About Me

Sunday, July 31, 2011

Fiddlin'





Two young sisters played the the violin and viola at my church this morning. They were pretty good. Not remarkable by any stretch, but talented enough to get me thinking about my own little trip down the path of fiddling.
I was flipping channels sometime back in 2003 or 2004 when I happened upon an PBS special featuring a Canadian fiddling group called Barrage. They were fantastic, and if you've never seen or heard them I highly recommend that you give them a listen. They did one particular number during the show called 'Mountain Spring' that struck me as so beautiful that I decided I had to learn to play the violin.
The Mrs. got me a fiddle for my birthday and I started trying to teach myself the rudiments of fiddling with a couple of DVDs and instruction books. It was a slog. The violin is not an easy instrument to master. When you're trying to learn it on the cheap without benefit of one-on-one attention from a skilled teacher, it's even harder. I ran out of patience before I got very far along. The problem was that I couldn't stand the sounds I was making.
A well played violin is sweetness itself. The tones elicit an emotional response that we humans would scarcely be able to replicate without the dulcet resonance of a good fiddle. A well played violin can make women weep and strong men go weak in the knees.
Mine was not so powerful, and never so skillfully bowed. Mine made a sound that was most reminiscent of an asthmatic cat having its feet severed with a rusty saw. The sounds I was able to get out of my violin elicited an emotional response in me that has only been duplicated by sitting with my wife and watching episodes of 'The Real Housewives of [Insert the city of your choice. They're all equally strident.].

5 comments:

  1. Hey, I am impressed that you tried! My husband played the cello in high school & even got a scholarship to UT-Austin playing it. He quit playing his 1st year & i have NEVER heard him play. I have known him since 1995! I even rented one once as a surprise but he said he forgot it all. Such a perfectionist! He probably just wasn't able to play it well anymore. Anyway, kudos to you for giving the violin a try!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Something I've always wanted to try...

    ReplyDelete
  3. I'd still love to have heard you, I mean, it couldn't have been THAT bad, right? I've never heard of an adult wanting to learn to play an instrument in adulthood. Good for you for trying.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Jonah,

    Have you ever heard of Lucia Micarelli? She is a violin goddess. She is a Korean-Italian American graduate of Juilliards who I first saw performing with Josh Groban. When I introduced her to my music teacher she said (with her husband behind her)"I think I'm having a Bi moment."

    See Lucia here:

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0MTsKwPlpuc

    Dean
    http://leftcoastguy.com

    ReplyDelete
  5. Well I've heard of Lucia Micarelli now. I followed the link and gave her a listen. She plays with astonishing feeling. Thanks for the lead.

    ReplyDelete

Comments are always welcome. Tell me what you like and what you don't. Information, encouragement, criticism--I don't care. A day where I don't learn something new is a day lost to me.