Getting a teacher was the best thing I could have done. I was sawing away when playing by myself. The teacher showed me how to do scales in long bows - playing the whole length of the bow requires a lot more accuracy than short strokes - you are holding your arm further from your body and it requires more thinking and strength. I was starting to use the whole range of motion to play. She had me playing scales using my pinky finger - I had been playing using the open strings, so I was only using 3 fingers. I saw the value in playing using the pinky, then my scale patterns are useable higher up on the fingerboard. She showed me how looking in a mirror would help me play with the bow at a 90 degree angle to the strings... from my point of view I couldn't tell the angle, and playing at an angle sounded scratchy and noisy. She had me playing A and G scales.
The next step was scales that were slurred - 2 notes per bow. She started me learning Westphalia Waltz - I went home and found a few different versions on the internet which was just confusing. I didn't mind learning by ear, but I ended up writing out the music so that I could write down the bow marks, which is where I need all the help I can get.
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