Kat Starr

By Karen Allendoerfer:

 Tomorrow, I'm playing Tchaikovsky.  With an orchestra, in front of an audience.  

Saying that aloud, or even writing in public, feels strange, a little unreal, even though I've said it repeatedly now in the time leading up to the concert.   I even told my boss about it at work.  And when I say I'm playing Tchaikovsky, people jump to interesting conclusions:  most of the time it's the concerto they think of.  Then they realize who they are talking to.  As much as I love to listen to that piece, I won't be performing the Tchaikovsky violin concerto in this lifetime.  

I will be playing a 5-minute concertmaster solo in the Tchaikovsky Orchestral Suite #4, "Mozartiana."  While it's not the concerto, even this has been a task significantly out of my comfort zone.  What comes most naturally to me, what feels most comfortable and safe, is to blend into a violin section, to become part of a whole larger than myself.  To sit in the middle of things, watch the conductor, listen, and let the music become the whole world.  The mindset, the confidence-without-hubris necessary to perform solo, is still an enigma.  

Even just the approach:  when and how much do I practice this solo?  In fact, shouldn't I be practicing now, instead of blogging?  The mind games one can play with oneself.  Ugh.  Back in September when I first got the music I didn't think I could miss a day of practice, no matter what.  I had a work retreat coming up:  the 500 or so people who work at the research Institute on a weekend in Waterville Valley NH, filled with seminars, posters, hikes, and parties.  Where did a violin fit into all this?  I dithered.  I posted to Facebook:  "dithering about taking violin to retreat.  Do I really want to subject my coworkers to me slogging my way through Tchaikovsky and Brahms?"  A few kind souls wrote back, things like "yes, if I were them, I would want to hear that," and even "last year I subjected *my* coworkers to the Bavicchi, this will be fine!"  In general I took too much luggage, and a violin didn't help.  I was assigned to a 6-person suite, which had a big group bedroom and two individual bedrooms.  My pregnant coworker got one of those, my violin and I got the other.

I practiced twice during the retreat, the big session coming on the Saturday afternoon that is normally reserved for bonding and team-building experiences like hikes.  It was a beautiful fall day and the leaves were already starting to turn colors, up there in NH.  At lunch I listened to colleagues talking about whether the mountain biking trail was too dangerous for beginners, whether they wanted to rent kayaks, whether they would take a longer hiking loop than they did last year.

Afterwards, when I went back to my room to practice, it took me what must have been a full hour to get the little voice out of the back of my head, the voice that kept repeating, over and over, "It's a beautiful fall day.  You should be outdoors.  It's a beautiful fall day.  You should be outdoors.  It's a beautiful fall day.  You should be outdoors."  

As I wrote to my Facebook profile when I got back,  "The leaves change color. Soon they will fall off the trees. Been there, done that, I get it. But I have never before, and may never again, have the opportunity to play this caliber of violin solo with an orchestra."  

On the city bus on the way home from institute after the retreat, I met a hurdy-gurdy player.  Two, actually.  I had all this luggage, including the violin, and was taking up more than my share of space.  A friendly, well-dressed older man sat down beside me, with his own oddly-shaped baggage.  "Guess this is the musician's seat," he remarked.  I looked at the big bag he was carrying.  It resembled a drawstring burlap sack.  "Is that an instrument?" I asked, somewhat non-plussed.  "Yes," he said.  "It's a hurdy-gurdy."  When I looked up and across the aisle,  I saw a pretty blonde woman with a similar burlap sack.  "We have a band," he said.  She looked at us and smiled sympathetically.  

I asked the obvious question, "What's a hurdy-gurdy?"  Clearly I had been confused.  Those words had always evoked, to me, some kind of off-kilter carousel, whirling around in a jerky, frenetic dance.  Or, the line from Macbeth:  "When the hurdy-gurdy's done.  When the battle's lost and won."  Oh, oops, wait, that's a hurly-burly, not a hurdy-gurdy.  (I didn't say any of this out loud).

