A few years ago, I took myself for a week in Lendalfoot, Ayrshire on the Scottish Coast. The purpose of my retreat was to practise, to read about music and to listen to as many inspiring recordings as I could. I was desperate for a stretch of time completely free of administrative and note-learning responsibilities to focus on long-term goals; to improve technical aspects of my violin-playing but also to give myself space to be inspired and really think consciously about what kind of musician I’m striving to be and what my musical priorities are.
I am sharing diary entries from the first couple of days of my retreat here. The entries includes practice notes, an examination of a technical study through a pedagogical lens, commentary on articles from a couple of Strad magazines, and reactions to some fantastic recordings, ending with a Recording of the Day. I’m no writer (apologies in advance!) so I’ll be happy if a handful of people read this and find the creative processes interesting. Feel free to cherry-pick bits you’re personally interested in. Enjoy!
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