Muswell

Keep going, it's not that much and you will soon forget. If you start again every time you make a mistake it will take a looooong time to finish.

Best not look at the conductor, it will put you off.

I have a vernier caliper, a dial caliper and a digital which I probably bought at 10 year intervals. The vernier caliper has been relegated to quick rough measurements and it is the digital I use for serious work.

I bought an Arcus P5 (53g) as a back-up for my nice old French bow (59g) and like it so much that I use it just as often. I have two of my violins which I also switch between for variety of experience....which I think is a good thing.

From what you have written it seems to me that there is no point in buying a bow that is close to the Tepho unless you want it as a spare or for unsafe environments. I would buy the bow that you feel helps you learn. Once you know you can do something you can transfer that knowledge to your Tepho. When a friend and I were trying to improve our times for distance running we would do a track session every so often and do an eyeballs-out mile just to show the body what it could do. It worked well; the physical conditioning of the mile was insignificant and it was all in the mind.

I tried to shave with my axe but I couldn't get a good enough swing, now my neck hurts

I can't find the data but ebony is high moisture movement. On guitars it can cause cracks in the top as the fingerboard shrinks, and frets can protrude.

I look after my instruments carefully but I like it when they show signs of use, I think that just shows that they have been used for what they were intended and adds character. But I prefer that to be natural, whether by me or someone else.

It makes me think of fake antique furniture.

Not in the UK, in fact the very opposite.

I'm not clear why you refer fourth position. In fact fourth and fifth are easy to find simply by physical contact between the hand and the body of the violin. But as well as that in 4, 5, 6,7, 8 the first finger visually is close enough to the edge to judge its position. So, if I go from a from a low position and have time to look then it is helpful. In shifts between high positions there is no need because it is all "muscle" memory in the hand. It is obviously a different problem with the cello because of the bigger differences but I used to play classical guitar and although the frets are a guide, I that often don't think you shift to a fret but rather you shift to a point in a pattern of frets...you don't have time to identify a particular fret. Classical guitarists are usually looking at the fretboard. Now a technical master like John Williams could surely find any fret blindfold and in his sleep but my conclusion, while watching him in a recital, was that guitarists use the visual as well as the muscle memory. I certainly did when memorising pieces, I would change positions and alter hand shapes remembering a sequence of patterns. Your last point about not understanding the question seems absolutely correct and I think applies to any field. Many years ago I wanted to be shown a bad weld and after a few failed attempts the supervisor told me that the welder had been doing perfect welds all his life and couldn't do a bad weld. I go along with the Merkel "if it helps use if not don't" .

Not only fourth. If you are practised in judging dimensions it works wherever you are. It's a trivial comparison but can you fold a sheet of paper exactly in three in one go?

Well in my case it's mainly based on the visual relationship between the first finger and the edge of the belly.

One of my teachers was quite keen on this and I have found it useful at times, especially when it is an awkward shift and also in orchestral playing when I can hardly hear what I'm playing because the brass and woodwind are going for it.

This last week I went to 2 concerts at the Haydn Festival here in the UK. None of the violins nor violas had shoulder rest or chin rest and I saw no signs of discomfort.