Thoughts During Practice

I've always wanted to share some behind the scenes coverage of what it means to be a musician. Frankly, my consistency has been a problem for years which means I am still working on some basic mechanics. After several thousand repetitions I should be able to build in good habits that become automatic. Playing any instrument takes an enormous amount of focus and control. To those unfamiliar with violin technique, it is probably difficult to know what separates great players from good ones. The following is a list of questions I am going through every time I practice:

If it is an etude, what is its purpose?

If it is a piece, what do I want it to sound like? How do my musical choices affect my technical choices?

Am I playing the right notes, in tune?

Am I playing the correct rhythm, consistently?

Do I have tension in either hand, either shoulder, neck, or jaw?

Are my legs stiff or knees locked?

Is my bow on the right string at the right time, at the right angle, with the right speed and pressure for the best tone or effect?

What is the best fingering to use in a passage according to the context and intended affect desired?

Are my hands coordinated? Do my left fingers hit the strings exactly as my right hand changes bow direction?

If not, are my fingers too early or too late?

Are my string crossings at the right time and at the appropriate speed according to the music/tempo?

Is my tone beautiful? Am I engaging the string with the bow? Am I pressing too hard or not using enough bow speed?

Am I in the right part of the bow, and prepared to be in the right part of the bow for the next passage?

Is my bow articulation correct? Is the motion coming from my fingers, wrist, or arm?

Are my shifts in hand position fast enough, smooth enough, and reliably accurate?

Do I slide with my old finger and drop the new finger, or drop the new finger in the old position and slide to the new position?

Am I following the written dynamics, and other instructions in the music?

Are my double stops in tune? Does each note sound good?

For triple and quadruple stops do I break or roll them?

Do I need to bring out/emphasize a particular note, i.e. melody or bass line?

Which notes need vibrato? How much? Wide or narrow, fast or slow, wrist or arm?

If this is an ensemble work, how does my part fit in with the other parts? Are we matching styles?

Am I leading or who am I following?

Have I moved past the technical aspects in order to focus on achieving the musical goals I set out for myself in the beginning?

Can I play the entire piece in tune, in tempo, musically?

If necessary, is it memorized?

When are my rehearsals?

What can I do to get paid for doing this sooner rather than later?