the bowing!! I need to make some adjustments to what I'm doing with this, and I'm hoping it will be easier once I have a shoulder rest that's the right height. (And before Rosfrog asks - yes I do need a shoulder rest. I have a tall neck and sloping shoulders. Without a shoulder rest I have to either lift my shoulder or twist and bend my neck - both of which introduce a lot of tension which I don't want and then interfere with my left hand and arm).

What surprised me was that it was only a half-hour lesson and it was definitely enough. My 1 hour flute lessons aren't long enough...

Thanks for the link Maya. That's the place I got my strings from, but they don't have the shoulder rest in stock so I might try stringmail instead.

Ah ok, I'm sorry. When I started I foud the postition very tiring and could only play for 15 mins or so. Bowing is tiring, when I'm working on bowing technique if i get tired I take a break otherwise I start to do things that aren't quite correct/what I'm meant to be doing and it ends up with me wasting time.
I guess as a beginner you are learning so much in 30 mins that it is long enough, however my lessons are 45 mins and I don't get nearly enough done. I didn't feel as though I needed longer lessons until I got up to ~ grade 7 i think.

I get my strings from there - they're always very very friendly and helpful. I also bought both my violin and viola from them - they had a lot of choice in my price range and I didn't feel as though they were overpriced at all.

x

I now get to do double octave G major scale

Apparently I have two second fingers....