Kalile Alako

That's a good point; it depends on what you want out of life. As a composer, I would want to be able to noodle around on every instrument I would compose for. Obviously I compose without that, especially since I have a class for it, but I picked up the recorder for that reason; I wanted to broaden my perspectives. As a teacher as well. As a virtuoso... it's difficult to be a violin virtuoso while also playing french horn, tuba, cello and timpani at professional levels. Depends on what you want.

montpellier just explained why it's always the oboe. That makes sense now. And I can tell you how all the oboists I've ever known play an A: a tuner on the stand. :P I have always seen a band tune to Bb, unless they are performing with an orchestra. Then they do A. That's what I think is weird, that Bb is, as far as I know, the note where you have no fingers down and whatnot. I forgot that valves are a bit more like piano keys, though, that might explain it.

There's a sight called Ichigo's that has some violin stuff on it. It's not exactly difficult, though, and there is very little of it. Some anime music, a little Zelda... not exactly my cup of tea, unfortunately, but you may find it more to your tastes. Ichigo's Sheet Music - Game and Anime Sheet Music

The problem with these sorts of threads is that it is easy to fall into the insider trap; the common conception is that so and so is great, but I know better because I know what I am talking about, be impressed by my discernment which distinguishes me from a musical lemming. The thing to remember is that Joshua Bell and Yo Yo Ma are both very very good. Whether they are the best is debatable, of course, but still. They are both highly successful, and for good reason. I'm not fond of Joshua Bell's body movements myself; I saw him performing the Four Seasons, and he had a predilection for stamping his left foot while seated, and spinning around jerkily while standing, which is a little startling. However, some people really like him. I love listening to his stuff. And he's certainly more experienced and successful than I am. Also, it depends on the piece. A violinist that I know moves a little much, and it does detract from his sound; he isn't Curtis material, but he might be with less work on presentation and more on sound. Watching him play Kreisler's Liebesfreud, for example, gave me a new enjoyment of the piece; I've always found it charming, but watching him bend his knees, lean back and raise his eyebrows, undulate his shoulders and in all ways deliberately overact in the cheesiest manner possible elicited an audible laugh at the end of the piece, from me and the rest of the audience - it's a humorous piece, and I can't listen to it anymore without chuckling. Did it detract from the sound? Perhaps a little. I didn't do my usual routine of closing my eyes every once in a while to see if he matches. But that is fine, it accomplished what he wanted to say.

It seems we have differences in temperament. Personally, I love Mozart's concertos. His symphonies are nice, but fairly similar to one another in my mind. I may be a tad biased, though, after having played four Mozart symphonies and the Magic Flute overture in two concerts. I like the concertos because they are so incredibly joyous. Restrained? Yes. Boring? Perhaps so... but I am a lover of beauty within strict limitations. There is a certain formality in Mozart that I adore. Of course, he's a bugger to play. And he's not as impressive a concerto writer as say, Bruch or Tchaikovsky - his music, if done well, sounds like the easiest thing in the world, when in fact the technique offers challenges comparable to the difficulty of the notes in the Romantic concertos. To me, that simplicity gives the music much of its charm. Unfortunately for Mozart, though, the Romantic concertos sound impressive even in the easy spots, and a large number of players (violinists, at least) ignore him completely. Which is unfortunate, because few other composers will improve a violinist's technique as rapidly. Basically he has his merits, even if you don't like him. Heh.

I like the comment about a fairytale feeling with Brahms... very apt, to me. The rich, deep sounds are very legend like in my mind. I haven't gotten to play much by him, only a couple of the dances (The omnipresent No. 5 comes to mind) and Symphony 1. Interestingly, I haven't heard any of his numerous vocal compositions, and look forward to hearing the Requiem this Saturday.

Actually, sometimes yes. Again, it probably depends on the conductor, but I've always seen the dot-dash combination interpreted as a heavy short note... ie marcato.

I want more opportunity to practice viola; I can read the clef, I just sometimes get confused and switch either to treble or bass. Also, I want to learn a wind instrument. Arellys, is there any way you can get a hold of a school cello, or something of the like? At my school we have a secondary instrument class where I've been learning cello, and it has been very good for me as a violinist to have the different perspective, different methods of shifting and whatnot - I would highly recommend for cellists and bassists to practice viola or violin, and violinists and violists to practice cello or bass. Just having that new perspective is invaluable, and can help you rediscover that string instruments are practically infinite in their capacity for expression. So often we learn the limits of our own instrument, which is very limiting. Exploring a similar medium is hugely helpful. Plus, you make more money that way; I played a gig over my winter break that I would have been left out of if I didn't play cello. Always a plus.

It does matter, though, doesn't it? On the violin, for example, notes are slightly different depending on what key you're playing in. So you definitely want to tune to an open string. Also, it is so hard to get your finger in exactly the right position... you could be a half millimeter off, and it affects the sound. I've also wondered how our winds keep tuning to the orchestra A, I admit. Sorry to keep replying to old threads, but I'm curious.

I have had conductors who interpret a line above the note as a sort of marcato-like effect... then again, the line is interpreted so many ways that it probably doesn't matter. Usually, though, I see "marcato" or "marc," like Arthur Reglay mentioned.

I am another one for the Bruch violin concerto. Imagine, I am 17 years old, and the hardest piece I can play is the Bruch! I almost have it learned, though, and I'll move on to something more challenging soon, I hope.

I play the violin and the cello. I played piano for six years, but I never got good at it because I wanted to play violin. I've been playing violin for six years, a sadly short amount of time for an aspiring virtuoso. I've been playing cello for almost a year.