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I know whatcha mean. 😛 But hey, it is still mostly the same community, just in a different place. I didn’t move partly ’cause the forum’s supposed to be a little more serious/focused, and since I’m not actually a writer it prolly wouldn’t work that well. XD They’re more focused on focusing on writing.

Oh yikes, doesn’t that mean you’re the concertmaster?! WOW! Congratulations. XD Sweeet. We’re actually in two groups as well, right now—the conductor wanted us to practice with the little one for a few weeks ’cause he thought it would help us in getting used to general orchestra experience/staying in sync/following cues/etc. So we’ve been doing practice with both groups for a couple weeks, and hopefully we’ll be able to stay in the big one. 😛 It is more advanced than we’re always comfortable with, but that’s where the director put us to begin with, and thinks we could catch up, so…we’ll see. We’re seconds in the big one, and Elizabeth’s a first and I’m a second in the little one. That group is so small (like, less than ten people, including us) and beginner-level though that basically every position is the same difficulty. 😛

OOOH whahahahahahaaa Pirates oh my goodness. That must be SO. fun. to play. in an orchestra. Whoa. Nice. XD I play the main theme by myself, but in an orchestra…that’s cool. Yeah, I don’t know if this orchestra’s ever played movie music, but it’d be fun. Ha, nice. ;D

Yeah. :/ Thankfully I do still have enough money—currently XD—so at least that’s not a concern.

Ooh, fun! Tell me how you like it whenever you finish. I’m trying to decide whether or not I should ever read it, ’cause the movie(s) is already good enough for me. XD I’m pretty sure both movies I’ve watched are really accurate, so I don’t know if it’d be worth the effort to read the book. Though reading IS a different experience so it might be nice anyway.

@emma-flournoy

Yeah, I have YWW for that. I liked KP because it was lots of fun and the articles were really good. 😀

LOL! No! Far from it! XD I sit right next to the concertmaster in the smaller group and sometimes I sit there if she’s not there. But in the bigger one I’m in seconds so if I sit in the first chair of the seconds I’m just leading them, not everyone else. XD But yeah, the smaller group is very small. We were a lot bigger by the end of last year but for some reason we just haven’t gotten back the numbers. It started as a sting orchestra, then it turned into a mini orchestra because we had some winds and brass and now it’s pretty much back to a string orchestra. XD The big one has fluctuated too and isn’t as big as it was last year either and is practically all strings but at the point where if one family of four people don’t come one week (two of which play wind instruments) we lose two thirds of our wind section. XD

Yes, it is!! We played it a lot but it never gets old. This is the arrangement we play, though some parts not as fast 😉 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6zTc2hD2npA

Yeah 😀

I always say it’s worth reading the book. 😉 Movies may be really accurate, but you always get much more out of the book. 😀

Well that it certainly was and they certainly were. 😛

OHH okay. XD Well still. That’s not at all bad. XD Ha! Sounds like your orchestra is ever-fluctuating indeed. Must make things interesting…

Noice! Looks quite fun. I’m gaining a new appreciation for orchestral music in general and the people who make it work together. I mean… dis takes WORK. XD And I used to wonder why a conductor was necessary, but no longer. I understand completely. XD

True, that. ;D

@emma-flournoy

😛 XD

Lol, yeah. It’s good though. We’re usually using string arrangements now and the brass and wind have to transpose if there isn’t something for them already (I don’t know if you would have figured this out by now, but some instruments aren’t tuned the same as violin, like with clarinet and trumpet their A is really Bb so if they were to read a violin part, they would be playing in a different key than if you read it).

Oh, orchestra music is amazing! And yes, a conductor is really quite necessary. Actually, our orchestra is at a point where sometimes we don’t need the conductor and she’ll sit in with the first violins. It’s really fun, like having a bit of independence. XD You’ll also soon learn why we have intermissions. Before learning about the orchestra scene, Mum thought, “Why do we need the interval? I’m not tired, I could sit and listen a bit longer.” Welp, it’s not for the sake of the audience, it’s for the musicians. XD

You know what’s really cool?? I have made arrangements of pieces that the orchestra has played! 😀 I’ve done some hymns for the smaller one and done things like LOTR Medley and Titanic songs for the big one. I even did You’re Welcome from Moana, which we performed with a guest singer!! It’s so much fun, except having the orchestra play what I’ve arranged feels a lot like having someone read my writing. XD And if something sounds bad I feel like, “Ooh, I made a mess of that!” even though I’ve heard it many times on my program and it sounds fine. It’s usually just someone playing out of tune. XD

XD

Well that works. XD Choosing favorites is really a terribly hard thing.

