April 2020 Fiddle Progress Report
Posted on April 15, 2020
Here’s what’s been going on in the world of fiddle for me since the last progress report.
I feel like I’ve weeded out most of the songs I’m going to from the Tune List. This ended up only being two so far. I reviewed several the past month to see if I felt like the tune difficulty led more to relearning than reviewing, and I hope that the ones left will continue to be good review.
I decided to put more focus on learning to sight read again. So I picked up a subscription to Sight Reading Factory, and I really feel like I’ve been making progress there! This has been a excellent choice, and is something I’ve used just about every day to drill a bit on sight reading.
In celebration of two months of consistent practice, I also picked up a new set of strings. I think they sound better than the old set, but I’m not finding any miraculous sound from them. Probably because I simply don’t have the skill to bring that sound out on the strings. Considering their cost, I think I’ll continue to shop around next time I need a string change.
In terms of songs, I’ve added Amazing Grace, Terry Teehan’s Polka and Rakes of Mallow to the Tune Review since last month. I’ve started Eternal Wind, which I’m in the process of working through still, and just begun with Britches Full of Stitches this week. I seem to be working through songs for about 3-4 weeks before feeling they’re good for the Tune Review list. I certainly haven’t found any that were too easy, but I am taking care that they’re within my skill level before graduating them.
I’ve also remained consistent in my practice since the first of February. This month, I’d like to go back to considering a new chin rest as the reward for continuing to play every day.
I’d also like to finally sit down and put all the remaining songs through ScanScore 2 and get them up on the page. I don’t want this to become too overwhelming a task as I keep adding new songs to the Tune Review.
One last thing I’d like to look at before next month is moving on with a few more technical videos and maybe getting another scale or two added to the mix. I could use more variety there for sure!
Overall, I’m happy with the progress I’m making, even if it seems slow. The Fiddle Focus has kept me on track, and I continue to try to be consistent with my practice as the days go by.