18 mos Violin

I swapped out the old shoulder rest for a Bonmusica. Now, yeah, I can get the web of my hand off that violin neck and really start practicing arm vibrato. But the hand and arm positions are different now, the cues that my muscle memory was based on are different, and basically it's like I'm back to the beginning.

Only this time I'm getting those basics down faster, and the results are cleaner. I feel like I am finally progressing again after six months of what felt like stasis.

Yeah, but that also means all my practice sessions right now are endless exercises in string crossings, vibrato, and a little shifting. Lots and lots of scales in first and fourth position.

The trumpet is also pretty much in exercise land. My exercises now are speed and tone, plus a little on keeping the articulation clean and controlled. Speed is really about the slotting (and a bit about the tonguing). I still have trouble moving from the top of the range to the bottom of the range; to get into those different slots -- particularly with a good tone -- you have to slip your lips slightly within the mouthpiece. Right now I'll start a scale, go up to my top note, but run into trouble on the way down. Especially when trying to do it fast.

The valves mean less and less as time goes on. The key muscle memory is in finding the right slot. To some extent you can play the note even if you've got the wrong valves in. It will usually be a weak harmonic and sound terrible, though. It can be very confusing, until you figure out what you did.

It's also time for another cleaning.

Thinking the next recording might be an attempt at a trio. I'm not that good with the trumpet yet, but I have a keyboard (Behringer controller, but still...), and bass. Gave away the e-drums, though.

Still think the "Bardic Covers" are amusing, and I do like the challenge of trying to work up proper polyphony on the wind parts and properly idiomatic "lute" work. Thing is, I still haven't settled on the upgrade to the ukulele. The one thing I'm sure of is I don't want soprano any more (the fingering is too tight). I'm caught, though, between guitar-like tones, lute-like tones (and look!)...and electric.

By which I don't mean piezo pickups (I have in the closet a project solid-body uke with piezo bridge pickup), but a steel-string, fender or strat style uke with real humbuckers.

I found one cheap recently, and the reviews say the biggest problems are the frets aren't dressed and the action is too high. No problem for me. (A crooked neck, on the other hand, I'd rather not deal with). But, still, that is a bit of the other dirty secret of musical instruments. Bought my first uke. Then bought new strings, and a pick, and looking for a strap. Bought a cheap trumpet, then spent almost as much for cleaning kit, then a practice mute, then another mute, and looking for a fresh tin of spitballs now. Or the violin; bought new strings. Shoulder rest. Better rosin. A new bow. Two more shoulder rests. New chinrest. Oh, yeah...and a new violin!