Oh, that makes a lot of sense! *cringe* I do have some scale/positions books, but not really technique books, and I admit I hardly ever practice just raw technique by itself. :/ I don’t even really know…how one would go about that? Or is it MEANT to be really boring… 😛 I could do more scales though. That’s easy enough. Oh, and I guess I could practice scales using different bow strokes and stuff… What do you do?

The conductors of both groups are both violinists (husband and wife too 😉 ), so yeah! They usually tell you if you’re doing something wrong, but yeah, it might be helpful to ask more often…

@emma-flournoy

Have you had any concerts yet (forgive me if you’ve already mentioned that XD)? Do you have a dress code for them? Our concerts for the big orchestra are usually all-black unless it’s more casual, like playing at a local showground or at a retirement home, then we have these coloured shirts (green for strings, yellow for winds, purple for brass, orange for percussion – not the colours I would have chosen but they’re fine XD) with black pants/skirt and shoes. That’s usually what we wear in the smaller orchestra all the time, except for when we all join up for Christmas concerts, then it’s all black with some Christmassy accessories.

Indeed it is. XD

Well, they’re not the funnest things to do. XD But yes, scales with different bow strokes and patterns (like doing it with three notes per bow or four, etc) are exercises in the book I have. But there’s also things like practising third and second position, practising double stops, etc. I have a whole workbook full of scales and exercises all ordered into grades (from preliminary to grade 8; I’m currently working on grade 4). It’s definitely helpful for learning all the different scales with their harmonic and melodic minors and the arpeggios. I don’t know if you have anything like that there mainly because this is used in AMEB exams and I have heard you don’t have music exams over there.
https://www.ameb.edu.au/shop/strings/violin/violin-technical-work.html

That’s very handy! If they’re anything like mine, they know what they’re doing and they do it well. 😉 If you’re having trouble with a part, you could just go up to them before or after rehearsal and ask them if they have any tips on making it easier to play. It can be as simple as thinking the rhythm as you play it, or changing the position you play in (like from first position to third. That usually means less string-crossing which is helpful for faster bits).

It’s OK. XD No, not yet—first one’s November 8th. Just four more rehearsals. *endeavors not to shudder* Yes, the dress code is all black. Most of the time, I think. So I’ve been trying to find a good, classy black shirt and skirt, ’cause I don’t normally keep those on hand. XD At least not the shirt. Those concerts definitely sound colorful. ;D Whoa!

Well, I don’t know about anything like that, or exams for that matter, not being a ‘normal’ violin student. 😛 But I do have a scale book, that I bought on purpose, and esp. the later parts of it look positively horrifying. I’m hiding from it. XD Especially all the things with lots of sharps and flats. But I’m sure it would be extremely beneficial to do it and learn the scales/arpeggios/etc., and I should get cracking. XD

That they certainly do. 😉 That’s a good idea. I’m not incredibly position-savvy either, which is also something I need to learn. I only really know 1st and 3rd, and am only 100% comfortable in 1st, though pretty comfortable in 3rd. You can see how well I stretch myself… O.o

@emma-flournoy

I know! I had to get so much black for these performances ‘cuz some are not as formal yet still need to be black and some are quiet formal so I actually went and made a dress (with a lot of help from a couple of sewing teachers but it was good). And now most of my nice stuff is black which I don’t particularly like wearing. *rolls eyes* XD A lady at church gave me some lovely black lace and she said to my mum, “I notice she wears a lot of black,” and Mum said, “Well, that’s not exactly by choice.” XD

Yeah, all the sharps and flats can be scary. I personally don’t like having to play more than three flats or more than three or four sharps. My teacher told me the B Major scale is one of the harder ones (that has five sharps). What about them is scary? Because you don’t know what all the sharps and flats are, or you don’t know what fingers to put where maybe?

Yeah, I’m good in first, not too bad in third and getting better at second (and even doing some things in fourth I think, like a three-octave G major scale). It can be confusing. I like first and third the best.

@emma-flournoy

Hey, you really wanna know my name? 😀

Here’s my introductory post. Page 5 (if the link doesn’t send you right there), Grace W. aka rebelutionary is a good friend of mine and here she accidentally dropped my real name.

