Artist Works

So I decided since I can't afford my violin lessons this month and she really isn't worth what I am paying her anyway, that I would look for an alternative and I came upon artistworks.com  It sounded pretty good. For $35 a month you get: access to hundreds of video lessons, you get to send in a video of your playing (any time you want!) and your instructor will reply with suggestions and advice, you get access to a forum, chat and blog etc. etc. and so I did it.

It was disappointing. I signed up for Darol Angers fiddle lesson which go from beginning to advanced.

I now feel sorry for the people who are real beginners because there is no way you can learn to play the violin from this man. My violin teacher is not the worst, this man is. The videos are horrid. You sit there just hoping Darol will actually come up with his next word before the video ends. It is OBVIOUS that he put no thought into any of these videos. He is just making it up as he goes along  and sometimes his videos don't even look like he can do the exercises himself (and the exercises, when there are some are really not all that helpful). The way he talks on the videos is just really terrible. I can't even explain it but he just doesn't teach you anything. He apparently does not know what a beginner is and does not know that someone learning needs lessons that progress in an orderly fashions. It looks  like he just picked a song and said, "We'll do this one today" whether you are ready for it or not.  I actually watched him do a horrible interview with Casey Driessen (I have no idea who this actually is, a good bluegrass player apparently---oh yeah, to Darol apparently bluegrass is the only fiddle playing too as he doesn't get into any other fiddle playing in his lessons). It was just plain hard to watch. I felt bad for this Casey. It wasn't really an interview because Darol never asked any questions. It was stupid, really. They played a tune then Darol told about what Casey was doing (he did not have all the information and Casey filled him in where needed) and that was it.
There are 23 videos before he even gets to the key of G, then he has one song for the key of G and then move on to the key of D and then one song, and the key of A and then one song but in those 23 videos there are several songs in these keys. It is like someone mentioned to him that people couldn't do the songs without having a basis in what the keys were so then he made some videos on each key.

Anyway, other than the video lessons, students make videos of themselves playing and then we get to see their video and Darol's response. He ALWAYS tells them they are doing great (even when they are so bad that I have to shut off the video) and he almost always tells them to do long bow exercises to get better...yeah. Plus a lot of the video exchanges are not matched up with the right video lesson.

The study materials sometimes don't match (according to key) with what Darol is playing. The forum is a joke. Very, very few entries and the administrators don't even answer.  The chat...I have never seen anyone on it and I have tried several times.

There is something  called Shout Outs which is like a chat but right on the board. It hasn't changed for two days now so that gives you an idea of how many people use it.

It is 9:30 at night and right now only 3 students are online. Not exactly a popular place.

So for my $35 what am I getting...well, I printed up some of the music in case I need it later...that's about it.

However, there are sample videos to every teacher and the classical violin player looks really good, speaks well and seems like he has a plan to his teachings although it looks too hard for a beginner but the mandolin player looks even better on his sample video and I actually learned  a lot from it so maybe when I get to playing my mandolin he will be a good teacher.

In other words, it might not be all bad, just don't go there trying to learn to play from the fiddle player Darol Anger.  :(

My Music Room

Phil was nice enough to clean up the spare room some. It mostly holds...junk and spare food. Phil cleaned up enough space so my new keyboard could go in there and I could use the old computer chair in there to sit in. So now all my instruments are in there and I enjoy practicing so much more. It is so nice to have a place where I don't get interrupted and nothing bothers me. As you can see my big fish tank is in there too. I also cleaned it up so that it is something nice to look at again. It only has two fish in it. I definitely need to get more.

Anyway, my violin, viola, the keyboard and my mandolin are in there now and I'll be moving the tin whistles in here as well. I have a heater and a fan and a little trash can. Everything I could ever need.

Violin Playing Videos

I have now almost reached a year of taking violin lessons. Phil took a few videos while I was practicing today from his phone and I got them uploaded tonight. Merry Christmas everyone. I hope to have better videos next year.

