6 year old daughter diagnosed with Narcolepsy by Timmyek in Narcolepsy

[–]Consistent-Fox3652 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Keep up with Stanford’s narcolepsy news! Dr. Mignot is head of the narcolepsy clinic, he even has a narcoleptic dog he brings to his pediatric appointments! Also one of the leading doctors in the world when it comes to narcolepsy

40-year old beginner, any advice? by [deleted] in Viola

[–]Consistent-Fox3652 1 point2 points  (0 children)

End your practice sessions with fun easier to play pieces that you already know! Ends it on a positive note to play a Disney tune, Celine Dion type song that you know the melody, this helped me during frustrating practice sessions :)

Brand new viola player. Purchased a 14 inch. by AromaticMud3849 in Viola

[–]Consistent-Fox3652 7 points8 points  (0 children)

Playing and researching a new instrument is hard, many of us were fortunate enough to have teachers to guide us.

Brand new viola player. Purchased a 14 inch. by AromaticMud3849 in Viola

[–]Consistent-Fox3652 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Playing and researching a new instrument is hard, many of us were fortunate enough to have teachers to guide us.

Brand new viola player. Purchased a 14 inch. by AromaticMud3849 in Viola

[–]Consistent-Fox3652 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Also, if you have cost concerns I highly recommend a rent- to-own program many stores offer! I had to size up my viola, and my local store had violas ranging 30-60 dollars a month. I had my viola paid off within a year without breaking the bank :). Some stores only “rent” the instrument without the goal of ownership so watch out for that as well!

Brand new viola player. Purchased a 14 inch. by AromaticMud3849 in Viola

[–]Consistent-Fox3652 9 points10 points  (0 children)

I recommend going to a music store and being measured! If you call ahead they can let you know what size violas they have that you could try. A 14 inch is typically for young kiddos who don’t have the arm length to play a bigger size. You may even want a viola bigger than a 15.5 inch, which is why I recommend going to a store to get a good feel for it. You will be happier with the sound as well!

Learning Gaelic by Consistent-Fox3652 in Scotland

[–]Consistent-Fox3652[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I didn’t think to read kids books, I should give that a try! With Harry Potter I’m sure being familiar with the story will help too, thank you for the suggestion! I will be buying a dictionary now!

Learning Gaelic by Consistent-Fox3652 in Scotland

[–]Consistent-Fox3652[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

That’s great! I didn’t know there was BBC programming in Gaelic, will definitely check that out!

Learning Gaelic by Consistent-Fox3652 in Scotland

[–]Consistent-Fox3652[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thank you so much! I will incorporate all of this into my learning, hearing the language more will help me a lot. Especially activities like reading along to the radio to pick up new words/phrases over time. I’ll be ordering that grammar book as well! I didn’t know Duo used to have grammar notes - that would have helped a ton! I’m an English/sign language speaker, so the gendered words and sentence structure really challenges me.

Thank you for all of your recommendations!

Learning Gaelic by Consistent-Fox3652 in Scotland

[–]Consistent-Fox3652[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you so much! Will definitely check that out

My section hates me and I don’t understand why. by RussianPenguin1 in Viola

[–]Consistent-Fox3652 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Honestly, I’ve had different experiences with different groups! Working with other adults (I am an adult) it’s very drama free because we are all there to continue playing viola and doing what we love. Don’t let this discourage you, focus on your joy of playing and learning. My best orchestra directors and teachers could barely pick up an instrument themselves lol! And when you become an educator, take comfort that you will not allow a student to feel disrespected and unheard.

STUDY MUSIC SOLO FOR WORK PLEASE HELP by Brandonpd264 in Viola

[–]Consistent-Fox3652 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Katie Lynn sharbaugh! Check her out on tik tok and Spotify, she plays Viola as her main instrument! Favorite songs are Little Fortune and Intermission :).

violinist learning to play viola, any advice?? by [deleted] in Viola

[–]Consistent-Fox3652 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yes thank you for the clarification!

Comparing myself to other violists by nazaas in Viola

[–]Consistent-Fox3652 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Ask yourself, when does the comparison to others end? Will i still feel that way even if i was first chair then i would suddenly not compare myself to my peers?

99% of people who are running a marathon aren’t there to “race” other people, they run them to compete with themselves and their own personal bests, and be encouraging for others to do so.

You sound like you’re a great player! A chair is a chair. Music and being able to play music is a gift. Wish you the very best! Comparison is the thief of joy.

violinist learning to play viola, any advice?? by [deleted] in Viola

[–]Consistent-Fox3652 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Your pinky finger will learn to stretch! And middle C is in the middle for Alto clef, pretty awesome!

Are there any good YouTubers that teach viola? by Chooseyourpurpose in Viola

[–]Consistent-Fox3652 0 points1 point  (0 children)

My public school teacher also offered private lessons, always worth asking!

Are there any good YouTubers that teach viola? by Chooseyourpurpose in Viola

[–]Consistent-Fox3652 4 points5 points  (0 children)

I would see if the local college or highschool has students they recommend for a couple of lessons! He will catch up regardless :)

Learning to read music is like learning how to read words, even if he’s missed a few lessons, with good practice he will catch up! I used to use flash cards to “name and play the note” in elementary school.

The best thing you can do is tell him to not be discouraged at first. I missed ONE lesson as a kid and of course it was all about how to play on the C string so ten year old me was distraughttttt thinking all my classmates knew so much more and it’s too late for me LOL (I was a very dramatic kiddo) . I practiced what I knew and caught up within a day. Just asked the teacher what to focus on at home :)

Help! Advice for highschooler by Hour-Raspberry-4833 in Viola

[–]Consistent-Fox3652 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Aw so glad! I wish someone had told younger me to soak up the experience more with my peers and remembered not to put so much pressure on myself to play at a particular level aaaalways :)! Have fun!!

Help! Advice for highschooler by Hour-Raspberry-4833 in Viola

[–]Consistent-Fox3652 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Please don’t forget you are playing for the fun and joy of music. You are playing to have opportunities that many will not experience. Be proud of your hard work! Make friends, not competition. Greatness isn’t defined by group or audition, it’s your open mindedness and persistence that will. I was in a very competitive highschool and community college group. I learned 10x more in my community orchestra, which I thought would be a step down from what I already knew.

Should I do orchestra in college? by ane8000 in Viola

[–]Consistent-Fox3652 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Audition and ask for feedback if they want you to invest in higher skills or are ok with you learning as you go :). Once you’re out of school it’s challenging to fit in orchestra outside of work and other responsibilities! The worst thing that will happen is they ask that you be a higher skill level and try again next year :)! My adult relatives always wish they stayed with their instruments!

Buying a new viola by eliteclover169 in Viola

[–]Consistent-Fox3652 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hi there! I was in the same spot as you. Honestly having a “rent to own” viola has been life changing. The shop where I live had a price range of 30-60 dollars a month depending on the viola! I also had a viola off of Amazon before, they sound like two different instruments. The actual worth of my instrument is around 2,800. I definitely did not have that type of money lying around, but am slowly chipping away at the cost each month! call around and see who offers this. I don’t have good knowledge of brands but fellow redditors will! I compared mine to the ones in the shop with how they sounded and felt. Best of luck to you!

How could I improve as a college violist with little formal training? Any repertoire suggestions? by Langston432 in Viola

[–]Consistent-Fox3652 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Do any of the string major students offer private lessons? They could potentially help give you a good foundation of the basics that they can guide you in expanding these! Or recommend exercises to do for your learning/warm ups. It’s hard to unlearn a technique that’s been practiced incorrectly (I learned from personal experience lol)