A hurdy-gurdy is also known as a "wheel fiddle."  According to wikipedia, it is a stringed musical instrument that produces sound by a crank-turned rosined wheel rubbing against the strings.  The hurdy-gurdy plays violin music, but doesn't quite sound like a violin.  My seat mate also handed me a postcard, with his name and his wife's, Donald and Anicet Heller, and some more information about the band and the hurdy-gurdy as an instrument, with pictures (the real one needed to stay in the bag).   He also mentioned that his son is a violinist and conservatory student who sometimes plays with the Hurdy Gurdy Band.  He even claimed to have heard of the "Mozartiana" suite.  When I got off the bus, I said I hoped to see him around, busking, and sure enough, I have, just this week, mornings in the Harvard Square T station.  

But I haven't stopped to listen.  Not really.  I don't feel like I have time.  My T time is when I listen to and learn the rest of the orchestra music.  Having learned my lesson a few years ago when I accidentally left a rental sheet music part on the T, I now make copies and carry those in a folder back and forth to work, following along while I listen to the music on my iPod.  As it happens, the solo has thrown a real hurdy-gurdy into my practice routine.  When I started playing violin again a few years ago, I used to keep a careful and detailed practice log.  I wrote everything down.  I also blogged more frequently.  I needed all this.  It was what kept me going: I had to be very left-brained, analytical, and superego about it in order to pull myself through what felt like an excessively demanding program of expectations.  

But somehow, lately, the practice log feels more and more like an unnecessary chore and even a waste of time.  It's time I could be spending practicing instead of writing about practicing.  Only 5 minutes, but when you've only got 45, that's 1/9 of the time . . . I could play the arpeggios again . . . practice the shift . . . I could listen to the entire Brahms 3rd movement!  

Like all those people who ignored Joshua Bell when he was busking, I have places to go and things to do.  Sorry Donald, maybe next week, when the solo is over.

By Mendy Smith:

When I first moved to Houston, I was pleasantly surprised on all the musical opportunities that were available to an amateur violist.  I had a new teacher lined up and was accepted into a community orchestra with a recorded "audition" which for this orchestra is normally done live. 

Within a few months, I made friends with the local amateur's and semi-pros and soon was invited to play with the Houston Bar Association's annual "Night Court" charitable theater production out at the Wortham Center.  Following that was several performances at a local church (which I ended up joining and committed to playing at fairly regularly).  Most recently I volunteered myself and signed up for an organized amateur ensemble with coaching with one of our regional orchestras.

With all that I'm involved with these days, I have encountered an interesting issue.  There is so much music on my stand that I'm working on on any given day that the desk of the stand sinks.  The weight of the music is literally causing the desk of the stand to lower by about an inch over the course of a day.  I'm tempted to pull up another stand so it doesn't sink, but must honestly ask...  have I over-committed myself?  I think I have.  

Orchestral music is on the bottom of the pile, followed by chamber music, with solo viola repertoire taking front stage.  My etudes migrated back to the bookcase for storage. My musical priorities are being set by how exposed I am to what I'll be performing.  

Playing music with others has turned into such an integral part of my life that I have a difficult time saying "no".   However, I know that when my stand sinks an inch a day, it is time to lighten the load. 

By Laurie Niles:

I usually encourage my students to practice in the morning, before school. That way, they hit the violin when they are fresh, and practice is already finished just as the day begins.

Of course, this is not possible for some people. When kids get older, school starts earlier. If school starts at 7:15, it may be very difficult to get up early enough to practice, especially for a teenager.

Adults -- whether they are students, amateurs or professionals -- also have to fit practicing into their life's schedule. If you work a 9 to 5 job, that doesn't leave a lot of time for practicing. One can practice at the lunch hour, but then what about lunch?

To be effective, practice should take place every day. People who practice every day get the best advantage and enjoyment from playing. So where do you fit it in? Please share any tips or experience you have on scheduling your practice.

& nbsp;

By Laurie Niles:

If you are new to the violin, you might be tempted to buy one of the low-priced violins advertised all over the Internet & ndash; by low-priced I mean anything under about $300.

Don't do it.