– (@) October 14, 2018

Ahh! XD

All right, my post in on page 9 of the Start Here space, called Just Another Girl. Page 5 of that post. XD

We’re playing at the college; I think it’s just a free concert for anyone who wants to come/family members of orchestra peeps, etc. Lessee…we’re playing the third mvt. of St. Paul’s Suite; a few movements of Corelli’s “Christmas Concerto”; the first two and the last mvts. of the Capriol Suite by Peter Warlock; the first mvt. of Bach’s 3rd Brandenburg Concerto; maybe or maybe not a thing called Introduction and Tango, written by a cellist in the group; arrangements of “Come Thou Fount”; “You Raise Me Up”; “The Trout” Quintet; a trumpet concerto by Vivaldi…aaand I think that’s it. XD The little group is doing some of those too.

@emma-flournoy

Sounds like quite the repertoire. I hope you do well and enjoy yourself!

Our performance this afternoon went quite well, though I don’t think I personally played my best. We played a song called Fiesta for Strings, Lady Madonna (the Beatles), It Don’t Mean a Thing, a Mozart piece called Overture and an ABBA medley.

Wow that was fast. XD

Thank you! 😀

Good, I’m glad! I mean, not that you didn’t personally play your best, but yeah. ;P Is there any way for you to tell if you won’t be playing so well one day, and apprehend it, esp. if you have important violining to do? Some days I have are really really good (those are the rare ones XD), some are just good, then mediocre, then downright awful, where I feel like my fingers just won’t work how I want them to and why am I even playing violin again? XD I’m not sure what factors it depends on. I’ve noticed that I play better sometimes when my hands are cold, which doesn’t make a ton of sense, though I thought of a connection recently that might have to do with it. Since different weathers warp the bow in different ways, maybe I just play better when the bow is in a cold environment. No idea. XD And I usually play better than usual if I’m ever not able to play it for a few days or more, but I think that’s just absence making the heart grow fonder. 😛

Anyway. Cool! Which was your favorite of those pieces to play?

@emma-flournoy

Lol, I thought the same thing. XD

That’s a good question… I know what you mean, some days I just feel like my fingers aren’t cooperating or the bow isn’t working well (I think it may need a re-hair anyway 😛 ), other days I feel like the best violinist in the house! (oh, wait… I’m the only violinist XD)

I know my fingers don’t work as well in the cold but that’s not just for violin, my fingers do not like the cold at all (I’m almost always wearing gloves and I have fingerless gloves that I sometimes wear when I’m playing). Some days my shoulder rest doesn’t want to stay on and I think that’s weather-related (the violin expands and contracts with the temperature and even though it normally fits, if the wood contracts it won’t).

Pro Tip: Never leave your violin in the sun, even in it’s case. Never leave it alone in the car, always take it in (I saw my teacher once in the grocery store and she was carrying her violin on her back).

So anyway, I don’t know if you can foresee if you’re going to have a bad practice session or not. Sometimes I just can’t play a certain piece, even if usually I can just fine and so that’s when you try something else.

Ooh, hard one… The Mozart is fun because it sounds really fancy and classical. XD Lady Madonna is catchy, I like ABBA anyway so that’s automatically enjoyable. 😉 It Don’t Mean a Thing is a jazzy swing piece so that’s quite fun. They’re all pretty enjoyable but I don’t know that I have a favourite. What about you?

XD Yeah. Hey, I’m just having my bow re-haired. I didn’t really know about that before, but it came up as an option instead of buying an expensive new bow (I wanna wait till I have enough money to buy a pretty nice bow, not just mediocre, before buying another bow at all). Haven’t gotten it back yet, but I’m hoping it’ll be a big improvement. I’m already imagining the smooth and effortless feel of drawing it across the strings, and trying to make myself quit before I over-expect expectations. XD

Aw, never? That’s hard. O.o XD Toting one’s violin all over the place doesn’t sound convenient. But I suppose it’s more convenient than the violin’s early death.

OK, yeah.

Fun. 😀 My favorite’s probably the Corelli concerto, and the first mvt. of the Capriol Suite. OH, and definitely the Brandenburg Concerto mvt.

