Viola lesson recap - 8 Feb 2011

Now up to three fingers on the A & D strings in first position. This gives me enough notes to play a scale (D major), so from here on there will be a lot of scale-playing in my practice sessions.

We started (explicitly) working on quality of sound production today -- ironing out the screeches and scratches -- which I've been waiting for since day one. Can definitely see that I'm going to need to step up my sight-reading; the staff is quickly getting littered with a lot of different notes; it's not a matter of distinguishing between four evenly-spaced open strings any more. =)

Capable viola instructors aren't always easy to come by in small towns, but Anya is not only extraordinarily qualified but extraordinarily gracious to boot. Quite frankly, I figure on having a long road paved with practice and frustration ahead; string instruments are rife with subtleties, and playing them well is the study of a lifetime. The innumerable squawks and sour notes I produce are something I expect and am amused by, but any good-natured self-deprecating joke I make is always met with a response like "You're actually progressing quite nicely" or "Like most adults who are just starting to learn an instrument, you are too hard on yourself." I well appreciate how good my fortune is to be studying under such a beneficent tutor.