Maybe your brain will like this format! Take a look at the attached PDF. See what I mean? With familiar lyrics separated line by line - you might find it's much easier to learn and memorize a song. And then play it from your heart. To prepare, activate the part of yourself that finds jigsaw or crossword puzzles fun. It's a very similar feeling, only a tad more rewarding imo. Steps: 1) First find a piece of sheet music and confirm it's in a good violin key. Cheat code for this is look at key signature. If there are three or fewer #'s (sharps) or two or fewer b's (flats) you are probably in a good key. If you see tons of sharps or flats, look for another version with fewer. 2) Tab the sheet music. This is a free tool I offer to help with that: https://www.jennyoconnor.com/violinigma/ 3) Then sit down with a blank page and write the lyrics line by line in a way that feels even and right to you 4) Carry the tab markings from your music sheet over to the lyrics sheet. It may help to have your violin in your lap and pluck a few notes as you hum along to confirm what goes where If you try this, please feel free to share your song cheat sheets here! 🧩 Jenny

My favorite part about reading your song brainstorm is how different everyone's taste is. Imagine if we staged a talent show and each of you played your piece. It would be a beautiful eclectic evening with no overlap. This is what makes you a unique artist. Just being you and having your favorite song and following that. If you don't do it, no one else will quite like you would have. So, next step - look for a music sheet, or audio or video you'll use as your main reference. Please drop in the chat below and let me know if you have any questions about what key etc. Some tips on that. For music sheet see if you can find a violin arrangement. That may seem obvious, but it's a short cut for getting into a good key for violin. The original vocal key is often not ideal for violin finger board. Similar tip for audio/video. It can help to find a violin cover and find out what key they chose. I'll follow up again and share some resources and tips for getting the song into your fingers from the audio or sheet, whether or not you read sheet music. For those who had a few picks, try and narrow things down to one for starters. For this project I'd steer you toward something in your own native language, the one most likely to sing in the shower or driving in the car. Looking forward to seeing what you find!

I apologise to your ears first !! This was a much harder than I remember . I know I’m flat in some spots but honestly, this was my best take in about a 1000. Last week, when I was playing and recording, it sounded like I never held a fiddle before !!!!!

Two months of Vibrato Dojo in the books. 🎻✨ No matter how much you’ve been able to follow along, you’ve planted important seeds - awareness, new brain pathway construction underway, and the beginnings of your own vibrato voice. For May (still very much Spring energy 🌱 it's raining hard here in Austin as I type!), we’re shifting into the music side of vibrato. (Spoiler alert - this Summer we will pivot into bow skills!) This is where vibrato stops being an exercise… and starts becoming your one of a kind expression. - How do we use vibrato inside actual music? - When and where do you place it? - How do we not panic when the bowing and rhythm go sideways the moment vibrato enters the chat? We’ll be starting with something fun and intuitive: vocal-inspired playing. Over the weekend, think about this: What songs do you love that are sung with lyrics… that you’d want to play on violin? Or maybe something you already know and play, but want to make more expressive. That’s our entry point for applied vibrato. If you’re a Dojo student: New application videos are dropping in the Jenny's Daily Lessons portal next week 👀 If you’re here for community and base training courtyard exercises: You’re still completely welcome to explore this idea with us here. Try it, share, experiment. And lets be real, the time has been flying especially quickly this Spring, no? For anyone who feels like they want more time with the training reps - you can absolutely continue your vibrato training alongside this month. No rush. This is your timeline. Tell me in the comments some favorite emotional songs with lyrics that could be good on violin. See you there! :)

Okay… I’ve been quietly building something. First, thank you for all the honest posts lately about what you’re working on and where you feel stuck. The path from intermediate to advanced has some very real challenges, and I’m super into taking that on with you. So this spring, we’re trying something new. It’s called Violin Dojo. Instead of everyone floating in different directions - and instead of you having to constantly decide how to fit everything into your practice - we’ll move through a shared seasonal focus together. Not to compete. Not to be intense. Just to have our heads in the same game, while leaving space for whatever songs and things are most calling to you on your individual hot violinist journey at the same time. Spoiler alert - our first focus will be Vibrato. The real goal? To feel less alone in your practice. To build some friendships here. And yes… to gain some serious skill along the way. More next week. 🎻 Meanwhile tell me in the comments. What fun projects or things are calling your name this spring? Violin or otherwise. For me: Violin: New Dojo videos and visual guides for advancing students Not violin: Repotting my poor neglected plants that I may have saved from the freeze, but definitely cut it a little too close. 😬