Summer Fiddlin'
It's Summer, and I haven't been posting much. At first it was because I had an awesome block of non-stop friend fun after school let out. Then I finally got studying set into gear, and I was afraid writing about studying would just freak me out. I'm keeping a tight lid on the panic and fear about exams that's kind of always just below the surface. A strict regimen of denial and feeling like summer's just started and I have the whole season ahead of me still (even though with every passing day/week that's less and less true) has kept me from flipping out.
Plus there's lots of good distractions! I have been diving into hobbies I love. I'm still doing pottery and am back to Sunday mornings. I want to take more advantage of the fact that the studio is open to me all week outside of class as well. Just got to figure out what time to set aside for that. I've also been spending more time relaxing with Casey. I selfishly love his theatre break because we actually have TIME together after he gets home from work! It's nice to have him here more. I've also taken up a new hobby: Fiddling!
One of my goals for 2012 was to get out my violin, tune it properly, and learn to play a new song.
http://accompl.sh/AmyCatherine29/8900
Here was my list of 2012 goals I made in January and I added one or two more since. I don't find the website's organization ideal (shouldn't completed goals get more than just a tiny green bar on their side? like a satisfying check mark or a strikethrough?) but it's still a fun idea and reminds me of all the things I say I'm going to do.
Anyway I've had it out in St. Louis with me for awhile now and its high time I played it again. I've not played more than once or twice here or there over the years, and I realized recently it's been nearly a decade since I last played on a regular basis. Sad! But, when my mom and I were at the shop buying my violin, I remember her saying to me that the wonderful thing about owning my own violin (after renting for so many years as a child!) was that I could come back to it at any time in my life. That meant so much to me, and was a comfort when I moved away from my small Carmel group and back to EHS, where there was no orchestra. And I repeated this to her when she asked if she wanted me to put it on craigslist - she loves "craiging" and has made quite a bit of cash going through and cleaning out storage, but it's a good idea to get beloved possessions OUT of that house!)
Anyway, just as summer hit and I was thinking about it again, my friend Christine posted on facebook that she was having so much fun at fiddling lessons! We haven't seen each other since she left the history department for the business school like two years ago, but I was so intrigued and got in touch with her about it. She was taking Fiddle One at the Folk School of St. Louis. It had already started, but she said it'd be fine if I came with her to class and just checked it out. So I did! And it was a blast! I signed up proper the next week and am having so much fun.
http://www.folk-school.org/classes/Fiddle_1.html
The lessons are at a beginning pace, which is actually just right. Even though it's been a decade since I played well, I was surprised at how much muscle memory I had for so much of what I was doing. I was concerned because you're supposed to take the intro class before fiddle 1, but the teacher said after my drop in lesson that even though I don't know the tunes the class learned in Intro to Fiddle that I wouldn't need that class, because so much of it is like, how to hold the bow, which I don't need. So while with my violin background I'm way ahead of the class in practical skills like, making the instrument not sound screechy, or finger placement for sharps and flats, tuning, bowing, playing scales or what not, I'm actually behind in the fiddling part, but catching on quick enough that I'm not frustrated, which is the perfect amount of challenge for a fun hobby.
I was very disconcerted that first drop in class. When I arrived and class began I came to the startling discovery that there's no sheet music. um. what?!
We learn songs aurally. We memorize them aurally. The instructor, Ellen (who is so laid-back and wonderful) will play part of a phrase. We watch, listen, and then try to play it back. We do this over and over until it's like second nature to our ears and fingers. Then we do the next phrase. Then we put it all together etc. Each song has an A part and a B part that each have their own variations. She teaches us the song, sends us home with a recording of it that may or may not be exactly the way we learned in class, (but more or less is the same tune) to listen to and practice with.
At first I tried to get around the no sheet music by going home and writing out what I'd learned. But it was so much work to listen and recall and write it out, and I realized after I'd written it down, it didn't really matter that I had, because I wasn't using my written notes for practicing anyway. It took the first two lessons or so to relax my uptight unease about the lack of sheet music and the lack of a set perfect standard for a song. I'm realizing how much fun it is just to absorb and internalize the song and the fingering. It's not so different from dancing, internalizing the rhythm and not thinking about the steps. I still don't know quite what to do with my eyes though. Where do I look if I'm not staring at a stand? The other students seem to have their eyes glued to their fingers, which to me is about as silly as people watching their feet when they dance. I mostly just watch the teacher.
So with "fiddling" the learning process is so different, the style is so relaxed and improper, and yet, I'm having a lot of fun. We've learned 7 tunes already that we're pretty good at! My favorites are "cluck old hen" and "fly around my pretty little miss." I can't wait to see what more we'll learn in the last half of class.
