TCHAIK PROJECT 24 - October of 2020

Click here to see the introduction of the TCHAIK PROJECT and know what it is about. =)

And here is a list with all the links to the practice diaries of this PROJECT.

October 5th, 2020 - Monday

Now begins the final time to fix this Tchaik...

I haven't touched the violin for 4 days, I've been pretty messed up in general.

I read The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck. It was really good to read this book. Sometimes what we need (or what I need) is not a violin trick or a miraculous way of practicing. But a general shake up in life and everything I think about, how I face everything in life. An organizing shake. Throwing away what doesn't matter, cleaning up some of the mental junk we accumulate without realizing it, clearing our focus, focusing on what really matters.

So I decided to do the 1234, the Great Ear Cleaning Exercise.

TCHAIK PROJECT 23 - Starting to put pieces together

Click here to see the introduction of the TCHAIK PROJECT and know what it is about. =)

And here is a list with all the links to the practice diaries of this PROJECT.

September 21st, 2020 - Monday

- Body warm up

- Centering

Maintenance Set

- Whole bow staccato with metronome at 100, 2 notes per beat

- String crossing at 60bpm, subdividing the beat in 2 and 3

- Vibrato without bow

- Half step trills

- Staccato in the middle of the bow at 70 bpm, subdividing the beat in 2, 3, 4, 6 and 8

- Open strings with 4, 3, 2 and 1 beats per bow at 60 bpm

- Schradieck, still the XVI. 4., memorizing with attention to mobility and intonation. I want to play it well, so I’ll do it everyday till it comes out. Today I started at 60 and went up to 75 = quarter note, memorizing and with control

TCHAIK PROJECT 22 - Inconsistency, conversations and little stars

Click here to see the introduction of the TCHAIK PROJECT and know what it is about. =)

And here is a list with all the links to the practice diaries of this PROJECT.

September 1st, 2020 - Tuesday

Boy… difficult. I don't even know what I wrote and what I didn't. Many things I didn't. Last week I recorded the pieces for my Flausino Valle Strings Festival online recital. Many stuck moments and conclusions. I re-watched that TED on time management and did the math that the speaker suggests. I’m screwed. I have a lot more things to do than the hours available in the week, and the thing is that I’m not doing any of them, not even the little bit I have time for… Gotta organize this better…

Well, let’s go. There's still a piece to record, guess which one? Reinventio. I reinvented playing this piece again and had to change the strings yesterday because suddenly they were unplayable!

TCHAIK PROJECT 21 - Reflections on time

Click here to see the introduction of the TCHAIK PROJECT and know what it is about. =)

And here is a list with all the links to the practice diaries of this PROJECT.

August 3rd, 2020 - Monday

Important information: I passed the qualification exam! What a rich experience to listen what extremely competent people read and thought about the work I've done so far! 

I had only one little hour to practice between the online rehearsal of my orchestra and the Music Production course at Fimuca. Practice or not to practice?… Practice. This way I don't stay another day without touching the instrument.

- Body warm up

- Fooled around with #desafiocantodapraya

- 3 octaves scale, arpeggios and alternate scale in A major

- Play-through the Tchaik’s 1st mov. exposition, thinking I was playing for my violin section

• I was observing and feeling in a very obvious way the left shoulder tensioning unnecessarily
• the places I need to practice the most are the most obvious ones: tricky triplets and the whole codeta
• the importance of memorizing, a good portion of what doesn’t come out is because THE HEAD doesn’t know, at least not at the speed it needs to be

TCHAIK PROJECT 20 - July of 2020, a very short month of this Project

Click here to see the introduction of the TCHAIK PROJECT and know what it is about. =)

And here is a list with all the links to the practice diaries of this PROJECT.

On the day I post the present bunch of diaries (May 8th, 2021) Brazil has lost over 400.000 lives to Covid-19.

July 19th, 2020 - Sunday

I am still in social distancing, but the city, apparently, is not. The death toll from Covid-19 in Brazil has exceeded 75,000.

The last day I wrote before today was June 28th. 

June of 2019 was the first time I recorded the piece Reinventio, for solo violin, composed in 2018 by Alexandre Lunsqui. I recorded it again now for a video-dance project I proposed to the Municipal Theatre in these times of online performances. My project partners were Bruno Rodrigues and Márcio Filho, both from Balé da Cidade (the City Ballet, another artistic group inside the Theatre). Bruno danced and Márcio was in charge of editing the video. I loved the result, thought it was beautiful!

