The Old Dogs Chamber Orchestra/Fiddle Band

[Tina Carlsen]

I really loved the string started by M. Alice who asked

if it was too old to learn the violin past the age of

20. The responses were heartwarming, and I felt very

privledged to have shared the thoughts of fellow

travelers down this challenging journey. Made me think

what fun it would be for all of us to get together to

play our favorite style of music! There could be the

Old Dogs Chamber Orchestra, DJ principal violinist. Or

how about the Missing CLEW Violin Quartet (Claire, Louise,

Elaine and Wendy)? Or the Old Fart Fiddling Trio (me,

Micheal and David). Duets featuring Tana and M. Alice?

Would this be a blast or what?

Tina

[Elaine]

: I really loved the string started by M. Alice who asked

: if it was too old to learn the violin past the age of

: 20. The responses were heartwarming, and I felt very

: privledged to have shared the thoughts of fellow

: travelers down this challenging journey. Made me think

: what fun it would be for all of us to get together to

: play our favorite style of music! There could be the

: Old Dogs Chamber Orchestra, DJ principal violinist. Or

: how about the Missing CLEW Violin Quartet (Claire, Louise,

: Elaine and Wendy)? Or the Old Fart Fiddling Trio (me,

: Micheal and David). Duets featuring Tana and M. Alice?

: Would this be a blast or what?

: Tina

Sounds like fun. I am 44 and started learning the

violin about 10 years ago. For the first 9 years

I practiced by myself and did not play with others

at all. Believe me it was hard to keep going.

I have taken lessions all these years and was

finally invited to play with the University orchestra

here in my home town. What a difference it made!

I was very nervous, though, thinking that I was

not good enough and so decided to take this

semester off to improve technique. My teacher is

almost 30 years younger than I am and is helping

me with encouragement and advise on technique.

I believe a good basic technique is essential to

good sound. My first teacher said, "the trouble

with adults is that they want to fly before they

can crawl". My motto: Never say die!!!

I love you all who are adult beginners of the

violin. Please e-mail me and let me know how you

are doing. Let's keep in touch. Elaine

[Elaine P.]

Hi Elaine C. I was surprized to see another "Elaine" on the board. I guess we better post our last initials or we'll drive everyone batty wondering who is who. I'm 42 and been at it 3 1/2 years, so it could get confusing! I'm taking my first trek into fiddle music shortly. I met a wonderful woman fiddler who lives in Colorado and posts here from time to time. We're starting "video-fiddle lessons." Yeah, kinda techno, but I can't afford to fly to CO from NC once a week and I have a regular teacher for classical/pop type music. I'm also going to Mark O'Connor's fiddle camp this August, so I may hang up my Handel by the time this is over! Not really! I love classical and fiddle both. If I don't go nuts trying to keep the two styles separate that is Welcome to the board! Oh, I saw your e-mail address below and will drop you a personal note too. Happy fiddling!

[Claire]

: Hi Elaine C. I was surprized to see another "Elaine" on the board. I guess we better post our last initials or we'll drive everyone batty wondering who is who. I'm 42 and been at it 3 1/2 years, so it could get confusing! I'm taking my first trek into fiddle music shortly. I met a wonderful woman fiddler who lives in Colorado and posts here from time to time. We're starting "video-fiddle lessons." Yeah, kinda techno, but I can't afford to fly to CO from NC once a week and I have a regular teacher for classical/pop type music. I'm also going to Mark O'Connor's fiddle camp this August, so I may hang up my Handel by the time this is over! Not really! I love classical and fiddle both. If I don't go nuts trying to keep the two styles separate that is Welcome to the board! Oh, I saw your e-mail address below and will drop you a personal note too. Happy fiddling!

