It can seem overwhelming thinking about playing the violin after taking a vacation break. The most important thing is to just play. Life can be busy when returning from a long trip or starting a new school year. Try to play something even if you only have a few minutes. My preferred way of getting back in shape is to play three octave scales through the circle of fifths using Galamian’s fingerings and acceleration exercise. My next step is to play through Dounis’s Daily Dozen followed by some Carl Flesch scales and arpeggios. The two sets of scales may seem redundant but I find it helpful to warm up two different fingering systems. I also enjoy the Flesch varied scale and arpeggio exercises. Some violinists prefer to jump into a much longed for treasure while others just like to fiddle around for a while before getting into repertoire. Whatever helps your re-entry into violin playing is what you should do and may take some experimenting. Once you feel warmed up and focused, you will be able to concentrate on repertoire, concert pieces, or whatever you need to work on for your first fall lesson.
