Orchestra semi-progress

It has been a busy summer and fall, and I have not written much here. Nor have I practiced much. For several weeks I continued to go to my lesson and orchestra rehearsal with NO practicing in between. Appalling. Especially given how much I need to practice. Now, in the last few days (I am on vacation from one of my jobs), I have found a little time to practice, and to blog again.

I am playing with a community orchestra, which I mentioned in an earlier post. Most of the music is easy, though a couple of pieces have challenging sections, and one, "The Hebrides," by Mendelssohn, does require a lot of practice. I have, thus far, concentrated my itty bitty practice time on "The Hebrides," as it is a beautiful piece and I would like to contribute to some of that beauty. But, it has been frustrating, as some of the fingerings are quite awkward, and the music flies by. One could spend one's entire practice time on a couple of measures.

So, my new strategy is to practice the easy pieces, to build my confidence. And then sneak in a few measures of the Hebrides. So far (two practice days), it is helping, and it is certainly a better approach than avoiding practicing altogether. Concerts are in November, all too soon.

Also in November I am going to a weekend fiddle camp. I haven't been practicing fiddle music either. But that's another blog post for another day.