Practicing Slowly Part II: Make Your Piece Unidentifiable

I saw a post from my fellow ViolinLab.com member in our Yahoo Groups community, and it really got me thinking. His post said:

If a passerby can identify what song you are practicing, then you are practicing it wrong.

Ironic, isn't it? How come you are practicing something wrong when every single note from every single bar and stanza can be fully understood? You should be told that you are doing an awesome job in your violin practice because everyone knows what song you're trying to play right?

Right?

Wrong.

Twinkle Twinkle Variation C, D, & E Suzuki Book 1

After finishing my makeshift camera mount, I finally had a break to take on my violin practice. I haven't been "playing" as in playing.  I was concentrating on my notes and intonation, plus doing some exercises to help my arm get familiar with the different notes in the Twinkle Twinkle variations.

No, I am not looking at a music sheet or a mirror (as I used to) when I recorded this practice.  If you see me constantly glancing at a certain point every now and then, I was checking on my tuner to see if I was on the note or not.

Benefits of Listening to A Music Piece

I loved the violin since I was little, and know instinctively that I should know my notes if I am to play my violin someday.  Granted that I have the inherent "ability," so to speak, to play a tune better if I know what on earth I am playing,  I wanted to get that habit out of me so I can learn how to read notes.  However, I can't seem to visualize notes better than when I hear them in my head.  And I think Dr. Shinichi Suzuki was aware that there are individuals out there like me who will only play better if they are familiar with the music that they are playing when he made his violin program.

And for that, I would like to earnestly say Thank You to Dr. Suzuki for coming up with such concept.

Practicing Slowly

When you buy your original Suzuki Book, you are also given a CD to listen to and play along. But as a beginner, you are always told to practice slowly. And one way to practice slowly is to play your piece one bar at a time, as well as playing the piece slightly slower than the real beat. The former is easier to do than the latter since CD players don't give you the freedom of slowing down the accompaniment.

One of the things I like about ViolinLab.com is that the members there are willing to help each other out, and that means recommending sheet music, apps, and programs that can really be useful in your progress as a violin player. A member shared this really awesome program that can help you slow down or speed up the beat of any song you wish to play, which is Speedshifter by ABRSM.