TCHAIK PROJECT 19 - Technique warm up system!

Click here to see the introduction of the TCHAIK PROJECT and know what it is about. =)

And here is a list with all the links to the practice diaries of this PROJECT.

Notice the consistency with which I was able to practice in the middle of a pandemic, in quarantine, learning a new way to perform my profession from home. All of this while feeling a sky-rocketing anxiety. Tough...

"Direita" means right and "esquerda" means left

June 16th, 2020 - Tuesday

- Body warm up

- 1 minute bows

I made a list of all the technique exercises I’ve been doing to see if somehow I come up with a system to them with a balanced frequency. I wrote down how long it takes me to do each of these exercises. But since I didn't know how long the 1 octave scales and arpeggios in one string takes, I decided to practice just that today, so I could time it. 

- 1 octave scales and arpeggios in one string in G minor (I timed it and I takes me about 25 minutes to practice them)

TCHAIK PROJECT 18 - Beginning of June, 2020

Click here to see the introduction of the TCHAIK PROJECT and know what it is about. =)

And here is a list with all the links to the practice diaries of this PROJECT.

June 1st, 2020 - Monday

The time of things.

The time of things has changed. The things we do with our time have changed. I don't know how many days without practicing have passed, today was another one. It's almost half past midnight and I haven't had dinner yet. Inside of me, the usual hurry. Outside, completely different demands. I can no longer eat a snack on the subway while going somewhere. To cook. Every single day. Usually twice a day.

My boyfriend is here with me and he learned how to cook. We are both happy about it. He’s happy with the learning and independence, and I’m happy I don't have to cook every time anymore. Even with this relief, the house demands are an avalanche! Vacuum cleaner bag, dishes, garbage, laundry etc. Being at home all the time, and in 2 people, this demand has increased exponentially. And it takes time!

TCHAIK PROJECT 17 - Quarantine pain and musician home office

Click here to see the introduction of the TCHAIK PROJECT and know what it is about. =)

And here are the links to all the practice diaries of this PROJECT.

May 18th, 2020 - Monday

3 days without practicing. 3 days with pain in various parts of the body, mostly muscular and in the torso region, both front and behind. I was unable to follow my exercise goal (I even felt real pain the next day this one time!), body asking for-the-love-of-whatever-I-want to go move for real, go walk.

Yesterday I walked. My mask and I went for a walk on a São Paulo Sunday full of people on the street, almost as if it were a normal Sunday. “Do these people also feel pain in their bodies?” At the same time angry because there were so many people on the street and angry to realize I was one of them, I preferred to walk down the small streets behind my house than on Paulista Av., a choice was once obvious. I came back feeling much better.

TCHAIK PROJECT 16 - Fine tuned observation: needle in the haystack of reasons behind a mistake

Click here to see the introduction of the TCHAIK PROJECT and know what it is about. =) 

And here are the links to all the practice diaries of this PROJECT.

May 1st, 2020 - Friday

Labour Day. First day I have activities of the Municipal Symphony Orchestra since we stopped. It will be remote activities that we have to invent ourselves. Video projects for the Theater's social midias. I'm still dealing with ideas and talking to my orchestra colleagues. How atypical are the things of this time! And how important are these actions so we understand in the future what was this pandemic!

- Body warm up

- Centering

Technique Random

- Staccato in the middle of the bow at 70bpm subdividing the beat in 2, 3, 4, 6 and 8 notes

- Vibrato

- Half step trills

- 2, 3 and 4 octaves scales in G major, arpeggios and alternate scale in 3 octaves

TCHAIK PROJECT 15 - Thoughts, fears, doubts and the Mind Over Finger discoveries

Click here to see the introduction of the TCHAIK PROJECT and know what it is about. =)

And here are the links to all the practice diaries of this PROJECT.

April 16th, 2020 - Thursday

Today it’s one month since I started doing  the 1 minute bows every practice session, that is, I've been in social distancing at home for 1 month, also known as quarantine because, as far as I know, there is no way of knowing whether I didn’t get the coronavirus or I’m an asymptomatic. I haven't seen or hugged my mother and siblings for a month, talking to them only over the internet. I'm still fine, considering the fear of the virus and fear of speeches that minimize the world situation or claim nonsense conspiracies. I rest what my mind allows, and practice.

I made 1 minute bows for a month and I want to switch goals. Now I’m going to do Staccati in the middle of the bow every day.