Having a substandard instrument will make an already-difficult skill even more difficult to learn and will cause persistent frustration in your practice. Your instrument will refuse to be in tune, the angle and placement of the strings will be off, the tone of the instrument will be squeaky and unappealing, and the tuners will likely bend and break.

This year has seen a flood of cheap, factory-made violins from China, priced impossibly low. This low price point makes a $400 violin seem like a bad deal, but this is actually a reasonable price for a student violin made from quality wood with a fitted bridge, fitted pegs, etc.

How can you tell the difference between a quality fractional-sized or full-sized violin and a substandard & quot;violin-shaped object, & quot; or & quot;VSO & quot;?

One fairly reliable indicator is the fingerboard. Is it made from ebony? Ebony is the best wood for fingerboards, and it is naturally black. A VSO typically has a fingerboard made from a light wood that has been painted black, said Tom Metzler of Metzler Violin Shop in Glendale, Calif. If you turn the instrument at an angle, you can check for brown patches on the underside of the fingerboard, close to where it has been attached to the fiddle. If you find brown patches, that is one indication that the fingerboard has been painted, and that it is not ebony.

If you look underneath, you will see the & quot;unpainted & quot; patch. That fingerboard is definitely not made of ebony!

When the fingerboard has been made from cheaper wood that isn't ebony, it is more susceptible to warping, which causes the fingerboard either to be curved upward, or to have a counter-curve, making it more difficult to play. It can also cause rattling and squeaking, if the string vibrates against the fingerboard.

The cheap VSOs generally come with one-size-fits-all bridges that are rather thick and squarish. A quality violin has a bridge with feet that are individually fitted to stand properly on that specific violin. If you look at the feet of the bridge and there are gaps underneath, the bridge probably was not fitted to the fiddle. This can cause instability, making the bridge fall down more easily and also making it lean instead of stand upright.

The top of the bridge should be arched and sloped down to the E-string, to create the proper angle for the bow to touch each string. In a VSO, this often is not the case, the strings may be on a simple, non-sloping arch or possibly almost like a row. If all the strings site straight in a row, it's very difficult to play on one string without hitting another. This business with the angle of the bridge is more important than you might think; you feel it constantly when you play. If the angles are well-calibrated you will feel an ease in crossing strings; if not, there will be persistent frustration.

A poorly-made VSO bridge, on the left, and a properly fitted bridge that slopes down the E string, on the right.

Having the feet of the bridge sit & quot;just so & quot; on top of the violin makes a significant difference in the sound of the violin, the way it transfers into the belly of the fiddle. Another sound issue can involve the sound post, which is rather hidden from view. The sound post sits underneath the right side of the bridge, inside the violin, and is critical in transferring the sound from the vibrating strings into the violin. It is important that it fits just right and that it stays standing. Unfortunately, in a VSO, & quot;usually they are cut far from the mark, fall over easily and don't transfer the sound properly, & quot; Metzler said.

If the bridge is too high, it raises the strings too high. When you are pressing your fingers down on the strings, high strings can feel very uncomfortable and also hinder the speed of your fingers. If the strings are too low, they can vibrate against the fingerboard, causing undesirable squeaking and rattling.

Another question to ask: Is the purfling simply painted onto the violin? The & quot;purfling & quot; is that little double line that traces the shape of the violin. It's supposed to be a thin layer of inlaid wood, which protects the body of the violin. If a maker has & quot;cut corners & quot; here, it's likely that other details have been short-changed.

Also, the neck may not be carved & ndash; someone with more violin experience would be able to tell if a neck is not carved from simply feeling it. The un-carved neck might work all right in the beginning, but as soon as the student starts using higher positions, it can cause awkwardness and hinder a student's ability to work well in higher positions.

You can also look at the label. Generally, a quality instrument has a label inside that says who made it, where it was made, and in what year it was made. You can find the label by peeking inside the left & quot;f & quot; hole. VSOs often have no label at all. To be fair, some finer violins also have no label, but it's another thing to check.

