u/ChampionExcellent846

By the way, a friend of mine who works as an employment lawyer in Berlin told me over 90% of his initial inquiries are of the #2 variety.

PS this is meant to be satire, and I hope this strikes a chord with any person who is or has been in this situation before, yours truly included.

This is a very difficult topic for me to let it out in the open, and I am looking for way to overcome it (i.e., I am not looking for sympathy or validation).

For most part of my life I have been having problems playing violin in situation I don't feel comfortable. By "uncomfortable situation" I am referring to any unfamiliar location or people. This includes lessons, though to a lesser degree.

In a comfortable situation I could keep my notes under control, and play the music in the way I want it. This training and knowledge effectively get thrown out of the window once the circumstances changes. Both my arms will shake violently to the point I lose all control on the instrument. I suffer from this problem even during warmup routines (i.e., scales and very familiar pieces such as Bach). Most of the time, this anxiety does not go away. In the odd chance that it subsides after some (albeit very long) time, my playing will still be at a significant discount.

What I find strange is that I am not shy or introverted in any way. I don't have problems or even feel nervous / anxious giving speeches and presentations, or even playing other musical instruments in public. This only happens when I am about the play the fiddle. Even I don't have so much hang-up with violas, not that I would like to switch.

I tried to take beta blocker in the past, but to be honest I don't think it made difference for me. So maybe there is something psychological between me and my fiddle, I don't know, that cannot be solved by meds.

On one hand, this is probably a confirmation of me making the right career choice (i.e., not to become a violinist) but the instrument is part of my identity and this aspect of it makes it difficult to maintain. Thus I reach out in the open for your opinions.

Thank you for your understanding.

I am wondering if it is kosher to do that on this sub (i.e., any potential copyright violation) if I post a transcription a piece or cover version I heard from the radio / Spotify / Youtube etc.?

It's a cover version for a US-state-themed fiddle tune involving a hickory stump, transcribed in violinist-friendly notations.

Howdy folks:

The cork padding on my favorite chin rest is wearing out. My luthier said a DIY solution is pretty easy but there is just a hair in the soup. Where do you find the cork sheets (2 mm thickness) to make the replacement paddings? The cork sheets I could find on-line are for home improvement. They are large and are only offered in large quantties! Where can I find them in "hobby portions"?

Thanks in advance.

Howdy folks:

The bone plate on my bow tip broke off a few days ago. My luthier had a butchers and quoted me about 300 US for a replacement. Does it sound reasonable? He also told me the replacement will be some synthetic material that has a similar texture as ivory (but not plastic). Anyone had experience with it?

Thanks in advance!

Correction: I screwed up the exchange rate. The cost ends up being about 240 USD as opposed to 300 as I originally thought.