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This was actually posted Dec 9 on the sister forum.

It has been a while, but i am back.

I made progress on my viola yesterday, after I put my tapes on the fingerboard. I just have problems knowing the general vicinity of where the fingers go. Once I get more comfortable with that I will remove the two middle strips. 

I love the sound of my a soloist Viola. It has a lot of fullness to the sound. 

So, we donated the two cellos to the neighboring school district earlier this week. I have a lot more room in the room they were in! They were in my sewing/machine knitting room. I am sure the school will find a couple students who need one at home, or keep in the school. I don't think the students haul their instruments back and forth. I can't imagine the students hauling a cello onto the bus. This school district buses everyone. So, I think there are orchestra instruments in the school for use, and they their instruments t hime? I have no idea. 

Back to my playing. See? Life got in the way! 

I am also loving the Fiddlerman carbon weave fiber viola bow. I opted for that bow. It has a great weight for me, and feels really nice when I hold it. I like the stability, for lack of a better term, of it. 

I use the Strad Pad on my viola chinrest. It is the same one I use on the violin. It is so comfortable and covers the hardware at the end and protects the neck. 

I got the geared pegs. They work nicely. I have to get used to using them for fine tuning, also. I usually get the fine tuners on the tail piece and geared pegs. I have a hard time reaching the pegs and playing the strings to fine tune, so the fine tuners on the tail piece help out with the fine tuning. So far, it is working just fine, no pun intended. The A string does have the fine tuner. 

I am paying more attention with my bowing: pressure, angle of the hair on the strings, placement between bridge and fingerboard, speed, etc. I believe a lot of my sound issues are bow related. It does seem to make a difference when I actually get it right, so I am concentrating on that. I am concentrating on that with my cello and viola, also. I am moving along slowly, but it suits my learning ability. When this COVID gets under control, I will think about just getting a few lessons to deal with bowing, if I am still not secure with it, then maybe some lessons just for vibrato. 

Well, Ms Blog, I have things to do. Be back another time. 

Anyone visiting, Welcome To My Home. Feel free to leave a message, ask a question, or just ramble about must about anything, My home is open to you.

I worked on my viola. I decided to use Suzuki's Perpetual Motion to practice my bowing and fingering. I am also working on one octave of the G scale for fingering and bowing.

I wonder if that is just the way the "C" string is, @JohnG? The C string on the cello never sounds good either. But, on the other hand, more experienced players sound better, but I wonder what it sounds like to them under their ears? I can't set up for recording all the time. Oh, I could just use my phone on the table next to me. I am not after the video part. I could just set to record and listen. It would still be close to my playing, though, but better than right under my ears.

Yep, it is hard to read above the staff. I think it is a matter of doing it and remembering key notes. Working from those spots instead of like from remembering where the A is on the staff and working up to an F would be easier. Like remember where the D is above the staff. If you have a note higher, figure it our from there, don't go back to the open A on the staff and work your way up. 

If I can figure an easier way, I will let you know. For me, that makes it quicker to figure them out. I don't usually play beyond 1st position yet, on the A string, so notes above the D on the A are not used by me, but I look at music higher up and try to figure it out, to be prepared.

Ms Blog

I did some work on the Violaman forum this morning. It is coming along. 

I will be doing my violin this afternoon. I am going to do the same as I am doing with my viola, Suzuki's Perpetual Motion and the G Scale. I will do my viola later.

So, this morning I practiced my viola. I swayed from my lesson plans. I did a two octave C scale and D scale, s well as the G scale. I have not ventured up to tne G on the A string, yet, so the one octave is it for now. I have to get the D on the A string down pat, first. Hence, the two octave C and D scales. 

I also played a couple of songs. I did not do Perpetual Motion. I was in a mood for some older songs that I have memorized. They are not as intensive for fingering, etc, but I was working on the bowing with familiar, simpler songs. 

I tried doing the songs without looking at my fingers on the fingerboard towards the end. I am not there yet, so the tapes will be on for quite a while longer. I really don't mind. If I need the tapes to sound ok, then tapes it will be. I do not perform or play in front of anyone, so I do not see the point in rushing it. Been there, done that, a few times. Tapes are back.

Ms Blog,

I did an hour on the viola this afternoon. I feel like I did pretty good. I found an old lesson book, mostly in German with English translation. I found a song in it that I can add to my lessons. I can't remember where I got this book, or when. 

I actually found a song in Book 2 of the main lesson book I am using that I have added, also. 

All in all, my session went well. 

Ms Blog,

Yesterday, I did the songs in Post 15. I also played with sime scales.

Today I searched through the internet for cello info. I found that for cello, the flurth position follows first, logically. I was going to order a fourth position book from Amazon and it said I already ordered it quite a few months ago. I went to my books and found it. I will be trying it later this evening. I was looking through the first thee exercise/pieces. I was imagining doing them on my cello. Looks like this is my speed. 

I did order a book written to go with this book, by the same author, along with another book. I will bet them around Jan 7-8. 

I also did some searches for cello info to reference on this site. It was quite helpful for me, in my learning, also. 

I played my cello this morning the lessons discussed earlier. I am really enjoying, and so,gar, benefitting from the Cassia Harvey book. My first 4 pages of the 4th position were much better today. I will stick with these for a while. I do have a harder time with the G and C strings. No sur-rise, I have more of an issue with the bowing on those strings, too. 

I have added some shifting to my "You'll Never Walk Alone" that I am working on. I would not have felt comfortable doing that if it had not been for the Cassia Harvey Book, I think.