Violin

Indonesian Young Musician Performance

2008-04-27T21:24:00.001+10:00

Em.. so this is my first post here.. I’ve promised Vanessa to send a blog, hehe, =)
thx a bunch to Vanessa who has invited me to join as the author in this blog (even i’m not that active.. hehe)
Readers, she’s so dedicated to violin and classical music.. Big applause for her...

I’m afraid I don’t have much to share here.. so, i’ll start by writing about the Indonesian Young Musician Performance 2007 which was just recently held in AryaDuta Hotel in Medan city, on 13th April 2008.

This IYMP was held by Staccato Music Education Magazine and it was a marathon concert in the cities in Indonesia (Malang-Surabaya-Yogyakarta-Semarang-Jakarta-Bandung-Makassar-Medan). The show was supported by Boston piano, which the pianists used in the concert, and also by Melodi Music Studio.

It’s divided into 3 sessions, I was in the first session, so I felt very very dissapointed for not being able to watch the other two sessions.
It was categorized by age, category A, B, C for under-12-year-old students, category D for students ranged from 12 to 15 years old, and category E for above 15. So, ya I was definitely in the category E.

The performances in the first three categories (A, B, and C in session I) was adoring with lots of young players playing piano and violin.
Some of them played so well that I was impressed that they have such big talents in their young ages.. their parents must be so proud of them!

The show was heating up after the Intermission as there were more talented musicians playing the world greatest classical pieces in the category D and E.
There were some great performances I could remember quite well.
First would be my teacher’s performance. She played a duet violin, F.Mazas op 38 No.2. She seems to enjoy it a lot and that affected her performance. What a lovely piece with beautiful notes!
Then I remember how the audiences were surprised as they heard different version of Frederick Chopin’s ‘Fantaise Impromptu op 66’ played,
first played by a girl named Noviabella and second by Felix. Which’s better?
Em.. Both of them are brilliant and talented but, I have to say that I was really impressed with the beautiful Thai-looked girl’s performance, she played it with such a deep emotion and just on the plate (if simon says.. hehe), and later I found out that she had performed in lots of International events, hem... =),
but the boy was awesome as well, just a bit ‘over’, but he’s talented.
My own performance? I played Sonata No.3 (G.F.Handel). Quite well actually.. just a tiny mistake in the notes, what can I say.. hehe

The closing maybe was the most waited as there was a special guest, Ananda Sukarlan (famous pianist in Indonesia), gave his performances.
He started by playing ‘Dalam Sakit’ (English : in pain) which is popular as Ananda’s Aids song and the lyrics was taken from an old poem.
But I love the ‘Rhapsody Nusantara’ more, because it’s just so rich in melody and there’s a special feeling and emotion when listening to this piece. It was actually a piece that he produced to represent Indonesia generally but since the Jakarta’s governor asked this song to promote Jakarta, there were some parts in this piece which sound like ‘Jali-Jali’ with beautiful improvements (u’ll understand what I mean when u listen to it).

After all, the first session was quite interesting.. even some pieces bored the audiences, hehe
But yet this is a very good chance for young performers to show their talents and to raise up their confidence when they face a bigger event next time..

Hope can perform again next year.. together, with vanessa.. okay,sis? =)

Interesting Violin Tips

2008-04-21T11:03:00.003+10:00

I have found an interesting post in www.violinmasterclass.com/community. Check this out:

Fiddle tips...

1. use regular wooden clothespins to mute the sound. You can clip them to one or both sides of the bridge and depending on how close to the strings or soundboard you put em they change the tone. But it could save his marriage and/or keep the cats from running off.....both of which nearly happened at my house. I used them for the first two years when ever I jammed and even now if I want a softer sounds I will use one of them to moderate the tone. When people kid me about them I say they are my "musical condoms" - critical protection for both me and the listener.

2. Keep the strings cleaned off...do not let rosin build up at all on the strings or you get a really scratchy gritty soundl.