Let's talk about pegs, which hold the strings in place and are turned when tuning the violin. In a good violin, pegs are made from boxwood, but in a VSO, they are often made of soft brown wood and & quot;often they will break off in your hands, & quot; Metzler said. I have personally had this experience, of tuning a student's instrument and having the peg simply snap off at the base. There's no cure, other than a new peg. The pegs also fit into holes in the peg box, and if the holes are not exactly the right size, the pegs will either slip, or they will stick.

The strings that come with a VSO tend to be the first thing people notice that is bothersome. They tend to be steel and tinny-sounding. Be prepared to spend between $50 to replace them, first thing.

Looks can be deceiving, when it comes to violins. A new, shiny violin may well be a VSO. I'd much rather have a somewhat beat-up old Suzuki Nagoya, with a good tone and good craftsmanship. That said, you can find good violins that are new, as well.

Though most VSOs are Chinese, not all Chinese-made instruments are bad. In fact, & quot;there are lots of really good student instruments, and 95 percent of them are Chinese, & quot; Metzler said. Some of the better brands of student instruments include old Suzuki violins from Japan, new Suzuki violins from China, Scott Cao, Yamaha, Vivo, Angels, Eastman, Century Strings & ndash; there are plenty more.

But buying a violin online, without testing it, is a risky way to go. If you take a chance on a cheap violin, you may well spend an additional $200 upgrading the strings, getting a better bridge, getting an appropriate sound post & ndash; and then you still may not like the way it sounds or feels!

I've heard the argument that & quot;I'm just experimenting & quot; or & quot;My child may not like it, so I don't want to make a big investment & quot; to justify buying a VSO. This is a false economy, and I will tell you why: if you are stuck with one of these grossly substandard instruments, you (or your child) will not want to play it. You may not even be conscious of the reasons why you find yourself not liking the violin, but it will be a combination of being displeased with the tone, sometimes even finding the sound of the instrument painful, being unable to tune it, having parts break off, the feel of a violin that doesn't really fit in the hand, the visual ugliness of something cheaply made, and the overall bad feeling of having an object that was not made with care.

Conversely, if you buy or rent a well-made violin, you will enjoy its pleasant tone, you will enjoy the way its mechanics support you, the way it fits in the hand and the craftsmanship behind it.

A violin shop will usually allow you to test a violin before buying or renting it; this is usually possible even when you are renting from an out-of-town shop. If you have a teacher, enlist your teacher's help in selecting a good instrument.

For all of these reasons, I would urge you to consider renting or buying a violin and not a Violin-Shaped-Object.

By Liz Burg:

This is a guest blog written by Berklee student Jakub Trasak, the student to organize our school's first ever String Showcase - a concert highlighting the wide stylistic range of Berklee's String Department. & nbsp;

My name is Jakub Trasak. I'm a seventh semester violin performance student at Berklee College of Music in Boston, MA, and I founded the college's first ever String Showcase. If you're in the Boston area, come check it out tomorrow (11/4) at the Berklee Performance Center, 136 Massachusetts Avenue, at 8:15 p.m. One big bonus for coming to the concert: you can win a Yamaha electric violin! (Check out details at the links I provided after this post for more details!)

After being around Berklee for a couple semesters, I realized that every single department, except for the String Department, has at least one performance per year in our biggest venue, the Berklee Performance Center. I decided that this needed to change - the String Department needed a concert to feature the variety of creative string playing from all over the world that we study here at Berklee. & nbsp;

Tomorrow, about twelve ensembles will perform bluegrass, Americana, r & amp;b, swing, Irish, jazz and more styles at the showcase. Each ensemble has its own leader who was given creative control over their program segments - I wanted the feel of the concert to reflect my experience here (lots of variety, musicians from all over the world), so the only limit I gave the ensemble leaders was a time limit. One ensemble I'm really excited to hear is the Berklee World Strings, led by faculty member Eugene Friesen. They're going to feature students' arrangements of classical pieces and students' own compositions and arrangements. The performers will not only be & quot;in & quot; the concert, but they're also featured as composers or arrangers of their acts. & nbsp;

Growing up as a bluegrass violinist in Prague, a city steeped in classical tradition, I have a special appreciation for studying a broad vocabulary of musical styles. I started playing the violin at three. From three to five, I listened and played primarily bluegrass, mostly because my dad was a bluegrass violinist. He grew up in Northern Bohemia and heard bluegrass and roots music through friends. I took classical lessons as a kid to hone my technique, intonation and posture, but I've always connected the most with bluegrass and roots music. & nbsp;

