OK, not quite, but I have half a day of work left....

And just found out I have my first violin lesson tomorrow, at my house!

Which is brilliant, as I have all my music there so he might be able to pick something and save me a little money

I haven't touched the instrument since the consultation, I figured it would only compound the problems!

Soooooooo excited, roll on 10am!! The kids will be banished to their bedroom for the duration

with your endeavours !

Thank you!

All the best, Dawn! Don't neglect the offspring too much though - remember you will never get back these years with them, so make sure you apportion your time wisely however exciting your new life seems.

That's the point; this will actually give me more time with them as I get the practice/lessons done during the day, leaving most of the evenings/weekends guilt free for them

That's lovely. They won't quite be banished for the duration after all then!

LOL no, only whilst lessons are on...

Me too!!

Thanks all! It's been a busy day...since then I've found out my Dip results are being sent TODAY so I can expect them in about a week (aarggggh) and also had an enquiry for violin lessons for an 8 year old!!

Wishing you all the very best for your exciting new journey - am so, so happy for you and can't wait to hear for updates x

Happy New everything Dawnmc71
Good luck with all the new ventures. Keep us updated please, I love reading about your musical adventures.

Happy new live, Dawn! Wishing you all the best, enjoy!!!

Sooo..40 minute lesson sat the dining table with my bow, learning to relax my hand and gradually picking up the bow. Fab!! Learned a couple of bits I really didn't know, (like the second finger should be slightly pushing on the tip of the bent thumb) and need to do 2 hours of that and a few exercises before another lesson tomorrow morning. My wrist is aching already!

I've written it up as he explained it so well and am going to try it out on my beginner student tomorrow after my lesson - nice to know I'll be teaching exactly right!!

He's as lovely as I remembered too

Yeah! That's really great.

Thank you for the report. So happy for you to have a wonderful violin teacher in your new live!

Sounds great so far! Keep the updates coming

what kind of bow hold is he teaching you then? sounds like a franco belgian 'type' to me... (not that it matters, just curious that's all) or is he just 'correcting' whatever bow hold you already have?

and I am really happy to hear you 'love' your teacher so much

LOL I didn't know there was more than one bow hold...I'm going to look them up! He has me starting from scratch, as I know my bow hold has strayed from the path over the years!
TOnight I was talking to our double bass player at band and letting him know what was happening - ie that I can't play in the quartet for a while whilst doing this - and it was already feeling more natural and easier as I demonstrated, and certainly more relaxed.

Going to do a bit more muscle training before heading for my lesson in the morning.

He is very nice, very calm and patient, just what I need LOL

This is all sounding fantastic and so exciting Dawn!!

Dawn - this sounds fantastic

LOL Thanks guys, got to play some open strings with assistance today - so try to keep my hand relaxed etc...
Just done another hour practice unassisted, and my hand is aching now!!

Guess what? Another lesson tomorrow morning 9am! He's away in a few days so trying to get me to the point I'm on exercises rather than just open strings before he goes LOL. Hope OH doesn't throw a dicky fit...

Oh and he wants me to change my violin/bow asap. Mmmm something else to talk to DH about. It's a Jay Haide - Hand made chinese, one luthier from start to finish, but they sell this model for $2400 and my teacher pulled this one out as a particularly good one and brought it back from the states for his students. I think they were asking for more, so he's going to talk to them today and remind them of the price on their website. Fingers crossed, cos it's a bit much for me at more than that at the moment, but does have a lovely sweet sound and sings all the way to the top. He thinks it sounds as good as a 5000 eur one would, so I have to hope. Also a Marco Raposo silver mounted bow to go with it. Thinks he can get 1500 for my bow and violin so that would help...

I've brought them home but it's a bit frustrating only being allowed to play slow open strings LOL
OK maybe I did have a little naughty play before I concentrated

Wow... still sounding fantastic!!

I have the hand-made Jay Haide viola and I love it. My one has had a problem with the seam but I think that was due to it hanging in a shop for five years on the wall and unplayed. But truly the sound is lovely and I've been told it's a very nice instrument by a top luthier.

