The Initial Struggle

It is absolutely fascinating how the first 30 minutes of practice is so noticably difficult.
- Warm up is perhaps necessary but 'this' is beyond a warm up.
- Getting the muscles in order has something to do with it.
- Perhaps it is because the virgin ear is much more discerning.

Find some interesting advancements:
- bow hold. solid pinky - perhaps more out stretch and firm than previous expected.
- extended 4th finger.
- watch the string to narrow point of dull vibration.
- don't saver or send the bow. It needs to run it's natural course. avoid that tension. Don't try to drag out the tension. If it's not already in the bow just let it go. If it ain't planned again don't try and generate it with muscular tension.

End each practice session with the 'intial struggle'. End each practice session with a relax awareness of what needs to be done. End each practice session relaxed. End each practice session where it can be picked up from where it was left without warming up.

Perhaps never leave that place. Perhaps I should be able to stop at any moment and return to it rather than climb to heights that will need to be recharted.

Today I worked through;
- Intial bowing on open strings (10min)
- S. Otakar bowing exercises (30min)
- S. Fingering exercises. (30min)

I've decided that a metronome should only be used with music that need to fit together as a composition. A metronome should not be used in conjuction with 'relaxation / fundamental muscular' exercises.

To certify and etude:
1. work through intial bowing exercises.
2. work through fingering exercises.
3. work through scales.
4. ...
5. work through composition with metronome.

There is no point in jumping to the metronome without a comfortable and relax hold of the instrument and it's sound. A hold that can maintain clarity of sound across all required bow strokes. A hold that can be returned to the next without further study.

Clarity of sound can not be achieved with practice that causes tension in the body. Practice that causes tension in the body results in an unnatural formation that will ultimately need to be relearnt time and time again.