@emma-flournoy

Yeah, I know what you mean, I didn’t know about it either. My friend who was learning violin lives on a farm and he has a horse and he was telling me he wants to re-hair his own bow with his own horses’ hair, and I was like, “I don’t think that’ll work quite like that.” XD

If you can help it. It’s not too bad, if you have straps, or you can just put it in the shopping trolley if you get one. Usually (for me) I’d only have it in the car when we go to the store is we go right after my lesson or something. Usually taking it somewhere means I’m going to be using it (a concert, etc) so it wouldn’t be staying in the car anyway.

I don’t know if I’ve heard those. But I find with classical music I do recognise it when I hear it, even if I don’t know the name. XD

Ha! XD If only…

Well, that’s true; I guess I don’t normally have it in the car unless I’ll be using it.

I know whatcha mean. XD

@emma-flournoy

It would have been really cool if he could have. XD

Yeah. I don’t just think, “I’ll take my violin shopping today.” XD

Yeah. Do you have any idea what Mozart Symphony no. 40 is?? If you don’t, YouTube it and I bet you you have heard it before. 😉 I didn’t know, but we’re playing it in orchestra so I listened to it and I recognised it and now I have a name for the piece. 😀

Yeah. 😛

XD

Ohh wait I think I actually do… Goes like ‘duh-da-duh duh-da-duh duh-da-duh-Daaa —- DA-da-da da-da-da da-da-duh-duh…’ etc. If you know the tune you’ll be able to read that properly. XD That’s Molto Allegro, which I think must be the famous movement. I used to listen to that all the time because I used to listen to Mozart all the time, and it’s on so many Mozart CDs.
Cool. 😀 Is it fun?

@emma-flournoy

Yes, that’s it exactly! XDXD Yes, it is rather fun, but we haven’t been playing it up to speed yet. 😉 XD

Oh yay! XD Yeah, it’s so fast. Fun. 😀

@emma-flournoy Yeah, I think we’re playing it a little over half speed.

*nodnod* Cool.

@emma-flournoy

Another one we got that’s really cool is the second movement of Beethoven Symphony no. 7.

Ooh. I don’t know that one off the top of my head, but most Beethoven symphonies are pretty epic.

Our last rehearsal besides the dress rehearsal on the day of the concert was last night. The director said he’s feeling confident about the concert, but I’m still not quite clear on how it’s all going to be good on Thursday. I think maybe they just don’t worry if it’s not 100% perfect. *clutches perfectionist brain* So I guess I’ll have to not worry too. XD

@emma-flournoy

Look it up. 😀 And if you can, find it on the YouTube channel smalin. He makes animated score things and they’re so pretty!

Ooooh! Getting close then? You’d do great. Trust me, I know about not perfect. My first concert with the CSO (the big orchestra), we had this piece for How to Train Your Dragon (which sounds epic when played well, but XD), which none of the violinists were confident about playing these triplets at the beginning, so those who did try played them very quietly so they wouldn’t stand out, and they might as well have not been played. *facepalm* So, there ya go. XD

But, if the direction is confident, then I’d trust his judgement, because he can hear the whole picture (XD) from his spot at the front and centre. You only hear part of it from where you sit (and you hear different parts depending where you sit). So maybe it doesn’t sound super great where you are, but the conductor, and the audience, are getting a different experience.

I shall, eventually. 😀

Ooh. XD

Well, that’s an encouraging thought. *nod* I’ll try not to stress. XD

@emma-flournoy

Yeah, ooh. XD

*hugs* You can do it!

Question, is your sister doing NaNoWriMo?

XD It’s OK.

Yeah, definitely. Scary. 😛 I’ve only been in one recital before, and it was plenty nerve-wracking.

OOH, I’ll definitely watch that one. LOVE Canon in D. <3 <3 <3

@emma-flournoy

I’ve done a couple of exams and one time I couldn’t tell if I was purposefully doing vibrato or my hand was just shaking. XD Anyway, so far I’ve decided not to do any more exams because they’re not necessarily necessary and I don’t need that added bit of pressure/anxiety. XD

Yeah, it’s pretty nice. But you gotta feel sorry for the cellos. 😉 XD

Ha! XD Well, makes sense.

I know! The same thing over and over and over again….

Yeah. XD

Ha! You poor thing. :’D That’s funny though. That would totally happen to me in the same situation.

