The GrowlersWorld Violin Concertos - 1st Movement

INDEX

A late starter learning to play the violin, here are the inspirations for the journey...

2nd Movement>

See also Growler's Violin - The Preludes , GrowlersWorld Symphony No.1 - Violin Links

and GrowlersWorld Philharmonic Orchestra - Classical Music Links

A violin maker is called a Luthier. This is a cool video which shows a violin being made from scratch.

It makes fascinating viewing and has a nice background violin solo performance in full flow.

And in case you were wondering, I got mine from Argos.

Enjoy.

I have just performed in my first group orchestral concert and it was good.

Joining other violin and stringed instrument players of the East London Late Starters Orchestra at St Leonard's Church in Shoreditch, London, we faced a live audience.

Not bad after only eight weeks of learning for us beginners.

An amazing experience and I'm already looking forward to the next one on March 21st!

I've noticed that churches are now used regularly for classical music perfomances. It's a good thing too as the sound within the church is amazing and coupled with some stunning architecture they make a great venue.

I have a long way to go before I reach the incredible prowess of Vanessa Mae of course (see below video playing Bach's Partitia in E).

While learning how to read music I just came across this amazing site with simple theory lessons.

It really makes it all simple and I'll be using it to improve my violin playing.

Getting ready for my first group concert with the East London Late Starters Orchestra is becoming more fun by the day!

...or Channelling my Inner Mendelssohn

So, I've been learning the violin for 5 weeks now. Quite the experience. Just holding it at the right position and posture has been a revelation.

In regards to reading music I've been introduced to treble clefs, quavers, mimims and others. The best bit has been playing though. Especially with others. I now practise with a playing partner which really does help.

I'm still learning basic, simple tunes but that is fine for me.

Slowly but surely.

I find the more complicated pieces take a bit more practise to get them right. Part of the reason I started learning is I love the sound of great violin music.

I've since discovered two composers whose classic violin concertos make good listening.

Namely, Johann Sebastian Bach and Felix Mendelssohn.

I recently attended a free piano concert at St Martin in the Fields at Trafalgar Square in London and discovered they also do violin concerts so I'll be checking those out from time to time.

The overall journey of violin learning to date has been great and I'm well aware that practise makes perfect.

After an early start and an unscheduled change of route, due to the temporary closure of Brixton Tube station, I arrived at the Professional Development Centre to start my violin lessons as part of the East London Late Starters Orchestra which is a voluntary organisation.

Based just off the Mile End road it brought a sense of de ja vu. It was the first time I had been back in the area since studying at Queen Mary University of London in the early nineties.

Things kicked off with introductions and acknowledgement of the prescence of a film team who will be there for the term. There was a wide mix of people of all ages, some were previous members, and the mood was one of excitement. I headed to the Stage 1 (beginners) violin class.

The teacher was great and explained things simply. We learnt how to pick up and hold the instrument with a good posture while playing and also the rest position.

We plucked a few strings to learn notes, learned to read simple music and played a simple tune. The bow wasn't touched so I await that part. I was pleasantly surprised how much I picked up and it was good to meet people who were just starting too. After that one hour class we had a quick tea break before the Ensemble class.

This basically taught us how to perform in an orchestra. We learnt how to follow a conductors lead and I even volunteered conducting the class! That was very nerve wracking but kind of fun.

From there we had the final lesson which was also an Ensemble piece but also featured the Stage 2 class. The Orchestra was expanding and we were learning to play in time and follow written music. All in all an amazing morning.

I was pleased with the classes and happy to start the journey of learning the violin. Must give big thanks to my mate Jacqui for the recommendation. In turn, I recommend anyone of any ability who wants to learn an instrument and also perform in an orchestra to check it out.

I was lucky to get a lift back to Streatham and got home just in time to rush out again for the Mandarin meetup session.

As good way to meet new people who share the same interests I joined a Classical Music meetup group. We went to the Royal Albert Hall to see the Proms.

The building is another London landmark that I've often seen but never been in. Beautiful outside and in the experience was wonderful and the queue was long.

We were at the very top in the stalls (£5 a ticket) and although there were no seats there was enough space to see and hear the fantastic performance.

The performance was Beethoven's Choral Symphony performed by the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra and conductor Gianandrea Noseda. Amazing sounds! There's something about classical music that that cannot be beaten.

It's a feast for the ears and well worth attending.

Will also be checking out Mandarin Chinese meetup groups to practice my language skills.

2nd Movement>

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