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It all started on 2 January last year. Scrolling idly through Instagram, I came across a post from the American violinist Hilary Hahn<\/a><\/strong> with the hashtag #100daysofpractice. <\/p> She had explained in a previous post, \u2018Last time, in January 2022 \u2014 which feels like years ago! \u2014 we embarked on a gentle 100 days, and it was really rewarding. This time, it feels right to explore the intersection of self-motivation and self-compassion. What do you think? Might you join?\u2019\u00a0<\/p> Not normally one to hoist my decisions to hashtags or crazes (\u2018I did sit-ups for 17 days and this is what happened!\u2019; \u2018I drank beetroot juice for three weeks and look at me now!\u2019), I had a strange impulse. It was nearly three years on from lockdown, during which I had taken my violin<\/a><\/strong> out of its case barely two or three times over an entire year (I still haven\u2019t worked out whether through sadness or laziness). <\/p> I was back to my amateur orchestras and chamber music<\/a><\/strong> with friends, and had enough form to participate, but not enough to feel on top of my game. My hands felt sluggish and my musical focus slapdash. Could this be the nudge I needed? \u2018Yes, Hilary,\u2019 I thought. \u2018I think I might.\u2019<\/p> Fearing my own talent for procrastination, I decided to ease myself in gently \u2013\u00a0slowly, slowly, catchy monkey. Day one, I foozle around playing bits of concertos<\/a><\/strong> and pieces I learnt when I was young (still embedded in my memory, when most names now are beyond instant recall). I enjoy it. My fingers know where they\u2019re going and it doesn\u2019t sound too bad, does it? <\/p> Well, the first thing to note about picking up the violin after a lapse is that it always sounds much better than one expects. This is an illusion. It might be a helpful illusion, to stop one from putting the thing down instantly, but it is nevertheless not an accurate perception \u2013 it\u2019s just sloppy listening. Like any muscle, the ears need exercise. Still, I allow myself to enjoy the feeling of the violin in my hands and some semblance of competence, and put the violin down after half an hour feeling like I\u2019ve reconnected.<\/p> Having thus consciously lured myself into Hilary\u2019s trap, I set my course. The second day, I start about the basics: trying to make a nice sound, in tune. (It\u2019s like the old joke: you only need two things to play the violin well: a good right hand and a good left hand.) <\/p>I had taken my violin out barely two or three times all year<\/h2>
Like any muscle, the ears need exercise<\/h2>