TCHAIK PROJECT 14 - Having time, not having time

Click here to see the introduction of the TCHAIK PROJECT and know what it is about. =)

And here are the links to all the practice diaries of this PROJECT.

April 1st, 2020 - Wednesday

It's still not the easiest task in the world to practice in the midst of a pandemic. One thing is to have available time, or rather, time at home; another quite different thing is to have the willingness to practice 8 hours a day when the body says "If you're at home, rest.”

There is an urge on the internet for us to be productive during the coronavirus quarantine. Online classes made available, events, conversations, workshops, lives on all platforms, with all subjects and for all tastes and ages. Me, personally, in the beginning of this period I thought I'd be very productive and would make a lot of progress on many things. Today, a little more than two weeks after I began my isolation at home, I must confess that I don’t feel like being sooo productive. I want to rest my body and mind by doing LESS things, more slowly, with more attention and, for the first time in many years, without an alarm clock.

TCHAIK PROJECT 13 - the beginning of the pandemic

And then, just like this, a pandemic starts. I was (I still am) scared, anxious, thinking it was going to last 3 months tops. Uncertainties about the profession swirled around my thoughts, fear that this virus and consequent disease would take the people I love and care about away from the world. We were hesitantly re-learning the day-by-day routine.

Here I am on March 9th of 2021, posting the diaries of March 2020 and seeing that not enough has changed. I'm still at home most of the time, the uncertainties about artistic professions are even bigger, the news in Brazil are not happy. There are vaccines, though, there is hope. In São Paulo the red fase (the most strict one) is back as from the day after tomorrow, hopefully attaining the goal to reduce the number of infected and deceased in 2 weeks.

Meanwhile, how do we do to keep practicing (specially when we have a deadline)? How do we keep doing our thing so we maintain some mental health? How do we keep ourselves alive and active, body and mind? 

Click here to see the introduction of the TCHAIK PROJECT and know what it is about. =)

And here are the links to all the practice diaries of this PROJECT.

March 1st to 6th: I did practice violin from March 1st to 6th, not much per day, practiced just technique and a little bit of orchestra and contemporary repertoire. No Tchaik.

TCHAIK PROJECT 12 - The frog and the "hanger" tension

Issues appear, and I have to deal with them. In this period diaries it seems that playing short bows on the frog for a longer time can cause tension on my upper back and neck, a region of the body I call "hanger" because of its shape. Learning the actual amount of work my muscles need to do in order to play those frog strokes is necessary, and this is what those body awareness tools are for.

Click here to see the introduction of the TCHAIK PROJECT and know what it is about. =)

And here are the links to all the practice diaries of this PROJECT.

February 17th, 2020 - Monday

Reading of the day: How to get better at detecting errors especially if they're hiding in plain sight.

Forgot to mention that I started reading a new book, “The Body has its reasons”, by Thérèse Bertherat and Carol Bernstein. I don’t know what happens to me… I devour way faster the books about body than the ones about violin…

TCHAIK PROJECT 11 - Focus on memorization

Year 2020 already started, too many things to do between orchestra, Tchaik Project, teaching violin, the masters course and another special project on the side. Even though there was the Christmas break, the number of things I regularly do didn't change and the tiredness they caused in 2019 was just waiting to be here again.

Two things are worth noticing in this period diaries: I kept memorization in mind the whole time and I'm addressing an issue that I, later, found out to be an important one: difficulty to practice, to start practicing. And an anxiety behind it.

This difficulty can be expressed in many forms: "I'm tired", "I don't feel like it", "I'm lazy", "I don't have the energy", "There's not enough time", "I really have to do the dishes", "I can't do it", "I'm paralyzed". And sometimes there's this little trouble breathing. Does anyone there have/feel this, too?

Click here to see the introduction of the TCHAIK PROJECT and know what it is about. =)

And here are the links to all the practice diaries of this PROJECT.

TCHAIK PROJECT 10 - Summer vacation and beginning of 2020

Finally the practice diaries for the TCHAIK PROJECT get to 2020, this unusual year...

Click here to see the introduction to this project. =) 
Click here to find all the TCHAIK PROJECT posts!

So, for you guys reading this from the north hemisphere, January and February is summer time here in South America. Those who can go to the seaside to loudly make the countdown to the next year, jumping some little waves in a hope this brings them a good year. And here I was, at home, trying to catch up with my hopes and dreams of playing the Tchaikovsky with no physical tension...

January 1st - Wednesday

Yes, it is holiday all around the globe and I want to practice…

- Body warm up (and here's a video of what I do. It's in Portuguese, but the movements are what matter!)

