Four of Stanley Ritchie's baroque bows
which Tommy is borrowing for the day.
which Tommy is borrowing for the day.
Tommy here. I had to write the blog for Thursday. Not had to in the sense that I was obligated to do it (although it is my turn), but I HAD to write this blog because yesterday was so inspiring for me!
We began the day early in Ford hall and played through some Brahms. We decided to work on some of the third movement for the 10am masterclass. We were trying to apply everything that Professor Auer had told us yesterday: finding the musical lines, connecting notes more, and being really specific and careful in our dynamics (particularly at the climax near the end of the movement - I need to remember to come down after my high parts so the audience can really hear Brad). Rehearsal went well and we finished up as people were walking in the room. We then played a pretty successful third movement for the class. Everyone was pretty happy with balance, etc, and I think that it was the best we had ever played it in public before. Rick had some great ideas for us in the movement, especially his idea that the magic in music happens between the notes, in their connections. When I think of connections between notes, it makes the line flow much better, particularly in a slow movement where it is easy to get stuck on each individual note.
After a nice lunch at MAC Mediterranean, I headed over to Professor Ritchie's home in Bloomington to try out some of his Baroque bows. His home was a nice short walk from campus and the weather was great yesterday, so I was happy to have a stroll around town. Professor Ritchie's home was a veritable museum on the evolution of the violin. He had several fine Baroque instruments, one of which may have belonged to Bach! There is no way of knowing for sure, but this particular violin was the same maker that Bach listed in his possessions. After a little bit of "shop talk" (talking about chinrests, shoulder rests, strings, et. al.) we got to the good stuff. Professor Ritchie has several Baroque bows that he doesn't actively concertize on anymore, so he let me borrow 4 of them for the rest of the week! I got a brief instruction on the mechanics of the bows (aka. don't overtighten them!) and adjusted my bow hold. Then I was off to the practice rooms to try them out.
Now, I've never played a Baroque bow before. Ever. So, the first thing I played was an excerpt from the Telemann Concerto a Tré, one of the pieces we're planning to perform in the last masterclass. It made so much sense! The phrasing is easier and notes are much easier to begin. There isn't much articulation possible with the different curvature of the stick and thinner hair, so I never get that infamous crunch at the beginnings of notes. Chords are also much easier to break and voice how I want them. Long story short, I want one!!
After a bit of practicing we went to a nice sushi dinner at Ami, where I ordered Bulgogi, a beef dish that's a bit reminiscent of a Korean barbecue and a spicy tuna roll. Then we met the rest of the workshop participants at Bears where we watched a crazy game 2 of the NBA finals and some videos that Paul took while skydiving! Apparently, he has done over 1200 jumps and over the summer as a part time job, he films first time jumpers. It's incredible!
Tommy
We began the day early in Ford hall and played through some Brahms. We decided to work on some of the third movement for the 10am masterclass. We were trying to apply everything that Professor Auer had told us yesterday: finding the musical lines, connecting notes more, and being really specific and careful in our dynamics (particularly at the climax near the end of the movement - I need to remember to come down after my high parts so the audience can really hear Brad). Rehearsal went well and we finished up as people were walking in the room. We then played a pretty successful third movement for the class. Everyone was pretty happy with balance, etc, and I think that it was the best we had ever played it in public before. Rick had some great ideas for us in the movement, especially his idea that the magic in music happens between the notes, in their connections. When I think of connections between notes, it makes the line flow much better, particularly in a slow movement where it is easy to get stuck on each individual note.
After a nice lunch at MAC Mediterranean, I headed over to Professor Ritchie's home in Bloomington to try out some of his Baroque bows. His home was a nice short walk from campus and the weather was great yesterday, so I was happy to have a stroll around town. Professor Ritchie's home was a veritable museum on the evolution of the violin. He had several fine Baroque instruments, one of which may have belonged to Bach! There is no way of knowing for sure, but this particular violin was the same maker that Bach listed in his possessions. After a little bit of "shop talk" (talking about chinrests, shoulder rests, strings, et. al.) we got to the good stuff. Professor Ritchie has several Baroque bows that he doesn't actively concertize on anymore, so he let me borrow 4 of them for the rest of the week! I got a brief instruction on the mechanics of the bows (aka. don't overtighten them!) and adjusted my bow hold. Then I was off to the practice rooms to try them out.
Now, I've never played a Baroque bow before. Ever. So, the first thing I played was an excerpt from the Telemann Concerto a Tré, one of the pieces we're planning to perform in the last masterclass. It made so much sense! The phrasing is easier and notes are much easier to begin. There isn't much articulation possible with the different curvature of the stick and thinner hair, so I never get that infamous crunch at the beginnings of notes. Chords are also much easier to break and voice how I want them. Long story short, I want one!!
After a bit of practicing we went to a nice sushi dinner at Ami, where I ordered Bulgogi, a beef dish that's a bit reminiscent of a Korean barbecue and a spicy tuna roll. Then we met the rest of the workshop participants at Bears where we watched a crazy game 2 of the NBA finals and some videos that Paul took while skydiving! Apparently, he has done over 1200 jumps and over the summer as a part time job, he films first time jumpers. It's incredible!
Tommy
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