3. How to know if you have enough rosin on the bow? Tip the fiddle so the tuning head aims 45 degrees toward the floor and lay your bow across the strings...if it slides downward, you need more rosin. The bow hair should "grab" the strings just because of the rosin. Generally you only need to put maybe 5 long strokes of rosin on the hair at the beginning of a half hour practice session.

4. Strings are important. Classical players like the "Dominant" strings - they play easy and sound very pretty...they are sort of like a classical guitar string with nylon in the core wrapped with silver or aluminum. Bluegrass and country guys like the Swedish PRIM all stainless steel strings. My preference is the light gauge Prim on my fiddle and viola. Different instruments seem to sound good or crappy depending on the strings.

5.Get the action on the fiddle checked and lowered...just like a guitar. Especially at the nut....the grooves must be really low or it will play really hard, just like a guitar. More difficult to deal with the bridge height. Sometimes you can file down or carve down the top edge of the bridge to lower the strings. Getting a new bridge made or fitted is a bitch....usually 40$ or so...and worth it...the feet must be carved exactly to the shape of the top or it damages the top and sounds bad. Critical that the bridge be right...and that you don't let it lean over....it must stay perpendicular to the top or it can break or warp. Read up on bridges ...they have only one 90 degree vertical side...the other is at a slight angle. The 90 degree face is the one that must be exactly vertical. Tuning the fiddle tends to pull the bridge back and forth and makes it lean. You have to carefully push the top the bridge back to vertical if you see it leaning.

6. Really important: put fine tuners on ALL strings...yeah yeah they say you can get away with only one fine tuner on the tail piece on the E strings but it is a real pain in the ass to try to fine tune with the pegs....easier on the composite strings like the Dominants than the higher tension steel strings....but still hard....I prefer putting the special tail pieces on that have 4 fine tuners built in. Much simpler set up.

7. Trying to learn to hold a fiddle under your chin can be really uncomfortable and can completely turn you off trying to play it. The key is getting the chin rest AND the shoulder rest set up perfectly and as comfortable as you possibly can. When it is right you can hold the fiddle sticking out at 90 degrees from your body under your chin with no hands supporting it...and keep it there comfortably for some time. It all has to do with being very particular about how the chin rest fits your chin...the height of the chin rest....and you must have a good, fully adjustible shoulder rest like those made by KUN. Not just a pad of foam or some cheap substitute. Or I promise your son will HATE putting in the hours he will have to invest to sound at all passable on the fiddle.

So....like a guitar....the answer to what is the right fiddle for a beginner is "a profesional fiddle"...just like a guitar. A good one that is set up just right plays like a dream. A bad set up can be impossible for anyone to play.

And that paradox that you know is true of guitars where some one says...I am just gonna get a cheap one to see if I like it...usually leads to not liking it. Have a beginning guitarist pick up one of my guitars and see if they "like" playing it..compared to an off-the-shelf guitar....even a more expensive one. I have never had a guitar that played as easily as it could when it fame from the factory. The nut is always too high because it takes a lot of time to cut those string grooves down deep enough...and a couple thousandths of an inch make a huge difference in how it plays in the lower positions.
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One other thing....the tip of his right thumb will hurt continually from using the correct grip on the bow..until he builds up a callouse there. One thing I do is to use a fingernail file and round off the sharp corner of the octagonal part of the bow stick...right next to the frog where the tip of your thumb is supposed to grip it. It is so stupid for that sharp edge to be there right where your thumb goes...why put up with it?

Okay, enough raving. But I never tried an instrument that is as demanding as a fiddle so you gotta give yourself every break. I would also strongly recommend he does what I have done. I took 4 lessons from a strict classical violin teacher. I told the teacher up front that I knew for sure that if I started out holding the fiddle and bow in a way that was comfy for me it would be WRONG...and come back to haunt me in bad playing an worse yet all kinds of aches and pains, tendonitus, shoulder problems etc. etc. So have your son get started with exactly correct classical posture, bow grip, where and how he bows the strings, etc. etc. 4 lessons will do it. Then he can quit and go on his own...into any kind of music. But this is like golf...if you do what just "feels natural" it almost always is dead wrong and will haunt your playing forever.