We have about two and a half weeks till our Christmas concert now, and we only started practicing our music for it about a week ago. *shudder* I really don’t know why they do this. 😐 That’s less than half the amount of time we had to practice for the first one. Plus my family just got sick, and my head is killing me and all my attempts at extra practice make it worse. I have chronic headaches but I think I must also be crunching my chin down too hard on the violin with the efforts at serious extra practice and messing up the whole muscle structure of my neck and head. This ain’t gonna be easy. XD

*ends pity party*

When’s your next concert?

@emma-flournoy

It wasn’t too bad. Though my hands were shaking after for a bit. XD

Aw. You shouldn’t have to be really tense to hold the violin (though sometimes you just are and don’t realise it XD). What songs are you playing for the Christmas one?

At this point that I know of, May. We’re not doing a Christmas thing this year (not a formal one, anyway. The conductor has invited all orchestra groups and their families to her house for celebration).

XD

Yeah, I think a lot of my tensity I don’t notice soon as I should ’cause I’m too focused on other aspects. It’s sad. ;P Lessee. There’s “Around the World at Christmas Time”, “A Christmas Festival”, “Star of Wonder”, “March of the Toys”, “Joy to the World”, “The Huron Carol”, and “I Heard the Bells”. I think that’s it, at least for the main group, though I guess they’re all subject to change. Several of ’em are big medleys of a bunch of different Christmas songs.

Ooh, fun fun!

@emma-flournoy

Yeah. There’s a lot to think about when playing an instrument. 😉

I don’t know any of those specifically (except for Joy to the World and I Heard the Bells), though if they’re medleys, I’d most likely know the songs in them. 😉

Yeah, I’m sure you’d know most of them. 😉

How goes NaNo?

@emma-flournoy

Carols are generally known universally. XD

It goes well! I reached 30,000 words last night and I’m consistently a day ahead of the recommended goals. I haven’t been stressed or feeling like I wasn’t going to make it and I’m confident I have plenty of story to reach the word count, and then some. 😀 It’s been an enjoyable experience this year. Though sometimes I just don’t feel like writing, but then I get people to do word sprints with me and that helps. 😉

How about you, and whatever endeavours you do. What do you like to do, since you’re not a writer? Just music, or do you have other hobbies?

Yay! That’s awesome.

Welp, I’m not even sure, technically. If reading counts as a hobby, count that. :’D I’m not really naturally artsy so I don’t do much in that field, and though I can sew things fairly nicely I don’t particularly like sewing except for once a year or so. XD Which would make violin, piano and reading my main ‘hobbies’. And healthy cooking, I guess. xD That’s fun. And mainly living in a big family with tons of people around you to invest in. Investing in people qualifies as a hobby right? XD Hoo boy. Oh, and MBTI of course. Anything MBTI, and watching/analyzing whoever I have to do with. BUT that’s not a hobby in the main sense of the word. I love thinking and wondering and researching about things and ideas in the world in general. Just don’t put it into books/characters arcs like I imagine you do. ;D

Aaaanyway! Lately there hasn’t been much time for tons of anything but violin in addition to regular life. But I try to squeeze in piano when I can (gaahhhh piano’s so relaxing to play compared to violin), and still have time for a fair amount of reading. *shrug* Life’s extremely busy and we’re sort of…going through a family season of much fighting/insensitivity and not getting along/honoring people as much as should be, so that’s taking up a lot of energy. :’D Trying to sort all that out and be happy and in good relationships with everyone and figure out what God wants me to focus on. In fact I wouldn’t mind prayers for that. 😀 I get depressed over the seemingly smallest things. 😐 Which is something I’m trying to remedy, but I s’pose it’s a long process. I hate conflict so bad.

*AHEM* That’s not what you asked for, sorry! XD But anyway. Is there any way I can pray for you?

(And do you have any other hobbies or is it mainly music and writing?)

@emma-flournoy

I reckon they all count, and I don’t see why MBTI wouldn’t. 😉 Yeah, it’s nice to have the outlet of writing for all my thinking and wondering. 😀

Yikes. That’s okay. 🙂 Sorry to hear that, that’s not always fun, is it? Of course I’ll pray. _hugs_

Uh… Not specifically at this point, but thank you. 🙂

I consider music and writing my passions, and the other (numerous) things I do hobbies: I like sewing (I’m currently working on a bag made out of an old pair of jeans), crafts, woodworking (though we haven’t done that for a while ‘cuz of circumstances 😛 Actually, now that I think of it, we’re really in need of a second car). There’s also arranging and composing music, which is different from actually playing music.

