Anne-Marie Legault · Public Music Notebook
The Attacca Journal
A living record of violin practice, repertoire, lessons, listening and learning.
The notes between one practice and the next.
What I'm working on right now
Week of September 7, 2026
Current étude
Kreutzer — Étude No. 7
Current repertoire
Accolay — Violin Concerto No. 1
Technical focus
What I'm working on
The shift to third position in the Accolay, and keeping the Martelé stroke even in Kreutzer No. 7.
Latest lesson focus
Bow control at the tip — keeping the contact point consistent through the string crossings.
What improved
The opening phrase of the Accolay is feeling more settled. The shift to third position is landing more reliably.
Still needs work
Intonation in the upper half of the bow on the A string. The rhythm in measures 24–32 of Kreutzer No. 7 still drifts.
Next focus
Slow practice of the Kreutzer with a metronome at 60, then 72. Isolate the string-crossing bars.
Listening this week
Accolay Concerto No. 1 — Perlman recording. Also returning to the Sibelius for tone reference.
On the stand right now
Lesson — September 5, 2026
Repertoire covered
Accolay — Violin Concerto No. 1
Étude covered
Kreutzer — Étude No. 7
Technique covered
Bow control at the tip, shifting to third position
Main corrections
Keep the bow contact point consistent — it drifts toward the fingerboard in the upper half. The shift to third position needs to be prepared earlier in the phrase.
Before next lesson
Bring the Kreutzer at 72 with even crossings. Have the Accolay opening phrase prepared to play through.
Lesson priorities
- 1.Bow control at the tip — consistent contact point
- 2.Kreutzer string crossings at slow tempo
- 3.Accolay shift to third position with drone
- 4.Long tones for tone production
What's on this week
Edward Elgar
Chanson de matin, Op. 15, No. 2
Jean-Baptiste Accolay
Violin Concerto No. 1
Itzhak Perlman
The Early Recordings
Jean Sibelius
Violin Concerto in D minor
Hilary Hahn
Latest entries
Templates I use in my own practice
Practice
Weekly Violin Practice Log
A one-page weekly log for tracking practice sessions, repertoire, études, and technical focus.
Updated Sep 12, 2026
Practice
Blank Practice Log
A blank daily practice log — date, duration, what I worked on, what improved, next priorities.
Updated Sep 12, 2026
Lessons
Lesson Notes Template
A template for logging lesson notes — corrections, assignments, observations, questions for next time.
Updated Sep 12, 2026
Repertoire
Repertoire Tracker
Track repertoire by composer, work, status, and dates — a simple spreadsheet for keeping the catalogue current.
Updated Sep 12, 2026
Attacca
In music, attacca means to continue directly into what comes next.
One étude into another. One lesson into the next. One correction into tomorrow's practice.
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