Any violin players to advise practice tips? Post grade 8 and no teacher

[GaraMedouar]

I am an adult learner at violin, and took my grade 8 last year. I had a teacher for grade 8, but infrequent lessons due to time constraints and money constraints! I'm looking for tips on what to practise at home to keep up my playing level, and improve.
I play in local amateur orchestras regularly.
I am a wind player (high level) and can rock up to a rehearsal and concert, sight read anything and play well. I'd like to be able to do that on violin. I love the violin and it frustrates me that I am not as good as I am on my first instrument.
I find out hard to focus now not studying for grade 8. I play Kreuzer , Wohlfart studies, try some concertos such as Bruch, Mendelssohn. I should probably keep up with scales, but I've got a bit lax.
Any suggestions for what I could practise to improve constantly? I'm a single full time working mother so time is in short supply!!

Have you thought of doing your Diploma? That would give you focus.

Well done on a great achievement, especially given your time constraints.

Thanks HumphreyCobblers. Yes I've thought about doing the diploma but I'll probably need a teacher for that.

My dd finds playing in an orchestra and teaching youngsters good ways of keeping up skills. It depends on your aims, diploma if you want to stretch yourself, whereas a regular orchestra and come and play days are also good.

How about getting involved with some chamber music? Some of it is extremely challenging and would need practice- the added motivation of meeting up with other members to play puts a bit of pressure on! Perhaps your previous teacher could suggest other players that might be interested, or you could ask around at your orchestra.

I sometimes pick a couple of pieces off the G8 or Diploma lists to work on for fun and to keep my hand in.

Unaccompanied Bach and the entire 4 Seasons would keep you busy for a while.

My daughter is currently learning the Accolay Concerto - if you haven't done it already that's a good one. Not too long and is as difficult as you want to make it depending on fingering and bow technique.

Sevcik studies are not as fun to play as mazas and kreutzer but technically very good.

And just be disciplined about the scales! Aim to do a couple first off before playing anything nice.

Well done on taking G8 as an adult too - great achievement 😊

Thanks stucknoue and folkmamma for the ideas. Yes I’ve done the Accolay - that’s a lovely concerto with lots of different techniques. And Sevcik , I do those too. And also started working on the 4 seasons. I think I’m going to try and be a bit more disciplined, so scales, then a study or two, then some vibrato exercises, then carry on with a concerto. I also do a lot of practise of the orchestral parts so I can keep up. I always play Violin 1 as that’s got the challenging higher positions more often than not so pushes me more. I work so hard but obviously starting as a middle aged adult I’m at a disadvantage. I just want to keep on improving , I don’t want to stagnate. I need to work on double stop exercises, I always struggle there (whereas my sons find them easy!) I probably need to try and keep up with the odd lesson too.

I use Basics by Simon Fischer. It's got exercises for everything! If you know what you want to work on it will tell you how to work on it. It definitely helps to have some kind of target to work towards though. I lurch from chamber music to chamber music at the moment - if I just do orchestra I find my focus (sound and practice!) goes. Plan for next year is to enter something in local music festival adult class - there, I wrote it now I have to actually get around to doing it!