THE DOUBLE LIFE OF THE VIOLINIST : Practising at home and life on the road .

Life on the road is infinitely different from life at home for me as a violinist . Playing a series on concerts on the road is a totally different learning experience from my routined practise at home. .When i first went on tour it was strange to me that in violin playing everything you do at home is preparation for the concert and then when you have a chain of concerts I seem to forget about the preparation and trust the work has been done, instead focusing conserving my energy rather than having a routine practice.
For me it feels rather like hydrating yourself before playing a tennis match. You make sure you have enough fluids before you step on the court and during the match but by the end of the match you still need to rehyrdate.This is how a percieve a tour. I dont mean to say that this is a bad thing - both i think are important in my development as a violinist as one cannot function without the other....you learn to deal with so many other things on the road – the actual feeling of playing something on stage, coping with pressure, performing under stress and lack of sleep etc etc…. but when i come home I feel that technique or “violin gymnastic fitness” as I like to call it must be renewed afterwards.