Episode 32: Tips for preparing for competitions and auditions

- Upcoming events: April 25 and 26 - Beethoven Concerto with the New Philharmonic in Glen Ellyn, Illinois, April 27 - recital with pianist Matthew Hagle in Lake Forest, Illinois (music of Dvorak, Mendelssohn, Brahms, and Ravel)

- Inquiries From My Inbox: A violinist from the Columbus (Georgia) Symphony asks, "What's that fuzzy stuff on your chinrest?"

 - Random Musical Thought: Albert Schweitzer says "There are two means of refuge from the miseries of life; music and cats."
 
- Tips for preparing for competitions and auditions: get your application form in on time, don't hesitate to ask as many questions as you need to, get extra copies of the music and mark measure numbers if required, experiment with different warm-up strategies and orders of repertoire, get used to playing your repertoire in a random order, practice while wearing your complete concert clothes and go through your entire stage routine, practice introducing your repertoire, videotape your practice performances if you can, prepare your entire repertoire even if the audition timeslot is short, decide which piece you want to play first, be sure to practice playing your delicate pieces right after your loud pieces, practice your repertoire at various times of day, be sure to get basic maintenance done on your instrument before the concert, make a list of what you need to bring with you on the big day (snacks, music stand, rosin, shoulder bar, mute, accompaniment part, page turner, books and I-Pod, shoes), get to bed on time the night before and rest and relax even if you can't fall asleep.

total playing time: 30:34

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Episode 31: Some of my favorite books about music and why I love them
 
- Upcoming events: April 17 - Beethoven Concerto with the Northwest Indiana Symphony, April 18 – English Baroque music with the period instrument ensemble Callipygian Players in Chicago, April 19 – Mendelssohn Concerto with the 100th Anniversary Alumni Orchestra at Lane Tech High School in Chicago, April 20 - English Baroque music with the period instrument ensemble Callipygian Players in Skokie, IL

- Random Musical Thought: Follow-up on previous comment about musicians’ clothes
Groundbreaking books about violin history, repertoire, and performance practice:
- The History of Violin Playing from Its Origins to 1761: and Its Relationship to the Violin and Violin Music by David D. Boyden
- Violin Technique and Performance Practice in the Late Eighteenth and Early Nineteenth Centuries by Robin Stowell

Wonderful books about the history of American music:
- The Music of Black Americans: A History by Eileen Southern
- Maud Powell: Pioneer American Violinist by Karen A. Shaffer

Books about interesting topics written by authors with a great sense of humor (rare in the stuffy world of musicology):
- Men, Women and Pianos: A Social History by Arthur Loesser
- Music and Society in Lowland Scotland in the Eighteenth Century by David Johnson

A brilliant hoax:
- An Incomplete History of the Art of the Funerary Violins by Rohan Kriwaczek

A novel with great descriptions of voice lessons in 18th Century Italy
- Cry to Heaven by Anne Rice

total playing time: 18:38

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Violin Adventures with Rachel Barton Pine is produced by Windy Apple Studios www.windyapple.com

Episode 30: Teaching yourself to become a great improvisor!

 

- Upcoming Events: April 14 - chamber music by Poulenc, Villa-Lobos, Hahn, Turina, and Francaix with the Jupiter Chamber Players in New York City

 

- Random Musical Thought: Cellist Zuill Bailey says: "I find a majority of concerts in classical music similar to going to an aquarium…"

 

- A conversation with Philip Pan, concertmaster of the Jacksonville Symphony.  Philip discusses how he went from being a strictly classical musician to becoming a great improviser in styles including rock and metal.  Includes lots of good step-by-step advice about how to get started playing rock violin.

 

total playing time: 27:26
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Violin Adventures with Rachel Barton Pine is produced by Windy Apple Studios www.windyapple.com

Episode 29: More tips about memorization and preparing for chamber music rehearsals
 
- Upcoming events: April 7 – master class at Crown Point High School in Northwest Indiana

- Inquiries From My Inbox: CuciucGriga asks, "Where did you study?"
 
- Random Musical Thought: Why does Henle clutter up its “urtext? editions with too many editorial suggestions?

- More tips about memorization: re-memorizing a piece you’ve played before (especially if you change fingerings or bowings), memorizing dynamics and articulations and tempo markings (not just notes and fingering and bowings).

- More tips about preparing for chamber music rehearsals: figuring out harmonies (major, minor, deceptive cadences), xeroxing page turns and making 4 or 5 pages into 3 tall pages.

total playing time: 21:52

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Would you like to be featured on Violin Adventures?  Just send your question via text or as an MP3 attachment to rachelbartonpine@aol.com and listen for you answer on Inquiries From My Inbox!

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www.rachelbartonpine.com

www.myspace.com/rachelbartonpine

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Violin Adventures with Rachel Barton Pine is produced by Windy Apple Studios www.windyapple.com