Me too--I'll be there! Actually, I am in a string ensemble composed

entirely of adult beginners and we do have a lot of fun, but work

*very hard* at the music. My teacher is the conductor, but others

in the group take lessons from other teachers, and some do not take

lessons at all--they are trying to learn on their own with just the

ensemble as instruction. Our group is called From Scratch and we

will be giving a concert in May (We've been working on the music since

September--that should give you some idea of where we are. We will be

playing Scarlatti (sp?), Teleman, Vivaldi, Purcell, Elgar, and maybe Shostikovich (sp?).

I asked some of the older members of the group who would actually come

to a concert like this and his response was "there is more of us than

them (audience)--usually family members and anyone else you can bribe into

showing up! It will be good experience at any rate.

In the fall I am joining a community orchestra in a nearby town. The one in my own city

is *way* too sophiscated. Many, many good people do not get into

it.

I bet we would all have an absolute blast if we could

find a way to get together!

claire

[Tina Carlsen]

Oh boy, am I ever going to get confused! So we have

Elaine P (who I think has been a regular poster

here for a while) with 3 1/2 yr experience, and Elaine

C (a new poster?) with 8 yrs(?) experience? Both

of you sound like pros! Great reading both of your

posts! As for fiddling vs classical. I do both,

and love it. I work very hard at both, and find

the skills you learn in one help the other. The

position work of classical, the rapid playing/bowing

of fiddling. They are great. And playing with

others really does help increase skill levels for

both types. This past academic year, I played in the

community orchestra at our junior college (they let

anyone in, and are very supportive of less experienced

players, although no slack is cut with the repertoire

or tempo!). I'll take the summer off from the

orchestra (even though they run a summer session) and

focus on fiddling and focused technicial practice

for the classical. Then back to orchestra this fall.

Sounds like both of you do similar stuff. Perhaps

sometime we will all end up at the same music camp!

Tina

[M. Elaine]

: : Hi Elaine C. I was surprized to see another "Elaine" on the board. I guess we better post our last initials or we'll drive everyone batty wondering who is who. I'm 42 and been at it 3 1/2 years, so it could get confusing! I'm taking my first trek into fiddle music shortly. I met a wonderful woman fiddler who lives in Colorado and posts here from time to time. We're starting "video-fiddle lessons." Yeah, kinda techno, but I can't afford to fly to CO from NC once a week and I have a regular teacher for classical/pop type music. I'm also going to Mark O'Connor's fiddle camp this August, so I may hang up my Handel by the time this is over! Not really! I love classical and fiddle both. If I don't go nuts trying to keep the two styles separate that is Welcome to the board! Oh, I saw your e-mail address below and will drop you a personal note too. Happy fiddling!

: Me too--I'll be there! Actually, I am in a string ensemble composed

: entirely of adult beginners and we do have a lot of fun, but work

: *very hard* at the music. My teacher is the conductor, but others

: in the group take lessons from other teachers, and some do not take

: lessons at all--they are trying to learn on their own with just the

: ensemble as instruction. Our group is called From Scratch and we

: will be giving a concert in May (We've been working on the music since

: September--that should give you some idea of where we are. We will be

: playing Scarlatti (sp?), Teleman, Vivaldi, Purcell, Elgar, and maybe Shostikovich (sp?).

: I asked some of the older members of the group who would actually come

: to a concert like this and his response was "there is more of us than

: them (audience)--usually family members and anyone else you can bribe into

: showing up! It will be good experience at any rate.

: In the fall I am joining a community orchestra in a nearby town. The one in my own city

: is *way* too sophiscated. Many, many good people do not get into

: it.

: I bet we would all have an absolute blast if we could

: find a way to get together!

: claire

Hello Elaine and Claire. How about if I use the

M. Elaine as my first name is really Margaret but

it's also my mother's name so I'm called Elaine.

So for the board's sake, I'll be M. Elaine to

avoid confusion.

Thanks for the replies. We are all about the same

age! Don't you love it!

I'm so glad to have found some people my own age

with an interest in fiddle/violin. I was feeling

really lonely.

The Mark O'Conner camp sounds really interesting.

