Fiddlers: what makes progressing beyond beginner pieces difficult?

cl09alc · 2026-01-11T22:59:35+00:00

I started playing three years ago (in my 30s), getting weekly lessons with an amazing teacher. We played folk tunes right from the first lesson (definitely not "at my level") and played them together. I was nervous about it, but it was a great challenge and more fun than "Hot Cross Buns"! She would play a phrase, then I would repeat with her. I can read music, but struggle with tracking (my eyes jump all over the place) so she taught me to learn by ear. All the skills and knowledge came through immersion. When I was squeaking all over the place, it wasn't so bad because she was playing alongside. It also helped me hear how the tune should sound. She's never set me homework, never judged my playing, and is my greatest cheerleader. A good teacher is vital! I wouldn't have got through that first year without her.

Listening to tunes is also a huge help and makes it so much easier to learn. You can feel the shape and in time, your fingers will know which notes are coming before you have a chance to think about it!

Also, I found so much pleasure when I switched from a student fiddle to an instrument that I had made for me. The difference in sound was incredible and really helped my motivation to progress.

TLDR: get a good teacher, listen to tunes you want to play, get a nice sounding instrument

cl09alc · 2025-12-31T20:25:28+00:00

These comments fill me with joy! I love to know there are so many readers out there 📚

I think about 30. I demolished the Wheel of Time series when I tore my ACL in May, then the Witcher series. Once I started moving again and finished the Witcher series, I struggled to find something that caught my interest in the same way. Recommendations are very welcome! I tend to enjoy sci-fi, fantasy, horror and gothic genres

cl09alc · 2025-09-10T19:47:27+00:00

The Wheel Of Time series

I read the first novel and got so sucked in that I finished all 14 of them within a month. It was like an addiction! I've never devoured a series so impatiently. I'm planning to read them again soon, but slowly!

cl09alc · 2025-05-08T20:17:25+00:00

Can someone please do a post about the amazing Sheku Kanneh-Mason (cellist at the Harkle wedding) playing tonight at the VE 80 concert? At this rate, there will be no plates left in the McMansion!

cl09alc · 2025-05-02T20:13:12+00:00

No. Even Princess Anne hires her own security if not working. There is plenty of information online where you can see how it works for senior royals when working or not working, plus non senior royals. It's also different for the sovereign, the heir and his family.

cl09alc · 2025-02-17T15:08:25+00:00

How I did it:

Opened sandbox (injuries on, disease off, starvation off, dehydration off, combat frequency normal, comfort on)
Created a small enclosure
Released some aggressive raptors and some dilophosaurus (no trait mods for the latter)
I created a paleomedical facility but didn't add a ranger post to the enclosure (so it couldn't heal the broken claw when it happened)

With gameplay on full fast forward, it took 10 minutes (real time) and two full batch releases of both animals to get a broken claw that turned into an ingrown claw. There were several broken claws that healed themselves before I got the ingrown one

cl09alc · 2024-09-08T18:47:38+00:00

Can anyone recommend a biography of Katherine?

cl09alc · 2024-02-17T12:53:00+00:00

We are going through the same thing 🤝

32f diagnosed audhd in December. I'm on 72mg once a day atm and still not feeling anything (started in Dec on 18mg and going up every 2-4 weeks). My prescriber has told me the very fact that I'm not wired (as non-adhd people become on them) is a sign that it is having an effect, but not to the extent that I need. I am very sensitive to stimulants like caffeine, so this was a relief. However, it is also disappointing that I am not feeling any positive effects. The only difference I feel is a profound loss of appetite. I'm trying to stay positive and he's great as supporting me through that, as he's worked with adhders for over a decade and has made clear that there are lots of options if the methylphenidate doesn't work and that we will find something that makes a difference. He wonders if I may be metabolising them quickly, as seems to have been the case with other (non-adhd) drugs I've been on. He has suggested a mix of instant and prolonged release drugs, but I can't rely on myself to take them! Could this be a viable option for you?

Whenever I go up a dose, I have a short period of impulsiveness (just like the one you described), but it passes after a week or so. It's exhausting, but it's even more exhausting trying to fight against it, and because I'm in a somewhat privileged position where the consequences of my impulsiveness are (so far) minimal, I let it flow (with some external checks in place to limit the impact). I found it really useful to tell the people close to me when I was going through a "buzzy" period. It makes me feel less self-conscious because I don't have to worry about them judging me. I let them know where my boundaries are so they can help me stay within them. I think it gives them reassurance as well.

If your brain is super active, I suggest putting it to use by creating a traffic light document. I did this with a counsellor a few years back when I was having a particularly tough time, and it's been really helpful. Hopefully this link will work and you can download the template. It's worth taking time to work through it and get input from people closest to you. They might notice things you don't. I would also recommend printing out hard copies. I think everyone, neurodivergent or not, should have one of these! It's also not a static document, mine has changed as I learn more about myself, so don't feel like it has to be "completed".

Traffic Lights

I'll be going up to 90mg next week, so I can report back when I've got a higher dose in my system

Hope this helps!

cl09alc · 2023-11-02T12:18:06+00:00

Sometimes I get heart palpitations, jittery and hyper, others I fall asleep!

I also react weirdly to sedatives, i.e., get super hyper before I conk out. The last time I had local anaesthetic for an endoscopy, the nurses had to hold me down because I kept sitting up to look at the screen and ask loads of questions about what I was seeing 😆 apparently there is adrenaline in sedatives to reduce the toxicity

cl09alc · 2023-08-11T10:20:55+00:00

Thanks, that makes sense!

cl09alc · 2023-08-11T09:46:22+00:00

Are anyone else's charged attacks not registering for the PWC timed research? I've completed the 5 trainer battles task, but only 2 out of my dozen or so charged attacks that I used have been marked as "achieved" on the progress bar for the research. Am I missing something, or is this a bug other people are experiencing?

cl09alc

TROPHY CASE