January 8th, 2014 - How to play the violin

My dad played the violin in high school, and he was actually quite good at it.  He was also good at the banjo, and the mandolin, and the yukele, and the...

...ok so my jealousy is going to show it's ugly head if I continue so I'll just stop there.

My musical abilities didn't quite follow suit.  I played the flute in middle school (always good for a laugh), but I stopped once I was in high school and realized that it was a real hindrance to me kissing a girl and a real catalyst for someone to kick the shit out of me. So today, I wanted to give it another shot and honor my dad by attempting to play the violin. I asked my co-worker, Alyssa Romeo, to show me the ropes.

A gentle warning, earplugs might be a good idea at this time...

I'm sure that there are cats throughout the greater Piedmont Triad area that were enticed into mating after hearing the screeches coming from my violin playing.  Apparently this is an instrument that takes a lifetime of practice to master!

In all seriousness, the violin was a LOT harder to play that I had imagined.  It's an extremely delicate instrument, with a bow made of horsehair and a tiny neck not suited for fat fingers.  It requires you to move the bow against the force of your arm and to fluidly move from string to string.  It's the fluid part that gets me, as it requires rhythm and dexterity, both of which I lack to an epic degree.

The finger placement also threw me for a loop, as I was used to very clear directions from the instruments I had played (put these keys down for B, put these down for B flat, etc.).  So judging by pitch in order to correct where I put my fingers was a challenge.

Today's lesson gave me a better appreciation for all of those orchestra members that have turned this little wooden instrument into something that produces some of the most beautiful sounds in the world.  It amazes me that the same cringe inducing "music" can come from the same instrument that is featured in the the finest concertos and operas in history.

Learning what it takes to play the violin also gave me a better appreciation for my dad.  This is a hard instrument to learn, and my dad picked it up with no visible injuries to speak of.  And that is a reason for admiration.

And jealousy.  Lots and lots of jealousy.