Could you give me some details. I love Irish

music too. In fact I have the audio lessions by

Mark O'Conner from Homespun. Are you familiar

with that company?

I agree that the classical training is necessary

to really be a top notch fiddler and the more

I study and play classical, the better I under-

stand, and therefore, like (love?) it.

I have made up my mind to advertise to find

other adult beginners who would like to get together to

practice reading and playing together. We may

just call ourselves "The Old Dog Chamber Orchestra/

Fiddle Band", if that is ok with you.

Let's keep in touch and maybe someday we will

get together for a session.

Let's pledge not to give up ever, and to practice

everyday. M. Elaine

s

[Joan]

: I really loved the string started by M. Alice who asked

: if it was too old to learn the violin past the age of

: 20. The responses were heartwarming, and I felt very

: privledged to have shared the thoughts of fellow

: travelers down this challenging journey. Made me think

: what fun it would be for all of us to get together to

: play our favorite style of music! There could be the

: Old Dogs Chamber Orchestra, DJ principal violinist. Or

: how about the Missing CLEW Violin Quartet (Claire, Louise,

: Elaine and Wendy)? Or the Old Fart Fiddling Trio (me,

: Micheal and David). Duets featuring Tana and M. Alice?

: Would this be a blast or what?

: Tina

Please include me (Joan - the one with the new Cao violin and the past problems with 4th position etudes). I'll bet I would be the oldest dog!

I love this board!

[Michael Elaine Nelson]

: Please include me (Joan - the one with the new Cao violin and the past problems with 4th position etudes). I'll bet I would be the oldest dog!

I dunno. Is it legal on this board to have ANYTHING that has three Scott Cao violins in it? I think Auntie Everything might get offended!

: I love this board!

Me too!

Michael

[Tina Carlsen]

: Please include me (Joan - the one with the new Cao violin and the past problems with 4th position etudes). I'll bet I would be the oldest dog!

: I love this board!

Absolutely, Joan, you can be principal second

violinist, hopefully not much 4th position!

Didn't mean to exclude anyone, just couldn't

remember all of us old dogs off the top of my head,

so I singled out those with recent posts. Anyone

else who I've missed, I apologize for the slight!

Think of the great music we could all play together!

Tina

[Tina Carlsen]

Wow, looks like have three Elaines (Elaine cubed),

with two M. Elaines (M. Elaine squared)! And I

was just getting used to all of the Andy's.

Tina

[Elaine P.]

How's the violin doing as long as we're wearing out Scott Cao as a topic this week ;-) I just gave mine a major work out. Got a gig in the morning. Yeah! REAL MONEY!! Our ensemble got hired to play a church service. We usually just do it for "donations." So keep them 4th position etudes going. You may get to earn a buck or two for all the fun you're having! Lord knows *I* never expected to get PAID for this!!! Seems sinful somehow to get paid for something that's fun!!

[Elaine P.]

Hi Elaine #3(or have I lost count??). You can find info on Mark O'Connor's Fiddle camp at www.markoconnor.com(use the link I set up below). There it a link on the homepage to the camp. I'm starting to get SO excited about going too! I've been telling everyone I'm spending a week in the woods fiddling around with Mark O'Connor Seriously though, he is there and does teach classes. There are various fiddle styles taught and Celtic is one of them. Along with Swing, Cajun, Cape Breton, you name it. And Mark brings in some pretty big names in fiddling too. It is only $600 for the week which includes everything if you stay at the campground in the cabins. I'm too "city-fied" and opted to get a room at the motel nearby! Check it out! There are camps in June and in August but I understand they fill up quickly. I do plan to stick with this as long as my body will let me. So far it's putting up every obstacle it can think of! What with the surgery I had on my left hand last Oct. and the most recent cyst

I had aspirated last month(it worked--no surgery needed for that one thank God!). But it doesn't keep me down! So I'll probably be 90 years old and still at it! Hey, I've got to live up to this violin tatto I had put above my right ankle last year!!! Am I obsessed or what! Enjoy and I'll look forward to hearing from you on your progress!