I bet. 😀

Not very fun at all, Precious. *gollum, gollum* XD
Thanks, that means a lot. 🙂

I know though, sometimes when I’ve been asked that question I’m like…uh… nothing? *wracks brains* Yeah… So it’s all right. XD

Cool!! So much neat stuff. Woodworking, that’s neat. Do you like specifically carving, building things, both? When you can ’cause of circumstances. ;P One of my brothers does a lot of woodworking. He makes walking sticks and sells them too. They’re cool.
And there are so many things that can be made of old jeans! Mom once made a huge braided rug out of some.

@emma-flournoy

😀

That’s okay, precious. *gollum* XD

Yeah, same here. XD

With woodworking I’ve made a bowl (which was mostly round when I started, so it was a good starting project and I really enjoyed that). I’ve made two boxes (one a test, one my new jewellery box). And I’ve made a baton that I’m going to give to my conductor. 😀 I did start doing some carving, but because my dad needs the car, we haven’t been able to go lately, so that’s probably just been sitting there. XD

Yes, there are! Always keep your old jeans. 😉

XD

Ooh, cool stuff! I bet it’ll be fun giving your conductor the baton. 😀

Yup, definitely. And yeah, at least I’m no PA. ;P I mean, it sounds like a position I’d enjoy, but busy.

Wul cool still. I love fiddle music either way.
And wow. People like that are amazing.

@emma-flournoy

Yeah, it’s pretty fun. I check the emails and print music and bind scores for her and she and I send out the emails and organise repertoire and things like that.

Yeah, it’s really fun.

Yes, they are! We have a friend who doesn’t know how to read music very well, but he plays the piano amazingly.

Kewel.

Wow. 😀

@emma-flournoy

lol

Which movement of St. Pauls’ Suite did you say you’ve played? My orchestra has been playing the first movement (the Jig, I think it’s called), and that’s pretty challenging, but lots of fun (though my stand partner doesn’t like it XD).

We played the 3rd mvt. at our concert, but we’d been practicing the first for a bit before they decided not to do it this semester. I agree, it’s alotta fun. And really challenging. XD The worst part is the part with like 6 sharps (if you’re a second violinist. If you’re not you might not have that part.). Thankfully it’s not very long, but so fast! I love the tune of that movement. It sounds Scottish.

@emma-flournoy

I am a second violinist. 😉 You mean the bit with all the semi quavers going up and up? In our score they’re all accidentals, but it would be six sharps if put as a key signature 😛 My teacher’s helped me with that and says play each group of three with the third, second and first finger so it’s always 3, 2, 1. It means a lot of shifting, but if you practise with a piano (to know what the notes are supposed to sound like) and put in where the half-steps are, it helps a lot.

Okay, yes! That’s the part. I’m pretty sure they’re accidentals on our score too. OK, that sounds like a good solution. We had someone help us with that part too, and I don’t think they gave us quite the same fingering (it doesn’t involve much shifting at all; it’s mostly just all half a note down from where your fingers usually are in 1st position), but it’s SO much easier than how I was trying to do it. So once I know I’m hitting the right notes and can do it fast enough, it won’t be that hard. XD I just have to make myself practice slowly and work up. And yes, someone else told us to play it out on the piano over and over again so we’d have the tune in our heads and it would help. It does.

@emma-flournoy

Cool, I’m glad you’re getting input from more experienced people. Otherwise you can feel a bit lost as to what to do.

Today Elizabeth and I went and played an informal concert thing at a local library, with a cellist/jack-of-all-strings from the orchestra and several of his students. It was mostly Christmas carols, and pretty informal, but it was fun.

@emma-flournoy That sounds really fun. 😀

Orchestra is over for me now. 🙁 Tonight is the party the conductor is having at her house, but I’m not going to go, except to maybe drop in and give my stand partner a thank you present (she brings me home every week).

Aw, too bad. 🙁 But yay for nice stand partners!

Oh well then. XD

Aww, fun.

That’s sweet too. <3 And yay, getting to do it twice! XD

Are you excited for 2019? Weary? Ambivalent? Hopeful?

@emma-flournoy

XD

Yeah.