But I've bored EVERYONE to death about it in the thread 'Hannah is sick'

Good luck

Thanks for that, Lottie! That has given me a little confidence...now just hoping that the price can come down a bit LOL and that DH takes it well...although he's not too happy about the lesson tomorrow, I think so we will see

Dawn - all of this is fantastic. Good luck with your new violin

Have you had any time for the piano in all of this??

LOL not yet, been too busy running about so far...but I did everyday last week, and did on Thurs early. Things will settle next week (he's away for a week) so will be able to catch up then!!

The Jay Haide violins price is approximately what your teacher said Dawn, here are a couple of examples:

http://www.johnsonstring.mobi/cgi-bin/musi...amp;category=in

http://www.sullivanviolins.com/Jay_Haide.html

I've put a couple of american links as your teacher got his from the states you mention...but UK links show the same prices in sterling anyway.

They seem to have a good reputation for intermediate to advanced student violins, here is a thread on violinist.com where people comment on them:

http://www.violinist.com/discussion/response.cfm?ID=7902

BUT....

is it REALLY 'the violin' YOU want?

do you 'really' HAVE TO upgrade NOW?

you are only taking lessons, it's not like you are going to join the orchestra just yet....

I am not saying these things to be a 'party pooper', I am just saying as buying/upgrading a violin is by all means not like buying a coffe and a croissant and you are on a 'tight' budget right?

just making you stop/relax/take a breath at a time when a lot is happening really fast and it is a very exciting time indeed and then you might turn around and think 'oh my goodness! that went so fast! what happened? was it all a dream?? and what is this? did I really want to buy this violin after all?'

Wise words from Jojo - it's easy to jump at something in haste. After all, if you were going into a shop to choose one, you'd play quite a few before you took any away to test. Perhaps you need to try some others too? And as Jojo says, are you sure now is the time? If you are working hard now to improve your technique etc, your playing is going to change considerably over the next 6 months or so and you may find what suits you now won't suit you then.
Just another thought - Jojo says these violins have a good reputation for intermediate to advanced 'students.' Are you sure it will be suitable for a professional player? And more particularly, will it be suitable for the professional orchestra you want to join?

Thanks for the wise words guys...

He got them down to 2000EUR on it (they were asking 3K LOL). And the bow I misunderstood, is 500EUR which looks right for that Marco Raposo silver mounted on the internet. The bow is going to happen for definite as yes, I really need that. And it's hard to get them sent on approval internationally!

The violin...he played 3 other instruments to me today, 2 around the 5-6k EUR price - one German, one French, one Italian etc and I have to say that I liked the Jay Haide more than the cheaper two...the Cremona Italian one was really beautiful, but 15K!!!

He has pulled this one as a particularly fine example of the Jay Haide. He goes to the shop when he's in San Franciso, checks them all out and sometimes finds one that has a sound quality better than the others...this is one of those. My violin has a lovely bass but does not sing in the higher positions wheras this is even throughout and with a lovely sweet but full tone.

He has said to me that I should outgrow my instrument in 3-4 months time with lessons - but that he won't be back there to look for another for much longer than that. This we can now afford; I don't believe I'll find a better violin that I can afford in these parts - don't forget there are not many here and no decent shops to go and try them in. I am ready to sell my instrument/bow to pay for most of it and we can afford that - but OH thinks I shouldn't do that, and keep that for the celidh band stuff to protect the best one so the debate continues...

He has called this a "minimum" of what I need - but I can't (and won't) be able to afford more in the next few years - and he knows that - so this is the best compromise. He thinks this will be fine for an orchestra, the sound and playability is that good. I have to believe someone, and lets face it, he will be getting me through the audition! Certainly my current one is not good enough for that. Oh and he's offered to let me pay for it in chunks over a year if necessary to help.

Maybe it won't be my "forever" violin, but I do think I need to upgrade. And if in the future I can buy a better one then this will always be a good stand-in instrument.

Oh my I held/heard his strad too - he played it LOL - and he has another 400 year old gorgeous instrument by another maker which was also just amazingly beautiful both in look and tone!


