thoughts on my violin lessons
So I've been taking violin lessons from the community college here - it's actually part of their 'community' type of classes so they are not for credit, but I don't really care about that part. It's only $75 for the quarter which is quite cheap! It's a group lesson which is part of the reason for its cheapness - but there are only three students including me in my group anyhow.
I have a violin that I got from my grandpa that was my great uncle's - it's a copy of a Stainer violin and was made in Germany in 1916. I had to get some repair work done on it (partially to fix some of the 'repairs' that he did to it, doh.. :( ). It's not a terrible instrument - a lot better than some cheap student violin, anyhow, although it could probably use an entirely new neck and back if I were to play it long-term. I played when I was very young (starting when I was 5? obviously on a different violin that was much smaller, haha) for a few years but then quit. When I was in college and got this violin from my grandpa I took some lessons on it from my grad-student violin-playing friend for like a semester. I'm terrible! haha but it was really fun...
The reason I'm taking violin lessons now is because I don't have any piano and I don't really see myself having one any time soon. I have to have some kind of music in my life or else I go crazy!!!
I wish I had a cello but I can't afford one.. Violin is nice and classic and there are a lot of classes for it but I'm not so sure if it feels like *me*, if that makes sense. Also violin makes my hand/wrist hurt a lot due to my injury/surgery 9 years ago which resulted in my whole wrist joint surface being 'cleaned up' and turned into part metal and part cadaver bone. It took 6 months of physical therapy for me to be able to turn my hand palm up and it still is only maybe like 85% of the right hand.. so it's hard to twist my wrist/hand to play the violin appropriately. Cello would not have those problems. But I don't have a cello, so I am making due with the violin and it's still lots of fun.
I signed up for the beginner class because I wasn't sure what the other student's levels would be like.. the course description said it could also be for people returning to the violin so I figured it would be ok, but... one of the girls has never played a thing before in her life (she's doing surprisingly well, considering) and one is a beginner who has only taken a few lessons. They both couldn't come to the last lesson so I got a whole 1.5 hrs to myself with the teacher.. haha. She is pretty cool, she's about my age and is really laid-back. I am overqualified for even the level 2 class which runs right after mine but but the teacher said that class is not good and it's better if I just stick to the level 1 class since there are fewer people who are less lame, and she says I should just take level 3 next quarter. I suppose I will just take private lessons after that class is done. Since I had her all to myself last lesson she was able to give me some more advanced stuff to work on like working on learning vibrato and an exercise for changing to third position.
I'm having a good time. Even though most of the course material (with the exception of the last lesson where I got to work directly with the teacher) is way too easy for me, it makes me get out my instrument and actually play it during the week, which is what I wanted. When I practice I just play whatever I want. I'm getting better, yay. My hope is to be able to join some kind of community orchestra by the end of next year. I think that is a pretty doable goal (teacher says 'oh, yeah, in like a year or less for you that's totally no problem...').
My neighbors must hate me, haha... Even though I am not a TOTAL beginner, I'm not saying I sound good, ok..
I have a violin that I got from my grandpa that was my great uncle's - it's a copy of a Stainer violin and was made in Germany in 1916. I had to get some repair work done on it (partially to fix some of the 'repairs' that he did to it, doh.. :( ). It's not a terrible instrument - a lot better than some cheap student violin, anyhow, although it could probably use an entirely new neck and back if I were to play it long-term. I played when I was very young (starting when I was 5? obviously on a different violin that was much smaller, haha) for a few years but then quit. When I was in college and got this violin from my grandpa I took some lessons on it from my grad-student violin-playing friend for like a semester. I'm terrible! haha but it was really fun...
The reason I'm taking violin lessons now is because I don't have any piano and I don't really see myself having one any time soon. I have to have some kind of music in my life or else I go crazy!!!
I wish I had a cello but I can't afford one.. Violin is nice and classic and there are a lot of classes for it but I'm not so sure if it feels like *me*, if that makes sense. Also violin makes my hand/wrist hurt a lot due to my injury/surgery 9 years ago which resulted in my whole wrist joint surface being 'cleaned up' and turned into part metal and part cadaver bone. It took 6 months of physical therapy for me to be able to turn my hand palm up and it still is only maybe like 85% of the right hand.. so it's hard to twist my wrist/hand to play the violin appropriately. Cello would not have those problems. But I don't have a cello, so I am making due with the violin and it's still lots of fun.
I signed up for the beginner class because I wasn't sure what the other student's levels would be like.. the course description said it could also be for people returning to the violin so I figured it would be ok, but... one of the girls has never played a thing before in her life (she's doing surprisingly well, considering) and one is a beginner who has only taken a few lessons. They both couldn't come to the last lesson so I got a whole 1.5 hrs to myself with the teacher.. haha. She is pretty cool, she's about my age and is really laid-back. I am overqualified for even the level 2 class which runs right after mine but but the teacher said that class is not good and it's better if I just stick to the level 1 class since there are fewer people who are less lame, and she says I should just take level 3 next quarter. I suppose I will just take private lessons after that class is done. Since I had her all to myself last lesson she was able to give me some more advanced stuff to work on like working on learning vibrato and an exercise for changing to third position.
I'm having a good time. Even though most of the course material (with the exception of the last lesson where I got to work directly with the teacher) is way too easy for me, it makes me get out my instrument and actually play it during the week, which is what I wanted. When I practice I just play whatever I want. I'm getting better, yay. My hope is to be able to join some kind of community orchestra by the end of next year. I think that is a pretty doable goal (teacher says 'oh, yeah, in like a year or less for you that's totally no problem...').
My neighbors must hate me, haha... Even though I am not a TOTAL beginner, I'm not saying I sound good, ok..