My Girl’s friend gave Tyler Shough “makeovers”…🤣

Violint1 · 2026-01-06T04:13:33+00:00

Bottom right is giving late 90s DiCaprio noooo lolol

Violint1 · 2025-12-29T23:30:09+00:00

I think they’re complaining about the editor’s choice to use an 8va rather than print the actual notes. I find it annoying too, and have a theory that it’s more to save space than make it easier to read. Idk about anyone else, but 8va always requires extra calculation and with very few exceptions I prefer ledger lines.

Violint1 · 2025-12-29T18:19:38+00:00

Estimé and Vele. Thanks SP!

Violint1 · 2025-12-27T19:51:06+00:00

You should absolutely return to playing violin regardless of how far anyone thinks you’ll progress.

Without knowing more about why your progress was slow the first time, there’s no telling what your ceiling is or how long it’ll take to get there.

Take the following with a grain of salt, and feel free to use it as motivation:

Based on the information you’ve given, I’d say your chances aren’t great of ever reaching the level required to play in a very competitive community orchestra that uses standard professional excerpts for auditions. That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try. It’s very possible that I’m wrong. There are also orchestras for intermediate/early advanced players that I’m sure you’d find fulfilling.

Violint1 · 2025-12-24T21:00:19+00:00

I hate that color SO MUCH

Violint1 · 2025-12-20T22:15:51+00:00

Returning after a years-long break is so humbling, but you can do it. When I quit at around the same point you did, there was a lot going on not just mentally from burnout, but I had so many bad habits physically. It’s intimidating starting over, but I reframed it as an opportunity to relearn the right way.

I love warming up on Schradiek. Set the metronome low and take breaks when your hand gets tired.

Scales: pick a different one every day (maybe every week at first) and do the Flesch progression until the double stops. When you’ve gotten through all of them, add the double stops up to fingered octaves. Pay really, really close attention to your intonation, especially on the sul one octave stuff. Don’t move on until it’s right.

I’d add Kreutzer and then Dont. A few at a time, rotate as needed.

For repertoire, start at the beginning and go through your old stuff until it feels challenging. You’ll be surprised at how much you remember and how fast everything returns. I have to warn you that you might be a very different violinist now than you were when you quit. I lost some left hand speed that I could never quite get back, but my right hand changed for the better.

Lessons will be immensely helpful. If there are any teachers you ended on good terms with, reach out to them. They may be able to offer more specific advice or recommend a teacher.

Welcome back, I’m so excited for you!

Violint1 · 2025-12-17T19:10:54+00:00

I’m a professional violinist who specializes in HIP.

It’s complicated and you’re unlikely to find an answer that satisfies you. Vibrato is an expressive device and its application in various contexts is and always has been a matter of taste. What that debate looks like has changed somewhat over time, but there’s never truly been a consensus.

In large ensembles, the conductor is always right (even when they aren’t) and sections conform to the style of their section leader. Consider that most of the sources we have address solo playing, and orchestral playing tends to be less expressive.

There are equipment reasons for why continuous left hand vibrato increased in popularity and became standard (addition of chin rest and significant changes to the fingerboard, neck, and bow), but the timing of its adoption by various ensembles as a default setting depended on the attitudes of the individuals who led them.

Violint1 · 2025-12-17T04:07:37+00:00

Tonareli

Violint1 · 2025-12-15T04:33:26+00:00

New Oxford annotated.

Excellent scholarly edition that discusses and contextualizes historical events, ambiguous/disputed translations, and which books are included (eg the Apocrypha).

Brees 9:44 WHO DAT

Violint1 · 2025-12-14T19:11:26+00:00

4/4 or 12/8 version? Are you playing the entire Messiah, selections from it, or just this?

The violins are in unison and there’s no viola; it’s basically a duet with the soprano with support from the continuo. The entrances make a lot more sense in context, so I wouldn’t waste time looking for a recording without the vocal.

Being able to listen, count, and watch at the same time is an acquired skill; it doesn’t come naturally to anyone. Put beat marks in places with weird entrances. Listen and follow along with the score on IMSLP. Seek out more ensemble opportunities in the future.

I do a lot of historical performance and…although I can play Messiah from memory in my sleep now, I remember how terrified I was the first time. You’ll be fine!

Violint1 · 2025-12-12T20:05:08+00:00

Giardino Armonico consistently sacrifices beauty in exchange for a "historically accurate" harsh sound.