Technique (1h)

I practiced in Random mode, which made the practice happen in the following way:

- Whole bow staccato (E and A strings)

- D major scale in one string (D)

- Staccato in the middle of the bow at 60 bpm (A string)

- D major scale in one string (A)

- String crossing (G-D strings)

- D major scale in one string (G)

- Whole bow staccato (D and G strings)

- D major scale in one string (E)

- Staccato in the middle of the bow at 60 bpm (D string)

- Double stops - octaves/thirds

- String crossing (D-A strings)

- Double stops - thirds/sixths

- Staccato in the middle of the bow at 60 bpm (E string)

- Double stops - sixths/fifths

- String crossing (A-E strings)

- Double stops - fifths/octaves

- Staccato in the middle of the bow at 60 bpm (G string)

Today it was only technique, that’s right, to wrap up the year. Tomorrow I start a mini vacation and my 2020 only starts after that.

TCHAIK PROJECT 9 - End of 2019

Finally, the last set of diaries of 2019! 

*note: Here in Brazil the end of the calendar year is also the end of the school year, because our summer starts on December. So imagine the stress of the double end every year...

Want to know the TCHAIK PROJECT from the beginning? Click here!

________________________________

December 2nd, 2019 - Monday

- Body warm up

- Open strings - 12, 14, 16, 18, 20 and then 4, 3, 2 and 1 beats per bow at 60 bpm

- Vibrato

- G major scale and arpeggios in 2 octaves

- G major scale and arpeggios in 3 octaves

- Orchestra rep

- Tchaikovsky 2nd mov.

TCHAIK PROJECT 8 - Practicing in the cracks of routine

I should have had a lot of time at home to practice for all the projects I was involved with in the months of this present chunk of diaries, but the same projects took me out of the house for almost all of my awake time. 
So here you have what I managed to do to keep making progress in this Project! Looking back, I feel a mix of "I should have done more" with "I am proud I didn't give up and practiced something." 

Oh well, who said that relearning one of the most difficult violin concertos in the midst of a professional life would be a piece of cake?

If you don't know what the Tchaik Project is about, click here!

October 28th, 2019 - Monday

- Body warm up

Technique Random Practice (30’)

- Staccato/Spiccato in the middle of the bow at 65 bpm, subdividing the beat in 2, 3, 4, 6 e 8

- Vibrato

- Shifts on E string starting from 1st finger on 3rd position

TCHAIK PROJECT 7 - Extreme tiredness and a backwards process

I plan and program and think that everything is going to be smooth sailing. But then I have to work, and practice, and prepare, and deal, and be ready for a lot of different things, all of them important. This is reality striking me with a clear message: not so smooth sailing... Besides dealing with an edge of burnout, this time I bring a funny story of a backwards learning, of how I organized a strategy for practicing through a video I disagreed with!

If you are new here, you can watch this video to see what this is all about.

_________________________________

October 15th, 2019 - Tuesday

- Body warm up

- Whole bow staccato

Random

- Vibrato

- Schradieck VX 5.

- Shifting starting with 3rd finger on D string

- Double stops, interleaved 5ths and 6ths

TCHAIK PROJECT 6 - Some results and a new trick

WHAT IS THE TCHAIK PROJECT? Click here if you don't know yet.

October 1st, 2019 - Tuesday

Sometimes life runs me over a little, matters of all orders took my time, my energy and my attention. Then I realized I didn’t practice the Tchaik for many days…

Now I have 1h30 to practice.

- Body warm up

- Open Strings with 12, 14, 16, 18 e 20 beats per bow at 60bpm

- 2 octaves minor scales in fix position with corresponding arpeggios

TCHAIK PROJECT 5 - Longer periods of time

From now on I will post the diaries every 2 weeks. It’s a lot of work to each post and the practices repeat a lot. This way, with more information in each post, you can also see the frequency of practice sections and of what I practice in each section (me too!).

Just arrived? Here is an introduction to the TCHAIK PROJECT.

Readings of those weeks:
The correct way to sit in a chair

And I finished watching the Kato Havas workshop that is on Youtube. The first video is here. Very interesting.

September 16th, 2019 - Monday

I finally finished reading Tchaikovsky’s page on Wikipedia. Has some interesting insights about how to look at his work...

I opened the violin and started playing the 1st movement. Out of the blue. I played a little under tempo, seeing if I memorized something. I have the notes and rhythms of the 1st page already in my head (not all the fingerings yet, specially at the end of the page). I still have to memorize the bowings, a good part of the dynamics and a more solid idea of what the orchestra has. But I got very happy!