[Elaine P.]

Forgot your link to Mark's homepage! Here it is:

• Mark O'Connor Home Page
  

[janieb]

: Hi Tina. Great idea! I wanna play, too. I'm not exactly a beginner. I played through high school, but I didn't play for the following 28 years. I've been back at it for 5 years, and I wonder why I ever stopped playing. Most 10-year-olds can outplay me, but I love it with all my heart. Can I join the group too? We can practice at my house.

Janie

[M. Elaine]

: Forgot your link to Mark's homepage! Here it is:

Thanks much for the info. I KNOW you're going

to have the time of your life! I live here in

Cajun land and have met Mike Ducet more than once

at the local grocery store!

Wish I could go....maybe if...I'll think about it.

Hey, a violin tatoo on the ankle is a great idea.

[A. Brown]

Can I come and listen?

Ann Brown

[Tina Carlsen]

: : Hi Tina. Great idea! I wanna play, too. I'm not exactly a beginner. I played through high school, but I didn't play for the following 28 years. I've been back at it for 5 years, and I wonder why I ever stopped playing. Most 10-year-olds can outplay me, but I love it with all my heart. Can I join the group too? We can practice at my house.

: Janie

Janie,

You and I have similar backgrounds, although I only

played through junior high (only got to the first

three positions), and then left it for about 23

years. Been back at it a little over a year. I know

what you mean by ten year olds, my instructor teaches

a 12 year old right before me, and she is almost

playing the same stuff I'm working on!

Where do you live? We'll be there! (can we do a

virtual practice session?).

Tina

[Tina Carlsen]

: Can I come and listen?

: Ann Brown

You must be one of the lucky few here who began

early and stayed with it (I'm trying to remember

some of your recent posts, daughter on viola, can't

remember your instrument, violin? piano?). But

we always welcome an appreciative audience!

Tina

[M.Alice]

:

: : I really loved the string started by M. Alice who asked

: : if it was too old to learn the violin past the age of

: : 20. The responses were heartwarming, and I felt very

: : privledged to have shared the thoughts of fellow

: : travelers down this challenging journey. Made me think

: : what fun it would be for all of us to get together to

: : play our favorite style of music! There could be the

: : Old Dogs Chamber Orchestra, DJ principal violinist. Or

: : how about the Missing CLEW Violin Quartet (Claire, Louise,

: : Elaine and Wendy)? Or the Old Fart Fiddling Trio (me,

: : Micheal and David). Duets featuring Tana and M. Alice?

: : Would this be a blast or what?

: : Tina

: Please include me (Joan - the one with the new Cao violin and the past problems with 4th position etudes). I'll bet I would be the oldest dog!

: I love this board!

Dear Tina (and all other Bow-wows)

I love your idea of a virtual old dogs orchestra!

Let's do some virtual practicing together!

I'm sure I can make some pretty woofy sounding

music on my g-string if I really try.

I played in front of a field of a group of cows

once. Boy, when I got to those high notes on the

e-string, they really started mooing along.

Hearing all that response was quite inspirational.

I do love an appreciative audience.

My roomate recently ran screaming out of the appartment

after listening to me playing a modern

polish Caprice for solo violin. Lots of

double chords, very high.

When my landlady got after me for

not cleaning the windows properly,

I thanked her by practicing chromatic scales

at the open window on the afternoon of her

ladies circle in the garden.

But as a member of the orchestra, I am

very kind and considerate, as long as we

get to play out of my music. With a virtual

orchestra, this problem will not arise, however.

When do we start, Tina?

M.Alice

[A. Brown]

: You must be one of the lucky few here who began

: early and stayed with it (I'm trying to remember

: some of your recent posts, daughter on viola, can't

: remember your instrument, violin? piano?). But

: we always welcome an appreciative audience!