Lesson wise my biggest issue now is relaxing my right arm to allow the weight to flow without tension. 3 days coming up of GDA open strings with bow being held in a loose grip - not a proper bow hold but almost a fist with no thumb action - so I'm just concentrating on relaxing my arm/shoulder muscles and listening for a big, clean sound. 5cm bow at a time for 2/3 of the bow and back. If I get that for Tues then I get to start playing properly LOL

I really caught your excitement reading that post, Dawn! I'm so pleased that your OH encouraged you to take this opportunity in the end. Just keep going for it!

LOL Thanks! I also missed the bus back by about 50metres...so did 45mins singing practice at the bus stop beside the motorway - and got a compliment when I stopped from someone that had appeared next to me when I hadn't realised

OMG my Dad has just said that he will buy the new violin so I don't have to sell my old one...
I really didn't mind doing that, but he caught me alot by suprise. I guess I have a violin and bow to name now.
I'll pay him back eventually, but I think he's just happy seeing me working so hard in what I really want to do.
AND OH said yes too...

Oh and anyone got a light case they want to sell??? Please PM me if you do...

this is so funny, it's just like MY story last October, my father 'rescued' me with Eowyn (and my brother with 'Sid' the bow) when I fell in love with her and could not dish out the thousands of pounds the shop wanted

well, that's a nice ending

This has made me smile - my Dad wanted to buy Hannah for me! He's VERY keen to support me probably because of his own lifelong interest in violins and violas. (I couldn't let him but that's a another story.)

Wow. That's just fabulous, lovely to hear such a tale! All the VERY best in your endeavours!

How lovely Keep the updates coming!

Thanks everyone, he's such a sweetheart, I love my Dad sooooo much he's always been so supportive.
Just funny that I would have sold my old one but Dad and OH didn't want me to!!

Hasn't really sunk in yet. Hopefully I'll get a little time today to play her (interesting, I read that back so I've subconciously decided female )....well at least open strings as that is what I have to practice like stink until Tues afternoon I'm support crew to the rest of the family doing a triathlon this morning - even the kids - and I have to go dismantle wardrobes this afternoon so might be tight!

BTW, a tip for buying bows...according to my teacher, always look for one 62 or 62.5g as that is the optimum weight for a silver mounted one!

Your updates have really made me smile dawnmc and what lovely news on the new violin - can't wait for the next exciting update x

A wonderful story to read. Thanks Dawn!

Good stuff Dawn.

I reckon , like me , most dads will do all they can to support their little girls (grown up or otherwise) ! And boys too, but daughters usully have us round their little finger !

so do I!

OK, so today I ache from head to foot after carrying 2 wardrobes down 55 steps in pieces (20 trips) and then loading them on the mini...but have managed 5 hours of combined practice today - 1.5 hours of open strings LOL - and a singing lesson before my diploma results hit and scrambled my brain completely!!

So now I'm just a teensy weensy bit tipsy...

Wow, interesting lesson yesterday...

He's happier with my bow arm...well to the point that I'm allowed to play fingered notes
So he's got me straight on string crossing - 2 3 and 4 strings, moving up positions at the same time. He doesn't believe in study books at this point, he wants me to compose on the hoof to make it more interesting, but not add the element of reading whilst I'm still thinking hard about both hands!

Now he's working on my death grip - 1 finger scales up the G string!!! ie A major on the 1st finger, B major on 2 all the way to D on 4th

Think I've got alot of work to do this week...next lesson is a week away!

OH and the band are making rumblings about Last of the Mohicans again, so I have something to work towards...

Great! You seem to progress really fast. But that's what you wanted, I guess.

Really pleased to read about all your exciting progress etc - especially nice that you can leave the unsatisfying job to focus on the real stuff!

I 'do' like one finger scales, all combinations of them on all strings all the way up the fingerboard, I never get bored of them

Yup! 12, 123, 1234, 23, 234, 34.....guide note all the way down...

I don't understand this Do you mean using one finger only to play the whole scale? So you're moving your hand position all the time?

miffy - how do you play that - are those your finger numbers?

I'm just realising it's about time scales became part of my daily routine so I'd like to know what you are all playing as exercises

Lottie, do you have sevcik op 1 p3 or a galamian book?

if not, can't remember,but do I have your email address? if not pm it to me and I'll take care of you

Dawn sounds like some real progress is being made