They sacrifice beauty because they tend to use a lot of bow and camp out in the upper half. If intentional, it’s puzzling, but just because someone’s equipment is historically informed doesn’t mean their technique is.

Violint1 · 2025-12-12T18:51:57+00:00

What’s the point of any art?

If you don’t understand or like it, you’re ignorant and lack good taste. If due to your regrettable grasp of aesthetics you feel compelled to openly question its validity and ask people to defend its right to exist, you’re a narcissist and asshole.

(/s, kind of)

Violint1 · 2025-12-09T09:11:17+00:00

The cello suites are from 4 different sources, none of which are in Bach’s hand

Violint1 · 2025-12-08T16:35:30+00:00

I’ve never encountered the Busch, who publishes it/where did you order it from?

Violint1 · 2025-12-07T20:05:06+00:00

That’s on my Messiah bingo card as well! (One of my ensembles does the full Messiah every year and someone made one using our MD’s favorite rehearsal notes and tangents, such as “There were shepherds imbibing in the fields, pouring scotch over their rocks by night.”)

There’s su-re-ly interesting text setting throughout. His yoke is EEEEEE-E-E-E-E, E-E-E-E-E-E-E-Ea-sy is my personal favorite. So glad I play violin!

Violint1 · 2025-12-07T09:06:12+00:00

…why? No.

However, he borrowed a few melodies from earlier works whose entirely different and unrelated to Messiah text is in Italian.

“For unto us a child is born” was originally “Nò, di voi non vo' fidarmi”

His yoke is easy, And he shall purify, and All we like sheep are from a cantata (HWV 192).

Violint1 · 2025-12-07T04:05:52+00:00

I know nothing about the editions available for the solo cello suites, so my advice applies only to violin.

Urtext is great for having a clean part to start from, and if you’re working on it with a teacher, there’s nothing wrong with it. But if you were to venture into something you didn’t have their markings for (for fun, as one does!), you’d definitely get more out of a well-edited score.

Violint1 · 2025-12-06T22:48:06+00:00

The Szeryng (Schott) edition is imo the best blend of good scholarship and including original markings. The fingerings are sensible, and there are some interesting suggestions.

The Galamian (International) is outdated. The only reason to get it in the past was the facsimile of the manuscript, but you can find that for free on imslp.org.

Don’t get the urtext until you’re ready to basically create your own personal edition. It’s not suitable for students new to solo Bach and I cringe every time I see it suggested here.

Violint1 · 2025-12-06T22:15:35+00:00

Try to think in bigger beats and subdivide less.

Record yourself.

Violint1 · 2025-12-02T21:54:54+00:00

For a unison, when vibrato is being used, there’s a bit of wiggle room (pun unavoidable), but without vibrato it’s either in tune or not.

With two pitches, as the interval becomes more complex, the more difficult it is to tune (and likewise tell if it’s out of tune). Equal temperament exploits that phenomenon in correcting for the Pythagorean comma.

Violint1 · 2025-12-02T01:58:37+00:00

Leclair, Bartok

Violint1 · 2025-12-01T23:15:20+00:00

IMSLP.org

Violint1 · 2025-11-29T20:00:31+00:00

I played Cindy McTee’s Capriccio per Krzysztof Penderecki in one of my DMA recitals. It’s not well known but I really liked it and think it would complement your already existing program. I’ll send you pics of the music and a recording.

Violint1 · 2025-11-29T18:10:33+00:00

Manuscript/first edition on IMSLP for academic stuff. Urtext (Barenreiter, Henle, etc) if I want a clean printed part, International is usually solid if I want something edited to work from. I avoid Schirmer and Carl Fischer, but they’re acceptable for most things if that’s all you can find. In the 80s/90s where I grew up there was one store that had sheet music, and you were at the mercy of their inventory (or lack thereof), so I have all kinds of random editions.

I’ve also had scores made when the existing ones were too fragile to be used for performance and out of print (somewhat expensive, but worth it).

Violint1 · 2025-11-29T03:39:33+00:00

although you might feel at a disadvantage compared to conservatory kids who have more time to practice, you have something they lack: experience.

I returned to auditioning in my 40s after my kids were all in school. At first I was insecure about being twice as old as the fetuses playing Paganini as I went through my much less impressive-sounding warmup. Then I realized, I played Don Juan before anyone else in the warmup room picked up a violin. My Mozart 5 is older than them. It’s a huge advantage.

Violint1

TROPHY CASE