: Tina

Hello,

I'm good at the audience part but don't play a string instrument. Former flute player; incapacitated but I can still applaud your intentions and liking of music.

A.Brown

[Wendy]

: I really loved the string started by M. Alice who asked

: if it was too old to learn the violin past the age of

: 20. The responses were heartwarming, and I felt very

: privledged to have shared the thoughts of fellow

: travelers down this challenging journey. Made me think

: what fun it would be for all of us to get together to

: play our favorite style of music! There could be the

: Old Dogs Chamber Orchestra, DJ principal violinist. Or

: how about the Missing CLEW Violin Quartet (Claire, Louise,

: Elaine and Wendy)? Or the Old Fart Fiddling Trio (me,

: Micheal and David). Duets featuring Tana and M. Alice?

: Would this be a blast or what?

: Tina

Hi Tina

I'm honoured that I get a guernsey in your quartet even if it's

only be default (that my name begins with the required letter!) :-)

Just keep the repertoire to something well below "warp speed", how about

Albinoni's Adagio {Elaine :-)}. No, too slow, that might bring on

the "bow wobbles" :-)

I've only been at this thing a year and a half-ish, so go easy on

this poor preppie! And I may not be able to make practices all the time -

flights out from Adelaide, Australia, aren't all that regular.

Nice to speak to so many other people in the same boat.

Give ourselves a big hand.

Warmest regards

Wendy

[Suite Jane]

Sounds great! I'll have to start working even harder on my feeble vibrato. I was really excited to read down through the posts and learn about how many of us old dogs have interests both in classical music and fiddling. I have always wanted to learn Celtic fiddling as well as classical, and there is a wonderful teacher where I live. This summer when my classical teacher goes on vacation, I'm toying with the idea of signing up for Celtic fiddling lessons for a month. I don't know how I would ever find enough practice time to do both at the same time...maybe if I win the lottery and quit my job...

By the way, I was at a baroque horn concert with my violin teacher this past Sunday, and I finally got up the nerve to ask her what she thought of adult beginners. We had never really talked about it before. She just took me on without much comment, and I was so naive when I started that I didn't realize that adults were at any disadvantage in learning a string instument later in life. Well, my teacher thinks adult students are great, though she says most are far too impatient and "think too much" as they're playing. (We didn't get a chance to talk about that last statement, but I think I know what she means.) She says I should go full speed ahead which was nice to hear.

Based on how much enjoyment many of you are getting from playing in groups with other beginners, I am scouting out possibilities for getting involved that way myself. I will be sure to mention that I belong to the Old Dogs Chamber Orchestra and Fiddle Band when I'm asked about what experience I've had!

DJ

P.S. Tina, thanks for encouraging me to play at work. I've thought about it, and I found a colleague here who took Suzuki violin for 17 years before giving it up. I'm trying to talk her into playing with me. No luck so far. I have succeeded in getting folks I work with interested in exercise, so maybe there's hope for music, too.

[LouiseMarie]

Tina -- this is a great idea. And something tells me that in time, technology will permit all of us in cyberspace to play music together. Remember, the music of the spheres!

Thanks for putting me in a quartet. It is my dream. And with such nice players....

And to DJ

I play at work every day (most often to practice alone) but word slowly gets out, and the musicians come out of the woodwork. I have played with pianists (in our school auditorium) with flutists, recorder players, a cellist, a guitarist (not all at the same time!) and have recently been approached by our school social worker who plays a euphonium. Should be interesting.

Play the music, the people will come.

Louise

[LouiseMarie]

I'll bring the crumb cake for afterwards. My husband will bake it!

Louise

[Louise]

This is for M Elaine --

(There seems to be a problem in the board in that far down a long and great thread, I am not able to make a spot reply) Admin!!! Where ARE YOU ???

We need to come up with some deft names for our various spin off groups.

How about "The Grateful Alive" or "The Last Chance Players"? or, or, or.....

Common gals and guys....

Louise