Summit 8/6

Today, I had Orchestra (like every other day), which I was actually doing pretty well in (minus the parts that are too fast for me to play at this moment) ... but in terms of watching/counting/making corrections and making some kind of music, I'm doing a decent job
... could be better of course ... and it will be once I have the music more under my fingers... now if only I could find more time so I could practice it...

Richard Clark has emphasized a few times that playing in Orchestra is like a big chamber ensemble ... I couldn't agree more.

So anyway, after orchestra I practiced for 3 hours & then played in Jeff Solow's masterclass, which was incredibly helpful & educational. One of the highlights of it was getting to watch Elliot Mallard play ... he has the most fluid left hand technique I've ever seen from a student cellist ... it's pretty incredible

In my case, Jeff suggested the following:
-Pick up the Tempo
-Start firmly ... the D F A triad starts on D, not a...
-Re-examine my fingerings to eliminate undesired transportational slides
-Slant my forearm back (is this called pronating)?? He used different words for it, but basically what he pointed out to me was that I was always balancing on my fourth finger, because of the way I rotate my hand forward. He also mentioned that I wanted a slightly concave wrist. So far, I have found this suggestion incredibly helpful ... also alarming, b/c I've been teaching people the exact opposite (yikes!)

In general, I was hungry/nervous during my performance, and my bow arm got very stiff ... I have to find ways to loosen it up & I have to find ways to counter-balance nerves/focus on telling a story before starting/being in the zone/meditative state. I also need to stop looking down when I play ... practicing w/ my eyes closed helps a bit, but it doesn't really ... I just need to practice looking elsewhere (and remember Steven Isserlis' masterclass w/ the Dvorak).

Then I had Brahms rehearsal (which I have 3 of tomorrow ...) & then I needed about 2 hours of me time to chill out & de-stress and eat & not be depressed (was dissatisfied from my performance at the masterclass)

Then there was the 8:00 concert ... many kinds of cool ...

Beethoven Violin Sonata
Brahms F Major - Bong-Shin Ko was the cellist
Schumann Fantasiestucke on violin (this sounds so much cooler on cello!)
Mozart Clarinet Quintet (which played 2 tunes orchestrated by Benny Goodman afterwards)

Then I practiced another 2 hours (making a total of 5) ... now it's time for sleep...