Ok, clearly I'm not getting much studying done today - I think I'm gonna go run some errands instead! Gotta stay busy.
Plus there's lots of good distractions! I have been diving into hobbies I love. I'm still doing pottery and am back to Sunday mornings. I want to take more advantage of the fact that the studio is open to me all week outside of class as well. Just got to figure out what time to set aside for that. I've also been spending more time relaxing with Casey. I selfishly love his theatre break because we actually have TIME together after he gets home from work! It's nice to have him here more. I've also taken up a new hobby: Fiddling!
One of my goals for 2012 was to get out my violin, tune it properly, and learn to play a new song.
http://accompl.sh/AmyCatherine29/8900
Here was my list of 2012 goals I made in January and I added one or two more since. I don't find the website's organization ideal (shouldn't completed goals get more than just a tiny green bar on their side? like a satisfying check mark or a strikethrough?) but it's still a fun idea and reminds me of all the things I say I'm going to do.
Anyway I've had it out in St. Louis with me for awhile now and its high time I played it again. I've not played more than once or twice here or there over the years, and I realized recently it's been nearly a decade since I last played on a regular basis. Sad! But, when my mom and I were at the shop buying my violin, I remember her saying to me that the wonderful thing about owning my own violin (after renting for so many years as a child!) was that I could come back to it at any time in my life. That meant so much to me, and was a comfort when I moved away from my small Carmel group and back to EHS, where there was no orchestra. And I repeated this to her when she asked if she wanted me to put it on craigslist - she loves "craiging" and has made quite a bit of cash going through and cleaning out storage, but it's a good idea to get beloved possessions OUT of that house!)
Anyway, just as summer hit and I was thinking about it again, my friend Christine posted on facebook that she was having so much fun at fiddling lessons! We haven't seen each other since she left the history department for the business school like two years ago, but I was so intrigued and got in touch with her about it. She was taking Fiddle One at the Folk School of St. Louis. It had already started, but she said it'd be fine if I came with her to class and just checked it out. So I did! And it was a blast! I signed up proper the next week and am having so much fun.
http://www.folk-school.org/classes/Fiddle_1.html
The lessons are at a beginning pace, which is actually just right. Even though it's been a decade since I played well, I was surprised at how much muscle memory I had for so much of what I was doing. I was concerned because you're supposed to take the intro class before fiddle 1, but the teacher said after my drop in lesson that even though I don't know the tunes the class learned in Intro to Fiddle that I wouldn't need that class, because so much of it is like, how to hold the bow, which I don't need. So while with my violin background I'm way ahead of the class in practical skills like, making the instrument not sound screechy, or finger placement for sharps and flats, tuning, bowing, playing scales or what not, I'm actually behind in the fiddling part, but catching on quick enough that I'm not frustrated, which is the perfect amount of challenge for a fun hobby.
I was very disconcerted that first drop in class. When I arrived and class began I came to the startling discovery that there's no sheet music. um. what?!
We learn songs aurally. We memorize them aurally. The instructor, Ellen (who is so laid-back and wonderful) will play part of a phrase. We watch, listen, and then try to play it back. We do this over and over until it's like second nature to our ears and fingers. Then we do the next phrase. Then we put it all together etc. Each song has an A part and a B part that each have their own variations. She teaches us the song, sends us home with a recording of it that may or may not be exactly the way we learned in class, (but more or less is the same tune) to listen to and practice with.
At first I tried to get around the no sheet music by going home and writing out what I'd learned. But it was so much work to listen and recall and write it out, and I realized after I'd written it down, it didn't really matter that I had, because I wasn't using my written notes for practicing anyway. It took the first two lessons or so to relax my uptight unease about the lack of sheet music and the lack of a set perfect standard for a song. I'm realizing how much fun it is just to absorb and internalize the song and the fingering. It's not so different from dancing, internalizing the rhythm and not thinking about the steps. I still don't know quite what to do with my eyes though. Where do I look if I'm not staring at a stand? The other students seem to have their eyes glued to their fingers, which to me is about as silly as people watching their feet when they dance. I mostly just watch the teacher.
So with "fiddling" the learning process is so different, the style is so relaxed and improper, and yet, I'm having a lot of fun. We've learned 7 tunes already that we're pretty good at! My favorites are "cluck old hen" and "fly around my pretty little miss." I can't wait to see what more we'll learn in the last half of class.
Ok, clearly I'm not getting much studying done today - I think I'm gonna go run some errands instead! Gotta stay busy.