Week 40 of year 2007 on the double bass

30 Sep 2007, Sun: I practised the 1st movement, part of the 2nd and 4th movement of Eccles' Sonata in G minor. In addition, I practised selected passages from the current repertoire that the orchestra is rehearsing.

3 OCt 2007, Wed: During the double bass sectional, Mr G gave the section guidance in playing the 4th movement of Mahler's First Symphony. I enjoyed having sectionals with him. He has a systematic approach to making sectionals a fulfilling learning experience. We have a new member, WL, who joined our section.

For the orchestra rehearsal, we rehearsed selected passages from the 4th movement of Mahler's First Symphony. We also rehearsed "Infernal dance of King Kashchei" from Stravinsky's Firebird. I seem to need more work with playing certain rhythms, especially those which are off-the-beat. On the whole, I could definitely relate better to Mahler's First Symphony than Stravinsky's Firebird though it is helpful to learn new musical language. We were informed that the orchestra's next concert where we would play Mahler's First Symphony and Stravinsky's Firebird would be held at the YST Conservatory Concert Hall.

In attempt to catch up on practices, I practised the first movement of Eccles' Sonata in g minor during the orchestra break.

4 Oct 2007, Thu: I love the double bass lesson with MJ this evening. The lesson got me started on the first movement of Dittersdorf's Concerto in E major. I love how this movement sounds on the double bass, and the lesson brought me some delight. That was indeed a most welcomed delight that had brought me respite from the tiring and draining week. I felt so excited about having to practise this concerto that its tune particularly rang in my mind for much of the evening.

I also had time to play a segment from the first movement from Eccles' Sonata in g minor. I still need more work to get a smooth bow-change.

5 Oct 2007, Fri: The motivation to practise Dittersdorf's Concerto in E major prompted me to practise a section from the first movement of the concerto. A nice concerto which is challenging to play. After which, I played a segment from the first movement from Eccles' Sonata in g minor. Needing more work.

6 Oct 2007, Sat: For much of the day, I practised Dittersdorf's Concerto in E major. It has been enjoyable practising for the concerto. I did so by practising section by section. Admittedly, I had skipped a few of the most challenging sections. It was quite difficult to stop the notes on the higher positions of the third and fourth strings. This made me contemplate on the possibility of getting a new double bass that would better meet my current practising needs. Would good luck come my way to pave the road for me to afford a better double bass soon? The other alternative would be to send my current double bass for a major overhaul. However to send it for a major overhaul means that I have to make do with less time to practise. May I afford a better double bass soon.