Author: Inna Langerman
Every spring (not counting 2020) toward the end of the academic year, many freelance musicians get BOMBARDED with gigs after the quieter months of January and February. Even those of us who spend a healthy amount of time practicing during the “off-season” suddenly experience a huge uptick in daily playing hours come spring. Continue reading “Injury-Prevention Exercises for Violinists and Violists”
Delayed shifts are performed either through finger extensions or contractions, after which the hand frame re-establishes in the new position. The forearm is still the main leader during changes of position and it defines when a shift has been officially completed. Pay attention to its role when playing a delayed shift. When does your forearm move in relation to the fingers and thumb?
Continue reading “The Magic of Delayed Shifts (Sneak Into a New Position)”
For the longest time, I’ve struggled to play double stops consistently in tune, and even more so with a decent sound. I always found playing octaves to be especially challenging – it’s a perfect interval and any deviation from matching pitches sticks out like a sore thumb…on in this case, a sore ear? After practicing octaves for years and years, they were just never consistent enough. I still struggle a little from time to time and need to practice octaves on a daily basis as part of my warmup routine to maintain a healthy hand frame and intonation.
Although my progress has been very slow, and often frustrating, all the repetitions really started to make their impact over a long-term time frame. Among all the great lessons I learned along the way about playing octaves better in tune and with a better tone, there are three that currently stand out for me, which I use as a guide for my most recent practice sessions. Continue reading “Octave Hacks”
Have you ever been really anxious to practice but just couldn’t seem to get yourself to pick up your instrument? It happens to the best of us. One of the hardest things about practicing consistently is simply getting started. Unfortunately for many people it doesn’t seem to get easier over the years. In fact, I know many professional musicians who have either completely stopped practicing regularly or had to take extended breaks at some point due to other life obligations. This was especially common during the early days of this pandemic when there were no upcoming concerts or other deadlines. No matter what kind of musician you are – whether you’re a complete beginner, someone who’s not yet used to practicing on a daily basis, or a seasoned professional who is working on regaining that momentum, let’s work on making it just a little easier to get started.
Continue reading “5 Ways To Make It Easier To Start Practicing | Atomic Habits”
Happy Lunar New Year! I got Eye of the Tiger playing in the background as I’m typing this, and what better timing than the week of the opening ceremony for the Winter Olympic Games? On top of that, my first recital since 2019 is just days away, so I’m excited and nervous at the same time!
Did you ever take a break from playing your instrument and worry about getting your chops back in shape? Perhaps some time off to go on vacation or recover from an injury? You might experience some surprising benefits.
Happy New Year! May yours be filled with good health – physically, mentally, and spiritually – and beautiful music! It’s the 1-year anniversary of my bi-monthly newsletter and I’d like to start off this year by expressing my gratitude to you for being part of this community.
My goal this year is to dive deeper – to continue exploring beyond practice strategies and violin technique and discuss how each of our individual musical journeys and ever-evolving roles within the music world are connected to everything else in our lives.
For a work in progress, it’s common practice to zoom in and dissect every phrase, every note, every motion… that’s all great (and important!) but if we learn to recognize within ourselves when it’s better to zoom out and take a more holistic approach, we can regain perspective when it comes to the bigger musical picture.
Beyond any specific piece or event, as musicians let’s also take into consideration hobbies in other disciplines, our overall lifestyles, and people that surround us on a daily basis. While some folks use music-making as an escape from the stress of everyday life, the reality is that everything remains connected in one way or another. Our other activities influence our music, and vice versa. We can learn about our craft from outside sources. And in some cases, taking a week off from playing after a long season can be surprisingly beneficial for long term growth.
In fact, the next blog post will be about growth during periods of rest.
If you know someone who may be interested in my newsletter and would like to explore/discuss topics about musicians’ personal growth and well-being (and also get a summary of recent content on violin technique and practice), please invite them with the following link: https://www.violinna.live/newsletter/
Let’s be realistic – not every big goal will come to fruition; especially not on the first try. Sometimes it’s hard to tell whether it’s a good idea to keep going or call it quits and look for the next shiny idea. However, if your goal is nicely aligned with your personal values in life, there’s usually a valid reason to be stubborn and keep going. In every unique growth timeline, there are tipping points along the way – moments that can completely change the course of the journey and decide what happens next based on small actions you’ve taken across a long period of time.
Have you ever played the same piece for 2 different people (perhaps for masterclasses or lessons) and received conflicting feedback? Continue reading “Conflicting Feedback? Here’s a Lesson I Learned”