Actually, three times! 😀 One of them lives in a different timezone than the other two so hers was an hour after. XD

I think my 2019 is off to a good start in many ways, especially my writing. Last night I finished one of my stories, tonight I started the second draft of another, and I’ve written every day so far (haha, we’ll see how long that lasts XD).

What about you? 😀

Ha! Fun. XD

Good, I’m glad! That’s great. Meh, I’m probably more on the ambivalent side…. def. wouldn’t say excited. XD I’ve never been terribly excited for new years to come; prolly ’cause I’m sad the time’s going so quick. Which is probably not the best view to take. -_- There are a several things I have in mind for this year, but I’m not terribly looking forward in general ’cause of emotional aspects of life still/change in general. The thought of a whole new year of the same old problems makes me glum. But I am kinda looking forward to even that in light of growing and letting God teach me lots of things through problems. If I’ll just listen. 😉 Hey, look at this cool song I found the other day. I love it. (Even though the animation is so fake. It’s s’posed to be that way. XD And it’s charming.) It reminds me not only of the need for Christians to stand together, but also individual families.

Also! I’m going to be a legal adult in six days. O.o

@emma-flournoy

I know what you mean about time passing quick. Sometimes that can be scary.

Oh, I love Casting Crowns! That video was so cool. 😀

Yikes, now THAT is scary. I’ve been a legal adult for almost two years (12 days left XD).

*nod*

😀

Yikessss that’s even scarier. You won’t even be a teenager anymore. XD

@emma-flournoy

I knuuuu! XD

How do you feel about becoming an adult? 😉

Mostly, I always thought I’d feel older than this by the time I got here. XD But I don’t. I’m the same Emma I was when I thought those things. Just with a ton more experience behind me. 😛

@emma-flournoy

I know what you mean. The only age I remember actually feeling different at was 15.

Heh. Where do de years go.

Thank youu! And ACTUALLY, I thought that’s what might have happened in that case. I knew you were one day ahead and I thought I’d calculated that, but I guess not. XD I’m not sure how mine got 9 days off though! XD

Oooh that sounds absolutely lovely too. 😀 And breakfast for dinner is great.

@emma-flournoy

Ah, my bad maths skills is what happened. XDXD

Yees, it’ll be fun. 😀 And we’re going to make pinwheels (bacon, onion, grated carrot and zucchini and cheese rolled in puff pastry, sliced up and baked) and Nutella brownies (so yummy) to eat, and possibly this three-ingredient chocolate cheese cake I found which is really nice, for afternoon tea.

@perfectfifths

Ohh Ah see. xD

OH YUM. O.o Those all sound delish. Especially Nutella brownies. Tea party food is awesome!
(What are the three ingredients? Cream cheese, eggs, and melted chocolate bar or chips?)

Oh and also, we’re able to do orchestra this semester. 😀 We’re just doing the one main group this time though. First practice was last night.

@emma-flournoy

Yees XD The Nutella brownies are very easy: three eggs, beaten until frothy; one cup of Nutella, 1/3 cup of sugar, 1/3 cup of flour and 1/2 teaspoon of salt; bake in a loaf pan for about 40 (or however long it’ll take in your oven) and leave to cool completely before slicing. And yes, the cheese cake has eggs, cream cheese, and dark chocolate.

Aw, yay! That’s great. I’m really wanting to join the fiddle group this year, but that’s right after main orchestra, which is right after junior orchestra, and that, plus volunteer stuff I do, I can’t maintain all that every week, so I’m seriously thinking about dropping junior orchestra. But it’s a hard decision.

@perfectfifths

Ahhh, so yum! Simple but amazing recipes are the best. 😀

Ooh, fun! But I see the dilemma. D’you think junior orchestra or the fiddle group would be more beneficial/growing?

@emma-flournoy

Yeah, especially when your mum looks at you while watching TV after dinner at like 8pm and says “Can we make Nutella brownies?” XD

Well, that’s a good question. XD I’ve been in the junior orchestra almost as long as I’ve been playing violin. And it has helped me in playing in a group setting and about reading music and such. And it’s for young people just learning and older people coming back to their instruments (or even just learning themselves), so I am by no means the youngest or the oldest.

But the last couple weeks last term, the conductor has started bringing in the younger kiddies from the little kid group Twinkle Stars. So we’ve been playing simpler music (which isn’t a problem at all, it’s still good music). However she’s also been asking me and and the first chair to help them with following their music instead of playing (which is fine, but I go there to play, mostly XD). And she is continuing having them make that transition, which I think is great for them. But that means junior orchestra is going a bit backwards for me in difficulty and such.

