This is my first post since the 20-Time Project Fair, which I believe went really well. I found myself talking about mandolin more than Walden, probably because I was holding and playing the instrument and it acted as the focal piece of my presentation. I played a medley of about four different tunes, primarily showcasing the one that I have been learning by Chris Thile, for any passerby that stayed longer than the duration of that piece. After repeatedly performing the piece for different people, I noticed a few things that I still need to work on.

(1.) Speed. This could have arisen from a lack of technique or from nervousness in playing for multiple people, but I found that I often let the tempo of what I was playing get away from me, and the tune would get faster and faster. This can make for an exciting jig or reel, but at times, I simply could not keep up with myself and had to stop playing to collect my hands and start playing again. Maintaining a slower tempo could have resolved this, but it also revealed to me some of my technical limitations in my hands.

(2.) Synergy between the hands. I noticed that at my increased speeds that my playing decomposed because my left and right hands became separated in the music. While an accident/limitation here, it’s something that I wish I were better at doing on the bass. When the hands are no longer together, I can no longer play the correct notes and the music sounds like nothing. This is a sign that I need to practice more slowly and meticulously on things like scales and other technical exercises in order to prepare a piece like this; both hands need to be able to perform more quickly and precisely before they will be more effective at working together.

Walden proved difficult to explain to people, so I resorted to telling them my reasoning for enjoying the work and continuing to read it. While talking, I learned that one thing about Walden that I find so attractive is the simplicity and solitude of Thoreau’s life – reading it has a relaxing effect on me, which has shown to be quite necessary at this time of the year. Like Thoreau finds solitude in nature on Walden Pond, I find solitude in his writing, as if I am really there with him.

The written content would likely seem mundane to most, but I have noticed that even the simple things of which Thoreau writes usually carry larger meanings. In the most recent chapter, he has discussed the husbandry associated with beans, and nothing else except those beans. He discusses how economics has transformed agriculture from a sacred art to a business that causes farmers to live the meanest of lives: “He knows Nature but as a robber.” Farmers, like Thoreau himself now, should receive the bountiful energy of the sun with a corresponding trust and magnanimity by seeing that their work holds value in areas other than their profit from grain. The woodchucks and birds benefit from the non-valuable parts of the crop, as well any growing weeds; a true husbandman will cease from anxiety when he relinquishes all claim to the produce of the fields to Nature – in his mind, sacrificing the fruits of his labor.

A very interesting and outlandish suggestion by today’s standards, but I believe that living such a life would be mentally fruitful. If only such simplicity could be experienced and relished by most as Thoreau has.

Finally, here is a picture of me from the 20-Time Fair:

Cheers.

A Brief Update - Upcoming Pitch

This weekend has been incredibly hectic with the Michigan Youth Arts Festival at Western Michigan University, at which I learned much about the arts, but little about mandolin specifically, as apparently few of my peers have attempted to learn the instrument. I have been practicing the piece in preparation for the Pitch event on Tuesday of this week, although I'm unsure if I'll be able to perform it in its entirety. Bringing my picking speed up to the proper tempo has been the most difficult aspect of learning the piece so far, as the strings are all of the same elevation off the fingerboard due to the instrument's flat bridge unlike standard string instruments, which have curved bridges and varied string heights to facilitate bowing. This makes it a bit tricky to simply know where my hand is in relation to each string without looking and subsequently affects my precision. Development of my muscle memory should continue to come with practice and will hopefully make the notes sound a bit cleaner and easier to play.


I'll see you at the Pitch
Maybe.