After hearing legendary fiddler Mark O'Connor's CD, New Nashville Cats, in 1991, I knew I wanted to be a bluegrass musician. The album is amazing; it features so many different styles, but Mark is capable of playing them all on an extraordinary level. I fell in love with the CD, and I transcribed it and learned every tune. When I got ahold of Mark O'Connor's book, Championship Years, I saw Mark's open invitation to the first ever session at at Mark O'Connor Fiddle Camp that was to be held that summer (1993).

I ended up attending Mark's fiddle camp for 4 years. Each summer at camp gave me the chance to experience something different, to broaden my musicianship and to bring what I learned back to Europe. It's kind of funny that what I experienced at Mark O'Connor Fiddle Camp is happening again at Berklee - talented musicians playing many different styles of music at a high level. & nbsp;

I'm so excited share all the different styles of music we study on strings here at Berklee with the public tomorrow night.

Fore more information about the String Showcase, you can check out Berklee's site HERE, and you can also check out a site I made for the concert HERE. & nbsp;

Oh, and here's a trailer for tomorrow's concert on YouTube:

By Anna Meyer:

This weeks has been really interesting and rewarding when it comes to my violin playing. I have a bad case of performance nerves that I am trying my best adress and this week I had to face the giant that my performance nerves are.

On Monday evening I participated in my first masterclass ever. I was unsure whether I´d attend down to the last minute but it proved to be a worthwhile experience. It began with a performance of Shostakovich 1. violin concerto which is without doubt one of the best concertos I have ever heard. Then there was time for performing. A friend of mine kicked in first by performing a movement from Bach E-Major concerto. It was really interesing to listen to the teacher´s comments on her playing. Alas my friend was a bit nervous but I think we all felt a bit relieved that everyone was slightly nervous to perform. It seemed to give the masterclass more ease. I broke in the masterclass with Tchaikovksy Canzonetta and I am quite pleased with my performance although it wasn´t perfect it was really good and I got several compliments afterwards :) The masterclass teacher spent most of the time teaching my vibrato exercises so while there was a whole of squeaking involved it was interesting and I learned a lot.

And I faced the giant of performing infront of an audience and strangely enough I was not all that nervous and managed to get my heart into the performance.

Today I had an important audition and I passed! Obviously my playing wasn´t perfect and there were glitches I am not happy about but the point is I passed and I am pleased with my performance of Tchaikovsky.

I had to face the giant of my performance nerves and although I was a nerve wrack I did it. I played and I passed. I have always taken challanges seriously and I always think that when I get a challenge I defeat it (call it being stubborn) and that I did.

I faced the giant and won. And that´s a good feeling.

By Cesar AViles:

I’ve been following the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra since February 2010 when I had the opportunity to watch them perform live at Carnegie Hall. That same day I met the concertmaster of the Concergebouw, Liviu Prunaru, who was introduced to me and to 5 other violinist friends by a very good colleague. We all are violinists of the Youth Orchestra of the Americas and we were having a concert at Carnagie Hall a few days after the Concergebouw, but we got there early in the week to rehearse. After we met he took us for dinner and told us 400 glorious stories(this includes how he won the paganini competition) besides he told us how difficult and hard was the audition process for musicians to get in to the Concergebouw Orchestra, especially for a concertmaster position. He told us that the orchestra invites12 candidates who are already concertmasters in major orchestras around the world and a few big names that they all agree on- he was part those big names- they make each violinist spend a week trying to convince the orchestra that he/she should have the position. He told us that after his final day of audition, the members of the orchestra start clapping and were very happy with his performance as a leader. He said; it was very flattering, I’ve heard they are very picky when they choose the leader of a section especially such a high position like the concertmaster. Liviu is a great instrumentalist and soloist, he serve 50% of the time as the concertmaster of the orchestra- and the other 50% he use it for personal recitals and concerts. He told me that he didn’t want to be an orchestra musician, but the Concergebouw was his favorite orchestra, and as soon as he got the invitation he said YES- Im going to try it because even if I win the audition I still have some free time to perform as a soloist. And of course, He Got the Job!  What is funny is that, my friend, the one who introduced me to Liviu told me that in 1 of the 2 concerts they had at Carnagie, he and Liviu sat together to watch the orchestra perform and Liviu told him in the middle of the concert; Oh my God, this orchestra sounds great I can’t believe I am part of them. Such a comment makes me understand how much passion he has for music and how much he appreciate being part of the orchestra. I want to be like that. He is such a great inspiration for me. Since that week, my life as a musician changed. The way they sounded and my experience with the concertmaster were unbelieveable. He gave me some advice on how to improve my technique, how to make it in music, what to do,etc. I will never forget those words. And of course I feel a little envy for my friend because he is a very close friend with Liviu (by the way they met on youtube, somehow).