Well...you sure pushed my hot button, huh. But since I have just put in about 3 hard years on this thing and finally am fairly comfortable playing in jams and on stage I know what a challenge it can be even when you give yourself all the breaks.

He will just have to live through the biggest problem which is you will play out of tune seemingly forever...both fingering in the wrong place AND incorrect bow pressure can cause a note to sound off tune. And if you really look at where your fingers have to precisely be placed on the tiny fingerboard of a fiddle....imaging that you have to find exactly where the metal fret bar would be...not just fingering in between frets like a guitar you will understand the challenge. As you get a little higher on the neck the width of your fingering finger actually will cover two "fret" positions, they are that close together.

Happy Practising :-)

Vanessa

Reference:http://violinmasterclass.com/community/viewtopic.php?t=4986

5 Tips on Playing 'The Four Seasons' by A. Vivaldi

2008-04-03T20:30:00.003+11:00

Dear all,

I'm happy to tell you that I have just received my 'teenstring' magazine subscription...yeayy!! I found some useful tips on how to master 'spiccato' which I want to share to all of you.

First of all, you have to find your bow's bounce point, which is the spot where the bow hangs horizontally when you're holding it from above, between your thumb and a finger. It is not in the middle of the bow, more like a third way from the frog. Remember the spot;it's where you'll want to make contact with the string.

Secondly, start with your bow lightly on the string, right at the bounce point. Begin playing with short strokes, generated at the shoulder, with a relaxed forearm and hand. Next, focus on creating a sweeping "U" figure with your right hand. This movement should not tke your bow too far off the string, but it should give it a little lift. The weight of the bow should be used to drive the stroke - simply let gravity do its job. Gradually, do this faster and faster , Philip Tietze said that until you get to the point where the bow is staying a little closer to the string and you're just easing into it. If the setup's correct, especially in the right hand, he says, the bow will bounce by itself.

Tietze said that there are two important elements of spicatto:
-knowing where on the bow you'll get the best result
-keeping your elbow loose and your forearm mobile.

This article about spiccato is written by James Reel

Happy Practising :-)

Vanessa

Reference: teenStrings magazine MAR/APR/MAY 2008

Violin Sheets

2008-04-03T20:19:00.002+11:00

Hey, fellow violinists,

I have decided to post up some free violin sheets for all of you to download. Therefore, I would like all of you to post up in comment of what pieces you would want to play so that I could post it up!

Also, if you have a special request such as you want a pop violin sheets instead of classical, do let me know as I could create an arrangement for the violin sheets but of course you do have to send me the song to my email so that I could work on that :)

Happy practising :-)

Vanessa

Few tips on choosing a violin

2008-03-30T00:29:00.008+11:00

Many of you are probably still confused while looking for a new violin. Before looking for a new violin, I did some researches and also asked some experienced violinists on how to find an instrument that suits you. Here are some points you might need to ponder:

1).Budget
First of all,before starting to find your violin, it is good to decide on how much you are willing to spend on your violin and of course the more budget you put, the more choices you will get.

2).Character
After that, you might need to think of what sort of characters you look for in a violin. Some violinists love a darker characters and some are more comfortable with a rather sweet characters. If you love a dark and deep characters, a German violin will suit you the best.Furthermore, if you like a softer, brighter or sweeter tone, an Italian or perhaps a Chinese violin will be good. Chinese violin will of course be cheaper than a German or Italian violin. However, eventhough a German or Italian violin might be more expensive, more oftenly a good cheaper Chinese violin will sound better. Also, if you want a mellow tone, you should consider getting a French or English violin.

3).Comfort
It is suggested that a violinist should try his/her future violin before purchasing it. You could try playing scales, playing in higher position or perhaps playing a piece and see how the violin will respond to you.

