I just bought a 2012 VW Jetta TDI.  The dealer asked me to do a 2,000 mile check-up to make sure everything is within tolerances.  At the check-up the service representative said my key-chain was too heavy and if I planned to keep the car for long I should reduce weight on the key-chain to keep from damaging the ignition.  I only have six other keys, a hook and two small plastic electronic computer devices on the single key ring.  It doesn't seem excessive at all compared to the usual key rings you see.

The question is, do new car ignitions still wear out due to key-ring weight?  To me this seemed like the kind of advice that might have once been true and is dispensed long after it is no longer the case.


Question: Deciding how to articulate Baroque semiquavers
Answer: It really depends on the music. I don't think there are any rhythmic permutations of 2/4 time that we could definitively say should not be slurred. Emphasis could be anywhere in a measure depending on where the composer has decided to phrase. Perhaps one thing you might try doing is finding repeated material and play it differently (either with dynamics or articulation) the second time around.

However, you do want to stay true to the style of that historical music. Have you listened to professional recordings that use period instruments and performance practice? You may find that each note in that passage is meant to be articulated, but at the same time there may be a few things you can do to vary that articulation; perhaps by experimenting with different tongue positions and note lengths.