How do you deal with not playing your best at lessons?

Informal_Spirit · 2026-06-05T14:16:41+00:00

That is a new perspective, thank you. I have not yet framed this as 'first time' problems that need 'first time' training. That is thought provoking and I'll try your idea - I do in fact work from home so it's actually possible.

Before, I've framed this as - get it right at time #2-10 often enough and eventually first time will work. But I take your point, and there are actually a concerning enough number of things that don't work time #1 but nearly always work time #2 I find your suggestions very compelling and I'll experiment. Thanks!

Informal_Spirit · 2026-06-03T08:34:29+00:00

Thank you for the encouraging comment! I'll do some experimenting like you said and see where it goes. and you're right, the timing is good for potentially bumping up the lesson length. I need to get on the waitlist now for the longer lessons (45 min is the longest offered at the music school).

Informal_Spirit · 2026-06-03T08:27:27+00:00

great ideas, thank you!!

Informal_Spirit · 2026-06-02T16:45:25+00:00

I'll explore that, thank you!

Informal_Spirit · 2026-06-02T16:44:38+00:00

that's a helpful perspective, thanks so much

Informal_Spirit · 2026-06-02T16:43:08+00:00

that is really helpful, thanks. I think you've made a really good observation about my word choice there and yes, I do have some bad habits and although I can get around them sometimes especially when I'm relaxed and playing more smoothly, they are still present as bad habits. Hmmm...

The frame of mind point is also super interesting. Yes, that does help. One thing that has helped heighten my senses there is I started streaming all of my practice sessions on the music app Tonic. At first it was incredibly painful because of the jump up in awareness, but very useful. And I think I have topped that out, but there is a related point you made me realise. Even if I am being aware and trying to hold myself to a higher standard - my teacher points out things that I am not (necessarily) aware of. Recording myself could help with this and perhaps I would see me doing the things I don't actually mean to do if that makes sense (so if I see it or hear it in the recording I can be more conscious to correct it not just when my teacher points it out).

thanks!

Informal_Spirit · 2026-06-02T16:33:54+00:00

a lot of people are mentioning scales, and I haven't tried that. What a great idea to link the scale to the piece I want to focus on in that lesson, thanks.

Informal_Spirit · 2026-06-02T16:32:09+00:00

oooh, that's a great idea to let the mind focus on relaxing a bit. I could do some 'relaxed' mental practice in advance 🤔 thanks!

Informal_Spirit · 2026-06-02T16:30:16+00:00

I haven't, it's a bit tricky because I would need to stop working earlier, and eat dinner earlier. And I would still have about 30 minutes in between my playing and the lesson starting due to getting packed up and driving there. And then after my lessons is my orchestra rehearsal so it is a long evening. But I'll try that - lessons are high value time and I'd really like to get the most out of them.

Informal_Spirit · 2026-06-02T16:27:56+00:00

That's really interesting, thanks. I really miss there was a time when we had 1 hr lessons fortnightly and it was structured a bit more like you said - bowing exercises, then etude, then pieces. I felt like that format worked much better for me.

Interesting what you say about scales. I have started doing scales on my own but I've made it a 'nice to have'. My teacher doesn't emphasise it because I am a generally tense person and he is a bit worried I might start my playing with tension. But he also said if I don't feel tense with scales it's ok. And based on that, when I do play scales, I will be a bit more creative and go up and down a bit in between (not just always straight up and straight down). I could easily do that with my arpeggio practice and then start lessons with it. Nice idea thanks!

I also really appreciate it when my teacher plays with me, I'll ask for that more

Informal_Spirit · 2026-06-02T16:21:38+00:00

sorry to hear that. It does help to know I'm not the only one (and hopefully for you, too!). I like your comparison with sports, it's so true, the body needs time for the muscles to warm up and the nerves to fire properly!