www.tipsforclassicalmusicians.com

www.cesaravilesmusic.com

By Laurie Niles:

From the Top and Carnegie Hall are accepting applications for Big Break, an online talent contest. Young musicians who are U.S. Residents, ages eight to 18, can compete for the chance to appear on NPR's & ldquo;From the Top & quot; radio show, hosted by Christopher O'Riley, and to perform in Carnegie Hall Family Concert in Zankel Hall in spring 2011. Audition videos are due by November 18 and will then be reviewed by a panel of judges, who will select finalists. A winner will be selected from that group by public voting, which will be Nov. 29 through Dec. 14. Here is more information about it.

* * *

Joseph Lin, 32, will become the first violinist of the Juilliard String Quartet in 2011. He will join violinist Ronald Copes, violist Samuel Rhodes and cellist Joel Krosnick, replacing violinist Nick Eanet, who resigned for health reasons. Lin studied with Shirley Givens at Juilliard School Pre-College and graduated from Harvard College, where he studied with Lynn Chang. He will complete the spring semester in his current position as professor at Cornell University before joining the violin faculty at Juilliard in fall 2011.

* * *

Hungarian violinist Krist & oacute;f Bar & aacute;ti won first place at the Paganini Moscow International Violin Competition last month in Moscow. Russian violinist Andrey Baranov placed second, and Ukrainian violinist Aleksey Semenenko placed third.

http://thestrad.com/Article.asp?ArticleID=1699

* * *

The YouTube Symphony is taking applications for its second manifestation, which will take place March 14 to 20, 2011, at the Sydney Opera House in Australia with conductor Michael Tilson Thomas. Applications are due by November 28, 2010, and here is a page for more information. There are two ways you can audition: submit your video audition for the orchestra or submit a solo improvisation to a piece composed by American composer Mason Bates. Here is a FAQ page that will answer many questions about the YouTube Symphony, and in many languages.

* * *

A flash-mob orchestra? Here is a small news item on an impromptu protest concert staged by symphony musicians in Netherlands, where government has announced possible cuts to funding for several orchestras. It was held at a train station (you'll have to endure a 16-second commercial to watch it): http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/39859755#39859755

By David France: http://www.youtube.com/symphony

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By Eloise Garland:

 The half term is over, Hallowe'en has passed, the autumn is drawing to a close and life goes on, but with one yearly difference - preparation for Christmas!

Every year at this time, schools, choirs, orchestras, bands, performing arts groups and many many other teams of people start to prepare for Christmas concerts, productions and shows. It is probably the busiest yet most rewarding time of the year. New pieces are explored when it comes to concert programmes, with, of course, all of the traditional bits and bobs mixed into the programme to create a wonderful blend of celebratory music!

Already returning to school has proven a busy time for me. My music teacher is already talking about rehearsals for this concert and that concert. And yesterday when I returned a choir I take part in, we pulled out the good old Christmas pieces to sing! It is just one of those wonderful things. Yes, it can be stressful and time consuming, yes it can be expensive to get to all the places you're going and yes, it can be a huge rush, but you have to agree with me here and say that Christmas has to be the best time of the year!

So, what musical things are you all doing for Christmas this year?