Over the past few years I have often practised with a mirrorr,it really helps with bowing long and straight strokes.Lately ,these past few months I seem to have become quite dependent on the mirrror image to the point now where I can hardly play if I am not watching my reflection out of the corner of my eye in a large mirrror.Even my left hand fingering now seems to fall apart without the darn mirror.I guess the cure is to get used to no mirrror,but as I practice 99% of the time at home alone this is becoming hard to do.I opt for optimum sound and seem to geavitate back to the mirror.I am due to start lessons with a new teacher in a week and I am almost tempted to call and see if he has a mirro and if not maybe bring along my own.
Don't like the mirror technique very much. Sometimes I glance at the window reflection at night to check out my bowing arm. But generally it's much too distracting.
I find it much more helpful to play in an area of my home that has pictures of family and friends, smiling at me for support! Pictures of those who have passed on is great too.
Playing for my beagle works well too! She keeps me company wherever I play...
Roesendoest,
Time to get worried is when the reflection in the mirror gets out of sync with you, or it grins at you when you're not smiling.... Try smashing the mirror.
Seriously though, try playing with your eyes shut (or in the dark). Listen carefully to the tone quality, this will tell you if you're bowing too close to the bridge, or halfway up the fingerboard.
Also, when your eyes are shut, try to sense the tracking of the bow through your right hand. That is, if the bow is not travelling exactly parallel to the bridge you will feel a pull one way or the other as the bow tries to find the path of least resistance (which is parallel to the bridge). Note that you are unlikely to feel this pull unless your right hand, fingers and arm are sufficiently relaxed, so it is a true test of relaxation, or lack of stiffness. When you achieve this you will discover that the bow finds the path of least resistance automatically and tone quality improves significantly.
Of course, all this isn't going to happen overnight, but it is well worth the effort and the results will always stay with you.
I agree with macsheoinin. It's kind of like that thing of putting bits of tape on your fingerboard to show where the notes are. It's OK when you're just begining being a beginner, but sooner than later, it's just not accurate enough and you have to use your ears. Music is an aural thing.
I can remember my early violin lessons at the age of seven and eight:
my teacher told me to control my bowing in front of a mirror for not longer than five minutes playing with long slow strokes - after this I should play slow and steady drills with long bows without mirror (and if I want to with closed eyes) for at least more than five minutes ... at an overall practising time between 30 and 45 minutes.......and after a couple of weeks I had to forget the mirror ( and only reuse it from time to time after a couple of month for a couple of days...)
As a teacher, I have suggested the mirror technique to many of my students. I don't think many have tried it and I don't do it very much either. I'm surprized to hear that it can become such a dependency. Sort of like tablature for bluegrass musicians.
I did find it very useful to videotape my practice and watch it back later to see what I was doing. This is very instructive for all players.
I had a blind student who used bow-wings effectively, but she never moved past those things. A very cheap and easy -to-use bow-wings idea is to put doubled up
plastic straws in the top hole of the f-holes. The "V" of the two straw halves create a track into which you can place the bow. These are radical solutions for players with serious problems. Chances are, your mirror dependency is minor and can be fixed with some concentrated effort as described in earlier posts.
Give it 2 weeks - to break an old habit. Good luck!
Joe
Sure, you have to get rid of the mirror. Where would you fit the thing if you brought it to session?
The mirror training is not a bad idea at all, but you only have to take one last step and then you can get rid of it. Practice like you always do, but this time concentrate and examine on what your muscles are really doing as you bow. Feel how the entire process works. You'll likely 'fall apart' when you first do this, but do not stop.
You need to develop a physical memory of the bowing technique. The only way to do this is examine and 'internalize' the physicallity of the action.
Just another feedback tool.
I can use all the feedback (help) I can get.
Here I am practicing my tunes; form, bow position, mouth attitude, etc just the way my instructor told me, right?? I glance in the mirror before passing go, or something, and readily "see" that my right elbow is in my right pocket, my bow is pointing somewhere south of the scroll and my mouth has this big frown.
It seemed ok and without the mirror I would continue to practice and learn bad position/form until my next lesson, maybe for a week. Dosen't make sense to me to smash the mirror yet.
I'm not suggesting full time mirror viewing, I wasn't that pretty even when I had all my hair.
Just a beginner two cents.
Len
playing the fiddle in front of a mirrror
playing the fiddle in front of a mirrror
Over the past few years I have often practised with a mirrorr,it really helps with bowing long and straight strokes.Lately ,these past few months I seem to have become quite dependent on the mirrror image to the point now where I can hardly play if I am not watching my reflection out of the corner of my eye in a large mirrror.Even my left hand fingering now seems to fall apart without the darn mirror.I guess the cure is to get used to no mirrror,but as I practice 99% of the time at home alone this is becoming hard to do.I opt for optimum sound and seem to geavitate back to the mirror.I am due to start lessons with a new teacher in a week and I am almost tempted to call and see if he has a mirro and if not maybe bring along my own.