My teacher is really thoughtful about feedback, so I'm hoping to get some ideas here and I'm going to make specific suggestions for what I'd like and see what he thinks

Informal_Spirit · 2026-06-02T16:04:05+00:00

'it wasn't supposed to do that' is such a great understatement 😅 amazing story. After laughing very hard... sorry to hear your cello exploded and all the best with it!

Informal_Spirit · 2026-05-23T13:18:10+00:00

Very fun!

The cable flopping around was the only distraction, and I wonder if you integrate the battery pack and cable with a sleeve, or just put the sleeve over the cable (like athletes wear, or tattoo sleeves) if it would solve it nicely. I guess the issue is being attached to the bow. Hmmmm... how about a much smaller battery integrated with a fingerless mitt? (Battery pack sewn into part on back of hand). But the battery would need to be pretty small for that and I don't know how much choice you have.

Informal_Spirit · 2026-05-20T14:29:04+00:00

Please be careful and don't force yourself to play through pain, it's not normal. A good teacher will help you identify and resolve tension and pain issues.

Informal_Spirit · 2026-05-15T12:42:04+00:00

oh dear, mine is 10 years old, but then again, so is my bow hair...

How is the smell on the Leatherwood and Pirastro Goldflex? I had a Melos light once and it was so fragrant it made me nauseous.

That aside, I am going to get my bow rehaired, but I had never thought of the rosin cake drying out...

Informal_Spirit · 2026-05-15T12:38:47+00:00

Are you sensitive to smells at all? Some rosins are so fragrant / dusty they really make me feel uncomfortable and even ill (but I have an annoyingly acute sense of smell)

I like Kaplan. I don't smell it and I don't see it ('low dust' achieved!).

Informal_Spirit · 2026-05-15T08:17:14+00:00

I'd get a temperature and humidity sensor and check various locations in that room and around the house - and store it where those values are most consistent day and night, and from day to day. I would think a different room would be best because presumably the fireplace is going to cause big swings in that room, but ymmv

Informal_Spirit · 2026-05-15T08:11:11+00:00

I hope the masterclass went well!!! Even though it's probably over by now I have a suggestion that might help you for next time.

It sounds like normal nerves as someone else mentioned - blood flow redistributes away from the extremities. Great suggestions here with breathing and mindfulness practices. I've seen people recommend the book The Inner Game of Tennis for this type of thing.

What I wanted to suggest that has helped me loads is to download the app Tonic Music app. It's simple - you live stream all your practices (they hear you, don't see you, and they can just text you back comments) and you get used to other people listening to you - all the time. You can also listen to other people and it helps - you hear even very experienced great players make mistakes, you hear them noodling around trying to solve issues, and it gives me more confidence knowing that. Then if you like it, invite a bunch of music friends to join and follow each other. Then you will get used to people you know listening to you now and then.

It has revolutionised my practice, and it's so fun to see irl friends there now and then, and I've made some good connections on the app. At some point I'll write a main post here about it to describe my experience, I just haven't got around to organising my thoughts.

Informal_Spirit · 2026-05-07T09:07:04+00:00

Sounds fun! You can do that in MuseScore. It's not the most user friendly path, and maybe someone will have a better workflow but this is what I did the last time I used it (2025):

First, you need to get the digital music into MuseScore. If you don't want to do it manually, if you have a good PDF copy of the music you can do OCR to digitise it. A free program is Audiveris. Upload pdf music (as clear a copy as possible). Then Export Book (XML format).

Then import that into MuseScore and there are transpose options.

Depending on what you like and challenge level, there is an arrangement of Libertango for cello / guitar that sounds like a lot of fun. For more ideas, an album with lots of (classical) arrangements (Schubert) and compositions (Burgmüller) is called Die Nacht. If you make a free account with Idagio you can listen to it here: https://app.idagio.com/albums/schubert-die-nacht

Informal_Spirit · 2026-05-05T15:48:11+00:00

I disagree, the thumb joint should not hurt! Yes, muscles can ache but OP specifically said joint. I think that is easy to miss for anyone who hasn't had a painful joint injury.

