Goals and Resolutions - Being a Better Violinist

As long as I can remember I play the violin. I am not a professional, but I can say that I play very well as an amateur. Once in my life I did audition for a conservatory. I wanted to be a professional violinist. Not an orchestra player, but a soloist, standing in front of an orchestra. Playing the greatest works written for violin and orchestra.

That is what I had dreamt of as a little 10-year-old kid. I actually still dream that lately, but when I got my children I thought I wasn't welcome. But I got pregnant a few months before I did audition for a conservatory. Their reason for not accepting me as a student was partly because I was pregnant, and partly I did my scales wrong (I hated practicing them). But I felt that I was not welcome there being pregnant or as a mother. So, basically I did not chase my dreams. I regret that a lot.

I still play and practice the violin, though. I play in a good amateur orchestra and I still love playing the violin and being involved in classical music (basically the only music genre I listen to).

As I want to play the violin better, I made goals for my violin practice sessions at home and try to play violin concertos that are on my list for a long time. It is not that I don't know these goals, I know as I learned them at my time at the conservatory, but I need more focus on them.

So, here is my list for 2021 to be a better violinist — in no particular order:

• Left-hand pizzicato
• Staccato
• Control over right hand
• No pain in left thumb
• Coordination between the music, my hands and mind
• Proper standing (barely moving)
• Peace in my system
• Concentration
• Finishing pieces and broader my repertoire
• Technique exercise before practicing

Left-hand pizzicato

There are some pieces with pizzicato in there. That means you have to plug with your right hand finger on the strings when you play the notes with your left hand. When there is a piece with left-hand pizzicato, then you have to plug with a left finger when you also might play other notes with left-hand fingers. So, that needs practise. I neglected that as a little child, but now I am determined to relearn that and actual going to practise this. There are exercises for left-hand pizzicato.

Staccato

Staccato is a bow technique that stops between notes, fast or slow, but you have to practice them. Even you can play it and have been practicing that the whole time, you need to stay practicing staccato, just like all the things related to playing the violin.

When you come across a passage with staccato, and you find yourself in that situation you are not able to play that passage, then you should go back to the exercises until you are able to play this passage. This is something to do with controlling and knowing what you should and could do with your bow technique in combination how big your hands are etc...

Control over right hand

I feel that I don't have any control over my right-hand now and then, during my practice sessions. This is what I want to have within a month from now on. It needs practice, but I also could hold my bow more tight than it need to.

Every hand is different, so every violinist needs to hold the bow a little bit differently. I have small hands, thus I have to hold the bow more flat with my hands. I mean, you have to hold the bow with your right thumb under the wood of the bow between the leather and the other fingers gentle above, on the wood. The middle finger and the ring finger should be between the pointing finger and the pink, crossing the thumb.

No pain in left thumb

Speaking about the thumb: the left thumb must be gentle on the neck of the violin. Your thumb should with the rest of the arm and fingers when you go to another position (place to play the notes that has been written in a higher place on the violin), or at least shift on the fingerboard (the black wood on the neck of the violin).

I have realized that I was too stiff when shifting and all that was because of other things in my min, like writing, raising children and things that had nothing to do with making music and practicing the violin.

Coordination between the music, my hands and mind

When you are playing a musical instrument, you have to be coordinated between the music, your hands, and mind. At least for the violin (I can imagine for other instruments too). That makes it to be relaxed when you're playing and knowing everything from the piece.

When I was not coordinating my music together with my hands and my mind, then I cannot play very good. Everything falls behind. And that is what I don't like. Also, this has something to do with being in peace with myself.

Proper standing (barely moving)

As a musician you have to be aware how you stand, the attitude with your instrument together and reading the music, or, when you play the music by heart, how your feet stands on the ground while you are playing. And moving with your instrument in your hands is one of the things that might go well or go wrong.

It could go well when you are in the right flow. Then it resonates well with the music and how you feel. Most of the time - also, when you practiced well — it might go well.

When it doesn't go well, moving could make your sound worse, the technique could harm the music you are playing, such as the bow move to another place on the string than you intended to do so, or you play louder than you need to do, and I can think of a thousand more reasons.

Lately, I realize that I need to stand properly, thus less moving, and I need standing still like a statue.

Peace in my system

I realize that I need to have peace in my mind when I play the violin and when I actually practice the violin. Otherwise, the music isn't going itself through the blood and veins. At least, that is how to feel it.

When I am in peace with myself, then I enjoy playing and practicing the violin much more, the more productivity I get out of my practice session, the more beautiful it all sounds. And then I feel so happy and in peace.

Concentration

When it is about concentration, I need to learn a lot. I always had difficulties with concentrating and focussing on what I was doing, and on what really needed to be done. So, everything was done on the last moment, until I didn't have time to do it. As well as with music, and making music. Practicing the music for violin lessons on the last moment. This didn't help very much.

The reason is just that I didn't focus on what was the most important thing to do. I admit, I was not such a planner, well, planning was my thing, but not keeping onto my planning.

Finishing pieces and broader my repertoire

Another thing that has everything to do with concentration, focus and peace in mind, is finishing pieces and broader my repertoire in violin. When focussing, I can do so much more, and that is what I want to work on this year.

When I focus and concentrate on everything, I know I can do so much more. And the more I focus, the better I practice and the better I play. When I do this all, then I finish all pieces and I can play actually a concert.

Technique exercise before practicing

One of the most important thing of playing an instrument is technique. That is how you use the bow, how you put your fingers on the fingerboard (that black on the neck), how you use your arm, the vibrato with your fingers/arm and so much more. But that is also how properly you stand, how much focus and concentration you have, and the coordination of everything that has anything to do with playing an instrument.

Final thoughts

This is the list I made with all things to work on this year, but there are so much more aspects when it is about playing an instrument. So, I believe that the list will be longer the more I practice and when I practice better (the way you should practice).