Rosin makes a world of difference.

Seriously. My eyes have been opened. Hello, Pirastro. Goodbye, Paganini.

Recently I have been wondering why my bow wasn’t resonating as I wanted it to. My vibratos weren’t getting through, my resonating pitches fell flat, and the double stops at the frog sounded squeaky and forced.

Now, my boyfriend uses Evah and my lover (?!) uses Tonica, and while I was browsing JS Fisher I found that Pirastro actually manufactures rosins tailored to these string sets.

OMFG OMFG MUST GET NOW!

After a quick permission, I purchased them, and it came in mail today. As I’m practising Tchaikovsky after leaving it alone and forgotten in some dark corner of my music cabinet for seven years, I applied the rosin, and played the intro.

OMFG. Is that really me?! Actually, is that really my bow?! My bow glides effortlessly, while the sound is richer, more vibrant. The traction’s better. I need to force less. The sound’s more powerful, the higher registers more smooth, the lower registers sweeter.

Being a conzertmeister ensures you do one thing: practise.

I’m starting Nel Cor Piu Non mi Sento and Ernst’s polyphonics. My hand is going to die.

The concert series is over. And boy am I glad.

A lot of us – that is, anyone who is a performer on stage – always wants a solo, be it ballet, violin, or jazz. And it’s understandable, I think. You get all the flowers, all the attention, all the laudatory comments (and then some)… you get to be the princess for the night.

Unfortunately, not quite so for me. My hands get cold to the point they are freezing. My breaths become shallow, my heart rate soars. There is a flutter of excitement, apprehension, and fear. I want to run away. And I can’t. I need to smile. Go out there. Face the audience. Give my best.

I can’t count how many times I’ve been on stage, whether it be a small recital or concert series. And yet I have stage fright. On the other hand, it’s exhilarating. It’s exciting. It’s sort of like a drug.

I’m also fairly certain my teachers won’t be impressed with my performance. They never are. They always expect more, for some reason. “You can do better” seems to be their motto for me…