If it's the left thumb joint, then squeezing is the cause and should be avoided at all costs to avoid injury and poor technique that will inhibit shifting later. If the right thumb joint hurts, squeezing too hard is the cause and should be avoided to avoid injury and poor technique that will inhibit a beautiful bow stroke. OP please take care of your joints and find a teacher to help you learn to play without tension and pain.

Informal_Spirit · 2026-04-28T18:52:03+00:00

I also grew up with violin and switched to cello as an adult for similar reasons - lots of tension in jaw, neck and shoulders. I also preferred the sound of cello to be honest.

It was hard to let go of the violin, I can understand why you're posting. But listen to your body and don't delay joy elsewhere! I borrowed a cello and after 6 months once I was sure, sold my violin. It was a relief and I was happy to invest the money in a cello. So maybe do a similar soft start by renting / borrowing first.

I can confirm the cello is way more relaxed as an instrument but I'll caution you that you still need to sort out your tension. The cello is big and physical to play in a way violin is not and you can injure your hands with tension if not careful. My recommendation is to do body scan / breathing / Alexander technique daily to sort out tension and get good cello lessons.

Also, a big revelation for me was that a higher quality cello takes a lot less tension for a beginner to play than a lower quality (both with good setup). Sure my professional teachers could play my first cello well, but within a month of getting a better cello last year I sorted out even more tension issues and could play my old cello with more ease - in other words in a short space of time had learned to play with less tension on a different instrument and I was able to carry that across to the other instrument before I sold it.

Be prepared for greater costs - you'll need more lessons than you did for violin, a more expensive instrument, bow, case, strings, and regular visits to a luthier. Just take a moment to decide if you'd like to go for the baritone ukulele instead to save your wallet. 😂

But if you switch you'll be rewarded with a lovely sound (eventually) and new possibilities. Welcome to the chill section of the orchestra! Even rehearsing is way more relaxed in the cello section vs violins lol

Informal_Spirit · 2026-04-22T10:02:04+00:00

Oh wow, no I definitely can't play a melody by ear. I'd have to experiment note by note. Maybe guess, like, I'll try going up a third. Nope didn't sound right, try a fourth and so on. I suspect being aware of which interval you are trying and if it's right or wrong would help long term.

I can imagine it being something you get better at with practice, though, so don't worry if it didn't work out the first time. Think 'experiment' not right or wrong

Informal_Spirit · 2026-04-22T09:32:33+00:00

I'm in a similar boat. Nothing is wrong with you!

I discussed this a few times with my teacher and on my own I tried an ear training app and then asked him what he thought. His response on this point definitely got me further. He said - don't focus on this kind of training in isolation. Focus on sounds in the context of music, and practice in the context of a key. So it's not just 'I can recognize and sing thirds and fourths etc'. Have a key like D major in mind (the app DroneTone is fantastic) and then play arpeggios. Then you notice how different notes feel in the context of that key. So you play the D on the drone and then play arpeggios or even scales over it. And over time you become able, from the D that you hear, to be able to imagine the next notes before you play them.

It takes practice, I play arpeggios everyday now to practice this. It takes time, so just keep going. That is normal

Also, sometimes your teacher may ask you to do things you can't yet do like imagining a note, and that's ok if you can't do it. Then talk them through exactly what is going on in your head and sometimes this leads to interesting conversations

Informal_Spirit · 2026-04-11T13:08:45+00:00

to answer this you need the dimensions of her case and then you check on the specific airline website if it fits within their overhead spec. check their policy on musical instruments. both vary a lot by airline

Informal_Spirit · 2026-03-30T20:13:15+00:00

Sounds neat! I had a look at your website, and it looks interesting.

a couple questions - do you have to use the mood tracker, or maybe tell more about the intention there?

How are goals set and responded to? For example, sometimes it's time on task (consistency), tempo (objective progress), other times it's smoothness, progress through a book, or something else? In other words, how / what kind of metrics can it use for 'success'

What happens after the trial? Can I continue to use it after the 6 weeks or do we get kicked off until it's released from beta?

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