Race to String Builder Completion

After faffing around with the violin for about 4 years, I become a tad serious this year. Practicing was quite a roller coaster but my supportive teacher kept encouraging me and modifying my practice schedule to fit into my daily routine. He provides resources, tips and tricks to help me practice smarter and better.

One of the resources I am supposed to use for my daily practice is the String BuilderString BuilderThe String Builder is a collection of melodies, for the violin, viola and cello, that provides the basis for a fine left hand technique and bow arm.. I am supposed to sight read one page per day. On average, a page has 4 short melodies, with 32 pages, I should've completed the book in 2 months and some days. But that's not the Damilola way!

Energy burst

I started making use of the String Builder in May, 2021. The curiosity of learning something new kept me on course for the first few weeks. I ran out of steam and motivation to keep playing pieces from the String Builder. Or was it? Did the melodies get harder for me to wrap my head around? Each piece became a struggle to the point where I played out of tune just so I can tell my teacher I practiced the page for the day. Obviously, I can't get away with it past a few classes.

Play me a piece

During our classes, my teacher randomly opens a page from any of my practice resources and ask me to play a piece. Then came the String Builder. Yikes! Some pieces went well, while most went terribly. Everything that could go wrong went wrong. In an enthusiatic manner, my teacher would reiterate how I should tackle a new piece. Divide and conquer. Play slowly. After correction, I am able to play some of the pieces I intially found difficult. However, continuity requires discipline. This cycle continued till I eventually stopped playing any piece from the String Builder.

Take 2

I am lucky to have an experienced and tender-hearted teacher. He eventually modified my practice schedule to one page for two days. Alrighty! My lazy ass should be able to work with this. After 2 - 3 weeks, I dropped the book again. I never stopped practicing, however, the String Builder became my nemesis. It was slowly pushed to the back burner as more resources kept coming along.

10 for 10

I practiced a page effortlessly today and it was quite exhilarating. I reckon this is because I've played more daunting pieces to the point where the String Builder seemed easier than I once thought. When I completed with my practice, I noticed I have 10 pages to go. My goal is to complete the remaining pieces before the year runs out so I can mark it as a milestone and make my teacher happy ;)

Schedule

Takeaway

I noticed the pieces seemed relatively easier than before. This makes sense because I've played more complex pieces.
My sight reading has improved as well. I am able to pick a piece, identify the key and play with less errors.
My bowing grip and posture has gotten a lot better.