I still learn a lot in the main orchestra, and I enjoy it a lot, so I’m continuing with that one. The fiddle group is a completely different kind of setting in that there’s no conductor (often the conductor doesn’t even stay the whole time), but everyone kind of takes turns leading and playing an intro and you can choose to play melody or the easier harmony and things like that. It’s just a very different experience from the other two and I really enjoy it.

That got long. XD But with all the other things I do on a Monday (Mondays are so busy!), Mum and I were trying to cut down how many hours I’m doing things, so we did decide I should drop the junior orchestra in the end. I’d been thinking about it for a while anyway, knowing that if I did the fiddlers, I’d have to, because it was too long an evening, and I figured the start of term (we go back at the beginning of Feb) would be a good time to do it.

@perfectfifths

Heheh. XD

Well that all makes sense. I’m glad you get to do the fiddle group! It almost sounds too fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants for me. XD I’m not great at improvising with anything, unless I’ve had time to plan it beforehand. XD Do they use sheet music though? That might be a little less scary.

Ha, it’s funny that yours is Mondays too! Ours are, and we have some friends who do an orchestra and their day is Monday too. Wonder what’s with that? Yeah, your Mondays sound even busier than ours! I’m glad things turned out in a way that works. Hopefully the little group isn’t too heartbroken to lose you. ;P

And HAPPY BIRTHDAY!! (Because I think this should be your 19th? XD It’s our 18th.)

@emma-flournoy

It’s not too bad, I think it’s just that I’m joining after a while, and some of the regulars have already established their “routine” so to speak and know what they’re doing more. 😉 But yes, we have fiddle music books. I own two of them, but I also borrowed the conductor’s and been practising during the holidays, so hopefully I’ll be able to keep up (especially when they play a song several times, faster and faster! 😀 ). Plus I’ll buy some of the books for myself too.

Interesting! Maybe it’s because Monday and Music both start with M. XD Most people dislike Mondays, but I love ’em, ‘cuz orchestra. 😀 Mum hasn’t sent the email to the conductor yet, so I dunno what she’ll think. DX

You got it! Thank you! 😀

@emma-flournoy So sorry (again), I didn’t see this (again)! XD

I have my first gig with the Fiddlers on Saturday, and I’m sooooooo excited! We had a rehearsal on Monday, even though orchestra hasn’t started yet officially (that’ll be next Monday, so yay!). 😀

Yeah. Too bad for them. 😛

It was! My grandparents came over that afternoon and we played card games. And we made this amazing chocolate cake! 🙂

So… A friend of ours from church is wanting to learn violin (and so are two of her children, possibly). She’s actually borrowing my old one while the one they own is getting fixed, and I gave her a bit of a first lesson (how to hold the violin and the bow, how to put the shoulder rest on, some basic scales, that sort of thing), but I’m also considering actually teaching her (like for a fee and everything). So that’s pretty exciting. She has the passion and the musical-ness and she knows some theory and how to read music from learning piano as a child, so I think I’d just be teaching how to play the violin. Anyways, Mum has told me to pray about it, and if I did offer, I’d have to find the time in our week to do it (that won’t be easy), but I am considering it. 😀

@perfectfifths
You’re fine. XD XD

Sweeeet! So that was yesterday for you, right? Was it funnn?

Quite. XD

Awesome! 😀

Hey, that’s neat! Would you feel odd, teaching someone much older than you? I don’t know if I would or not… I think it’d depend on the personality. 😛 It’s great that she’s already got the passion and musical-ness, ’cause I bet that’ll help a lot. That’s exciting! 😀

@emma-flournoy XD

Yep. It was! But I was sooo tired for the rest of the evening. XD

😀

Not with her, I wouldn’t. She was literally jumping up and down with excitement when I gave her a taste of it, and when I told her yesterday I’d like to teach her, she was so excited. 😀 She asks good questions and has been very insightful just from that one bit I showed her (she asked me if she should move her left elbow to help with reaching on the fingerboard, which is something that my teacher had to tell me to do XD). I find it easier to teach adults than kids anyway (I was also showing her kids and they were rather easily distracted and distracting XD).

So, have you got any performances planned? It’s a bit early in the year, but I already know of at least three for us that are planned later this year. XD