I have a little more than 1 hour to practice. I’m lost about what to do, I confess…

TCHAIK PROJECT 4 - When a week is short

Arriving now and doesn't know what the TCHAIK PROJECT is about? Start here =)

Readings of the week:

Build greater confidence by approaching practice like a surgeon

Tchaikovsky's wikipedia page (in Portuguese)

September 10th, 2019 - Tuesday

Hello! It’s not everyday that I’m overthrown by anxiety. There are days when I’m overthrown by a huge stomachache as well. But I’ll try to practice anyway. I’m still not satisfied with the consistency of days I practice nor the time I practice in one day, I think it’s not enough. I don’t intend to practice 8 hours in one day, I don’t even have this amount of time available in my routine. My goal right now is to practice 5 days a week (my professional schedule stops me from practicing every single day) between 3 and 4 hours each day. My good concentration does not last more than that.

Going back to today: I have about 3 hours to practice and a strong stomachache.

- Body warm up

TCHAIK PROJECT 3 - Baby steps

Hey there! Just arrived? Check out the TCHAIK PROJECT Introduction here.

Readings of the week:

On The Tchaikovsky Papers I'm still reading the Introduction and there I already found some interesting information. For example, the fact that letters were considered a literary genre and that those in the book, specially from Piotr's parents and his early letters belong to the Sentimentalism era, where feelings were the important issue. The fashion of the letter's text excerpts they put on the Introduction give a glimpse of the relation between this kind of text and Tchaikovsky's music. 

I read that not only his homosexuality was hidden from the public but also his preference to monarchy and Russian orthodox christian religion, and his musical heritage. For the atheist Soviet Regime it was important that one of the main Russian heroes was in line with the new beliefs. 

When Tchaikovsky was young there was a governess in his house for 5 years, Fanny Dürbach, who introduced him to several educational books written by women, all of them european. "The information provided by Fanny Dürbach further illuminates the cultural landscape of Tchaikovsky's upbringing, which served as an aesthetic background throughout his entire creative life." (p. xvi) They kept writing letters to each other throughout his life and met once again in 1893, his final year.

On The Art of Possibility I'm on the 3rd chapter, Giving an A. The author explains it a lot better than I do:

TCHAIK PROJECT 2 - Let the work begin!

WHAT IS THE TCHAIK PROJECT?

This is the second week of the Project. How was the first week?

Second week

I thought it was a good ideia to start by telling you what I've been reading:

On the left you see The Tchaikovsky Papers, edited by Marina Kostalevsky. I'm reading this after the recommendation of a friend. It's been recently released by the Yale University Press and I'm reading it trying to understand more of who this composer was as a person, what shaped his artistic universe and how he related to the world. The book is a compendium of letters from Tchaikovsky and people close to him that were kept secret for centuries.

On the right you see The Art of Possibility, a book written by the conductor and teacher Benjamin Zander and Rosamund Zander, who works with family therapy and arts. I'm reading this book because of the perspective it shows, a different outlook on life, challenges and relationships (like the one I am trying to build with the Tchaikovsky Concerto).

I also would like to share a playlist on YouTube of what I'm watching for this project. You can see it here.

Now off to the practice diaries!

TCHAIK PROJECT 1 - First week

See the introduction to the Tchaik Project here!

August 20th, 2019 - Tuesday

Before opening the violin case I’m already gasping. We think anxiety comes only when we are performing? In my case it is already present even before I start practicing. I just posted the video introducing the TCHAIK PROJECT in Portuguese, and the exposition of the vulnerabilities of my journey as a violinist makes me tense. But when we go on stage isn’t it what we do? We expose all we have, everything we are, and the more we put ourselves into what we are playing, the more what the audience hears is the music.

Good process for us! =)

I had 15 minutes to practice. I did:

PROJETO TCHAIKOVSKY - TCHAIK PROJECT

First, there is the introduction video:

Then there would be the formal text of the research project, which is basically what I said in the video but with fancy academic words. The only new information there is the name Professor Amilcar Zani, who is the responsible advisor for my project.

Subsequently, a little question: do you prefer the practice diaries to be published monthly or weekly?

And finally: Thank you everyone for joining me in this adventure!

Hugs, Helena. =)

TCHAIK PROJECT - First week >>>

_____________________________________

Facebook fan page link

Instagram profile link