WHAT IS MY PROBLEM???

I am so frustrated with my violin practice at the moment.  It seems like nothing is going right with it.  I like the violin and I enjoy practising, but I'm still not quite happy.  I'm having problems with my bowing.  I can play a piece of music first time and it sounds okay.  I play it a couple more times and the strings start to squeak.  I don't understand.  Is it because I'm not holding down my strings properly?  I also have the problem of not having the whole bow on my strings.  Is that a problem also?  I just don't know.  The fingering on my left hand has improved, but I still think it's a problem.  Sometimes my fingers don't move quick enough.  I have finger exercises, but I think I'm going to need some more.

I have so much to practice at the moment.  That's not a problem really.  My practice time has increased for half an hour extra because of the exercises I do, to help with my playing.

May be, I want to improve too much, too quickly.  Is that my problem?  At the moment, I am practising for my Grade 1, but I won't be taking it any time soon.  I don't feel happy or comfortable yet to be able to take it.  I am also learning new songs from my Abracadabra Book 1, which isn't easy.  The further I go in the book, the harder the music and the longer it takes me to learn the tunes.  I only have a week to show some sort of improvement before my next lesson and I worry that haven't improved at all in a week.  I don't like letting me down, but I hate letting Alla down even more.  Alla is my teacher and I think she's great and she has brought me so far, but I'm afraid I won't be able to fulfil my goal of playing the violin properly.  I have a goal of playing the 'Four Seasons' in it's entirety.  There is also another piece of music that I totally love and want to play, but I can't remember what it's called at the moment.  I know I've achieved my goal when I can play those two pieces of music.

I have to perservere with this.  May be there is a barrier I need to push past to get through to the other side.  I don't know where this point is, but I'll get there.  I will push past the pain barrier and get there.

I don't have a musical background.  I am the only person in my family who has ever tried to play a musical instrument to this level.  Because I don't have a musical background, I have had to learn to read music which I don't find easy.  Sometimes, it takes me a while to remember what a note is and that can be a hinderance too.  Am I moving too fast?  Am I holding myself back from fear?  I know that Alla wouldn't move me on if she didn't think I was ready, but do I think I'm ready?  I want this so much, but it's just not working the way I want it too.

I will keep going.  It's the only thing in my life that means anything and I don't ever want to give up.  Please God, give me strength.

THE ASPIRATIONS OF A CLASSICAL VIOLINIST

A few years ago, I thought I would learn to play the piano as it was, at the time, my favourite musical instrument.  The fascination for the piano lasted for a few months before I got bored.  I don't know if it was because my teacher, Paul, was used to teaching kids and not adults and lessons with him were too slow progress for me.  Or whether the piano wasn't as interesting as I thought.  Needless to say, I gave up the piano pretty quickly.

I don't know what possessed me, but in January 2010, I started having violin lessons.  Why oh why, did I think it would be easy?  Why or why, did I think it would be a doddle?

How hard could a four stringed instrument be?  You have your basic GDAE notes, easy peasy.  But as the weeks went by, it got harder and harder.  The finger movement got more difficult.  There were times I wanted to give up.  Not because it was getting difficult, but because it didn't sound like it was getting better.  I perservered because I love the violin and I can hear the improvement now.  I don't think I could ever be a concert violinist, but I would like to see how far I can get.

After 10 months of intense practice, I am now learning and practising to take my Grade 1 in violin.  When I started learining, I never thought I would get to this stage that quickly.  I have worked hard though and I try to practice every day.  The length of time I practice has gone from 15 minutes to an hour and a half, just because I enjoy it so much.

My violin teacher, Alla, is very good.  She teaches a lot of children, but she knows how to teach adults as well.  I personally believe she's a gift from God.  She has a music school in West Wickham called West Wickham Music School.  The school teaches violin, piano, guitar (just added recently) and singing.  Alla encourages me, she teaches me and makes me believe that I can learn.

Learning to play the violin has been one of the best things I have done so far.  I feel confident in the fact that I can do this.  I recommend anyone to take a chance and do something they have always wanted to do.  I don't regret it, hopefully, you won't either.  Take the chance.

FIRST TIME BLOGGER

Hello,

I am writing my first ever blog.

After watching an episode of 'Ugly Betty', I decided I wanted to write a blog.  I don't really know why, except for the fact I wanted to be a writer in the past.

I hear blogs are quite popular and I searched on the web for information.  They are a lot more popular then I thought.  Not sure it that's a good thing or a bad thing as there are so many sites dedicated to blogs.

Now I have set up my blog page, my mind's a blank.  I have absolutely no idea what to write in the future.  Do I just write a daily diary or do I want to write something more profound?  Does anyone really want to know what I do or think about in my day?  Well, I'll find out when I look on my blog page and see if anyone has read my ramblings of a mad woman.  I suppose I could write about learning to play the violin, which I totally love.  But that's another story for another day.

This is it for now and I say adios as it's past my bedtime and I'm getting tired.  I have enjoyed writing and I hope you enjoy my future ramblings.

I would like people to read my blog.  It may show that I have something decent to Say.  I'm not bothered if people do not read my ramblings as long as I'm happy with them.  Although, I will make the effort to make them entertaining.

Bye for now and I hope to see you again soon.