This first one is Rosin, the Beau (Ireland) or Acres of Clams (US)

This one is Ashokan Farewell.

Master Classes

I really think if you are serious about playing an instrument youtube should be your best friend. Why learn from just one teacher when you can learn from many? Some of them are the best who have ever played! Why would you not want to do that. I met a girl the other day. She is a student of my teacher and when I mentioned to her that I thought youtube was a great resource she said that her parents were her resource because they played the piano.....okay.....but she is trying to play the violin...
You see my problem here. Too many people like the idea of playing an instrument but don't want to put in the time and work it takes to play one well. I say, if you are really passionate about the instrument you are playing, you are going to want to learn any way you can.
This brings me back to youtube and the master classes. No, they aren't anywhere near on my level which means I don't learn specific skills from them but that isn't the point. I watch them because I totally enjoy them and because someday I hope to understand everything.
One of my favorites is Maxim Vengerov. I love how he teaches. He makes you visualize the song. I can't play a piece even now if I don't know the tune so I can sing along in my head as I am playing. I know immediately if I am playing badly, if it doesn't match the song in my head. He is doing the same thing only on a more advance level. He not only brings in your visualizing the sound but makes you visualize scenes that you can relate to (the ballroom dancer etc. ).
I can't wait until I am to the point where such subtle differences in tone make such a difference in my playing. I can't wait until I can play well enough to not worry about just trying to get a good sound from the violin.
Someday..
Check out those Master Classes on youtube, it is not like most of us will ever have the chance to meet one of these teachers.

Finally Moved On to Flats!

My teacher finally moved us on to the key of F today or one flat. It is about time! I didn't have my finger pattern chart with me though and she just has an awful time showing me something new. She can't just say that now the A string will have the same pattern as the E string in the Key of C. She has to do it this odd way and you get all confused. The same with the G string. She could have just said it is exactly like the D string pattern in the Key of C but she didn't. She had no plan on what I should play (because we always use me books) but I went through all my books today and found all the pieces with one flat plus any exercises. There really aren't many. However, I have an older book that is mostly flats. I wonder if modern music has changed so that it is mostly sharps or if it was always that way.

Don't Say I'm Good If I'm Not

I guess I can write what I want since no one has joined. I am surprised that all those members of my other blog Simply Self Sufficiency who said they were so interested in how I was doing with my playing violin, didn't want to see what I would have  to say on this new blog. They weren't as interested as they pretended to be apparently or they just don't have time for it. Doesn't matter, same thing.
Anyway, there was a post on facebook where a violin teacher who's videos I watched for a while but found a bit too...well too useless, posted a very young girl playing a Christmas carol on the violin. She was playing three different positions which was pretty impressive for a girl who was so young (I can't remember how old--6 or 8 maybe)...however, the bowing was so bad you could barely tell the tune she was playing. But, of course, there were all these replies about how wonderful she was. I really hate it when people do that....make someone think what they are doing is good, when it isn't. Yes, it was impressive that she could do fingerings in those positions but there was no way we could tell if she even did those right because her bowing was so terrible.
It made me think he must be a fairly bad teacher because even though my teacher isn't great, she does not like me to move on until I have become fairly good at whatever we have been working on.
I understand what encouragement is. Really I do but I think you have to encourage people when they do well and not just say they did well if they didn't.
I think this is part of what is wrong with kids today. Everyone tells them they are good even if they have put only a minimum of effort into what they are doing, everyone is so afraid to hurt a child's feelings, then when they grow into adults, they don't know how to deal with disappointment.
We were disappointed a lot when we were kids. I feel like I learned from that. If I want something I really try hard at it. My violin teacher says I practice more than any student she has ever had and here I was feeling like a couple hours practice a day wasn't great but it was all I could fit in.
She often tells me I am doing well. She often encourages me but they are always during times when even I know I have played well. She does not tell me I am "prefect" because we both know I am not.
I wouldn't want her to tell me I am good if I wasn't.
If you are always told you are good...where is the incentive to work harder to be better?