There some questions you might need to ask yourselves:
a.Do you need a shoulder rest?
Each violins is different in its thickness. If you are currently not using any shoulder rest, you might need it sometimes when you change your violin. I am not using one currently but during my last holiday,when I was asked to try playing on an old German violin, I think I do need one to play on it. The violin is slipped all the time when I tried playing on it but yet its the best sounding violin I have ever played with :)

b.Can you bow a string without touching the other strings?
If it i hard for you to bow the string without touching the others, this means that the violin is not properly set up and you should consider choosing the other violin or you could fix it by taking it to nearest luthier to have it fixed.

c.Does it produce a strong tone while playing in higher position?
This is considered an important factor for an intermediate violinist at the time you begin playing in a higher position. Last time, before I change my violin to a better violin, when I played in a higher position it really sounds awfull! It is driving me mad. I thought that I am really suck in playing in a higher position but after getting a new violin, I am really comfortable playing in higher position.It sounds much better.

This is some important tips you should watchout when getting your future beloved buddy! However, the most important matter is that you have to feel really comfortable and connected to your violin. Do look for your violin as if you are looking for your life partners!

Happy practising :-)

Vanessa

How to tune a violin?

2008-03-24T11:18:00.011+11:00

For a beginner, tuning a violin can be quite challenging. I though so when I started tuning my own violin rather than having my teacher tuning it for me. It is really scary to the fact that the string can be broken at any time if we are not pay an extra caution. I did breaking my violin stings few times and there is one time a broke a string while tuning my NEW violin!! It is really a stupid mistake. I intend to tune my A string but instead of turning the A string's pegs,I turned the E string! It is silly,huh?

So, lets look at the steps of how to tune your violin:
1). You should know that there are four strings in a violin: G-D-A-E, G string is the thickest string which creates the lowest tones on violin and the thinest strings are the E string.

2). You could tune your violin based on:
a). This thing below is called a violin pitch pipe. This is really easy to use.What you need to do is to blow it and tune your violin according to the pitch pipe tones.

b). Besides pitchpipe, if you own a piano, you could use it as well but of course you have to make sure that your piano is in tune. Look at the picture below of how to use the piano as a tuner.

c).You can open this link and tune your violin based on this online tuner !
http://www.get-tuned.com/violin_tuner.php

d).Among all of the alternatives, the simplest is just to think of an A in your mind and then tunes the rest to the fifth.

e). Of course there are many other ways to tune your violin such as an electronic violin tuner, tuning fork, and etc. Every person has his own choice.

3). After choosing which tuner you would want to use, what you need to do is to bow or pluck each one of your string. It is good to start with the A string. At the same time, play an A on piano or blow an A on your pitch pipe and see whether there is an adjustment needed to your string. If there is any, you can tune it with your fine tuners or pegs. Remember that if there are a lot of adjustment needed, you have to use your pegs.Turned your pegs slightly (clock-wise) and begin to bow or pluck the string until it is in tune.After that,pushed the side of the pegs to the hole until it's firmed.However, if there is only a small adjustment needed, you could use your fine tuners by turning it in a clock-wise.

Tips: For a quick tuning, after you tune your A string, you could tune the other strings by playing the first few notes from "twinkle twinkle little star". Most people have done this. In example, to tune the E string you could play " A A E E F# F# E " I am sure that you will know whether the E string is out of tune or not.
For intermediate or advance violinist, they usually do double stops in tuning the violin.

Here is my few tips of how to tune a violin. Hope that it is useful.
Any supportive comment or if you have other ways to tune your violin you would like to share, you are most welcomed.

Happy practising :-)

Vanessa

The Violin and Bow Anatomy

2008-03-24T00:29:00.001+11:00

Hi fellow violinist or probably violin fans,

Ever wondered what is your each part of your violin being called? Well, like a human-being, violin has an anatomy. Therefore, first of all, lets look at our violin's outer part before we discover the inner part of the violin in other post.

Violin is made of wood and the interesting fact is that violin actually contains 70 separate pieces of wood! What a shocking fact isn't it?!Besides wood, there are some other materials that formed a violin but lets talk about this in other post and lets look at the picture below.

Besides violin, it is good to know about violin's best friend which is bow. Bow is made of wood and horse hair! Similar to violin, bow is also formed with different parts.

So, are you familiar with your violin and bow outer part now?

See ya in some other posts!

Happy practising :-)

Vanessa