# Posted on October 6th 2002 by Roesindoest
Re: playing the fiddle in front of a mirrror
Don't like the mirror technique very much. Sometimes I glance at the window reflection at night to check out my bowing arm. But generally it's much too distracting.
I find it much more helpful to play in an area of my home that has pictures of family and friends, smiling at me for support! Pictures of those who have passed on is great too.
Playing for my beagle works well too! She keeps me company wherever I play...
# Posted on October 6th 2002 by lees
Re: playing the fiddle in front of a mirrror
Roesendoest,
Time to get worried is when the reflection in the mirror gets out of sync with you, or it grins at you when you're not smiling.... Try smashing the mirror.
Seriously though, try playing with your eyes shut (or in the dark). Listen carefully to the tone quality, this will tell you if you're bowing too close to the bridge, or halfway up the fingerboard.
Also, when your eyes are shut, try to sense the tracking of the bow through your right hand. That is, if the bow is not travelling exactly parallel to the bridge you will feel a pull one way or the other as the bow tries to find the path of least resistance (which is parallel to the bridge). Note that you are unlikely to feel this pull unless your right hand, fingers and arm are sufficiently relaxed, so it is a true test of relaxation, or lack of stiffness. When you achieve this you will discover that the bow finds the path of least resistance automatically and tone quality improves significantly.
Of course, all this isn't going to happen overnight, but it is well worth the effort and the results will always stay with you.
# Posted on October 6th 2002 by Trevor Jennings
Re: playing the fiddle in front of a mirrror
I agree with macsheoinin. It's kind of like that thing of putting bits of tape on your fingerboard to show where the notes are. It's OK when you're just begining being a beginner, but sooner than later, it's just not accurate enough and you have to use your ears. Music is an aural thing.
# Posted on October 6th 2002 by ...
Throw away your crutches ... you can walk!!!
I can remember my early violin lessons at the age of seven and eight:
my teacher told me to control my bowing in front of a mirror for not longer than five minutes playing with long slow strokes - after this I should play slow and steady drills with long bows without mirror (and if I want to with closed eyes) for at least more than five minutes ... at an overall practising time between 30 and 45 minutes.......and after a couple of weeks I had to forget the mirror ( and only reuse it from time to time after a couple of month for a couple of days...)
# Posted on October 7th 2002 by crannog
Re: playing the fiddle in front of a mirrror
As a teacher, I have suggested the mirror technique to many of my students. I don't think many have tried it and I don't do it very much either. I'm surprized to hear that it can become such a dependency. Sort of like tablature for bluegrass musicians.
I did find it very useful to videotape my practice and watch it back later to see what I was doing. This is very instructive for all players.
I had a blind student who used bow-wings effectively, but she never moved past those things. A very cheap and easy -to-use bow-wings idea is to put doubled up
plastic straws in the top hole of the f-holes. The "V" of the two straw halves create a track into which you can place the bow. These are radical solutions for players with serious problems. Chances are, your mirror dependency is minor and can be fixed with some concentrated effort as described in earlier posts.
Give it 2 weeks - to break an old habit. Good luck!
Joe
# Posted on October 7th 2002 by Carrmuse
Re: playing the fiddle in front of a mirrror
Sure, you have to get rid of the mirror. Where would you fit the thing if you brought it to session?
The mirror training is not a bad idea at all, but you only have to take one last step and then you can get rid of it. Practice like you always do, but this time concentrate and examine on what your muscles are really doing as you bow. Feel how the entire process works. You'll likely 'fall apart' when you first do this, but do not stop.
You need to develop a physical memory of the bowing technique. The only way to do this is examine and 'internalize' the physicallity of the action.
Good luck!
# Posted on October 7th 2002 by Caoimghgin
Re: playing the fiddle in front of a mirrror
Just another feedback tool.
I can use all the feedback (help) I can get.
Here I am practicing my tunes; form, bow position, mouth attitude, etc just the way my instructor told me, right?? I glance in the mirror before passing go, or something, and readily "see" that my right elbow is in my right pocket, my bow is pointing somewhere south of the scroll and my mouth has this big frown.
It seemed ok and without the mirror I would continue to practice and learn bad position/form until my next lesson, maybe for a week. Dosen't make sense to me to smash the mirror yet.
I'm not suggesting full time mirror viewing, I wasn't that pretty even when I had all my hair.
Just a beginner two cents.
Len
# Posted on November 9th 2002 by fiddllen