Random Conversations with Strangers & My Adventures with the Violin

I realized it's been a while since I've posted on my progress with the violin. For those just joining us (or joining us in the roughly year since the last time I posted on the subject: I've been attempting to play the violin for about two and a half years now.

Inspired by the artistic mastery of the members of the Cleveland Orchestra and feeling the need for a hobby to take me away from what occasionally feels like an all-encompassing career: My criteria was "something that doesn't require electricity" and long calling the violin my favorite instrument [actually, I'm a fan of all of the string instruments...and a cello in the right hands can be amazingly therapeutic] I figured that was the place to start.

I wound up buying a violin kit off of eBay for $0.99 (plus $40 in shipping an handling) and it is not the best instrument -- I'm embarrassed to admit that I own it,  much less actually show it to my violinist friends -- but through several modifications, a new bow, a few sets of strings it has served me well enough, and it seems like each time I consider purchasing a real instrument some unexpected large-ticket purchase suddenly becomes necessary. C'est la vie. Or maybe it's a sign from the universe. Anyway.

Once I had the instrument came the task of learning how to play (Professional musicians make it look so effortless. Be not fooled: It is not easy.). And how to read music. And how to stay in tune. And how to maintain something resembling a steady tempo.

Oh, did I mention I haven't played anything before. I was starting from scratch. And as a fretless instrument, the violin family doesn't worry easily. It also makes it difficult to find the correct note consistently until you develop both the ear and muscle memory.

I've been fortunate to have an awesome teacher -- who in an interesting twist of fate, despite neither of us originally being from Cleveland, is a friend of the family and was pen pals with my mother as a child -- to keep me on the right track over the past few years. With her help my ear has slowly gained accuracy and we've attacked music and technique (currently working on Suzuki Book 3, third position and a few other things as time allows) -- I just wish I had more time to commit to practicing. But I am making progress (and recently I've noticed that my ear will really tell me when certain notes just aren't quite right.

But why am I posting about this today (aside from the fact that I'm taking a brief early-summer vacation from scheduled commitments)? I was walking back from my violin lesson and a quick lunch with Rachel with my violin on my back and my bag with music by my side.

Just past Coventry there was a gentleman walking his dog. I prepared, with the customary "pardon me"... and as I walked past, with my iPod ear buds firmly in place I hear "Is that a violin?". That caught me off guard. I pulled the ear buds out and said "yes" -- while the dog pulled. Turns out the gentleman is a drummer, and we discussed the technical side of music and the challenges of learning for a couple blocks, until he and his dog, Blu, had made it back home and I was continuing on to mine.

It's awfully easy today to be paranoid and antisocial -- but most people on the street aren't out to get you (just like you aren't out to get them) -- and it you can have some really interesting encounters and conversations if you're just open to it.

Lincoln

2010 In Review

So I'm a few days late here and December was really somewhere between blah and depressing (Having a property tax payment, real mortgage payment, and mortgage-esque loan repayment to my parents perpetually on the horizon tends to get me stressed late in the month, and early in the month I was just feeling kind of isolated. Visiting my parents, I think, was that month's one saving grace. But then, of course, the year was capped off by the news of my paternal grandfather passing.

But the rest of the year, as a sum, really was pretty awesome.

The Situational Awareness and Dating Story: Though I did quite a bit of dating in 2010, I am still single. Aside from practice, I've tried to get a better idea of who I'm looking for, and what that feels like. I have a pretty good idea, intellectually, and physically who I'm interested in but I'm finally honing in on what really hooks me.

Situational awareness is "being aware of what is happening [around] to understand how information, events, and [...] actions will impact your goals and objectives, both now and in the near future". For better or worse, I tend to mantain a fairly high level of situational awareness, and it's rarely lost.

Essentially (since I've tried writing and rewriting this paragraph in a way that both provides more detail and doens't sound demented) I'm most attracted to people who that je ne sais qoui is so strong that I loose all situational awareness and we are the only two people in the world--the type of person with whom a connection is so compelling that I can walk into a parked car while listening to her. Its a feeling I've experenced but a handful of times....Ok, so enough of that...

January, spent my first quality time in New York City, primarily Manhattan, including 3 nights at the famed Waldorf=Astoria (probably not something I'll do again, though) and a night at the Hilton Times Square (one of the best hotels of 2010 for both location and service). I attended New York City Ballet for the first time [I wish Cleveland had a professional ballet company], and heard the Chicago Symphony at Carnegie Hall [I was underwhelmed...but reminded of what a gem we have with both the Cleveland Orchestra and Severance Hall]. I discovered that if I ever leave Cleveland, the only other city I can imagine living in is New York--I love the mass transit, walkability, energy, and immense culture. I'd love to have a pied-a-terre in Manhattan some day, but I don't know that I'd permanently leave Cleveland.

We started the year strong in a musical theatre sense with both the standard Phantom of the Opera and the new Next To Normal, but I didn't really fall in love with any of the other musicals I saw in 2010.

Chasing a musical that I love on several levels, I saw Spring Awakening in Detroit, both the matinee and evening performance from the on stage seats on the same day-- the night before leaving an Akron Symphony concert at about 10pm and arriving at the hotel at 1am, and needing to be at a project in Columbus for 9am the next day. These were the 7th and 8th times I've seen that show in the 4th state, making it the show I've seen the greatest number of times without having any creative involvement.

I went back to Minnesota and had an interesting experience with the Minnesota Orchestra, along with visiting the Walker Art Center for my 2nd time -- It is one of a handful of museums outside of Cleveland that I'd make a point to visit again (the only other that comes to mind is the Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum in NYC)

I found myself back in New York for a weekend mid-year with just a handful of days notice, courtesy of PlayhouseSquare...and I attended the Tony Awards. And almost tripped Scarlett Johansson twice.

For the Cleveland Museum of Art's Summer Solstice, my aforementioned friend and I participated in and won a photo scavenger hunt, making it one of the most memorable and fun nights to date. I almost went in for a kiss at the end of the night*. I chickened out. I think I'll regret that for a while. Meanwhile, more of the collection has been installed and the remaining pieces of the puzzle are well under way. I continue to be a proud member of this fantastic and free resource.

Over the summer I made my way to my maternal grandparents in St. Ignace, Michigan which combined with Mackinac Island is an amazingly picturesque corner of the world and a nice way to get away from that hustle and bustle--but yet again, had to drive to Columbus for a project. I did a lot of driving to Columbus (and greater Pittsburgh) for work this year; I'm not particularly fond of either city, but I also keep forgetting to visit the Andy Warhol museum in Pittsburgh [I swear it's on my list].

The only truly "new city" from this year was Jacksonville, Florida wherein I saw the "far" end of Interstate 10 -- the other end of which is near and no so dear in California, and touched the water of the Atlantic Ocean for the first time. Compared to the wonderful energy and compactness of New York City, Jacksonville disappointed me with so/so culture and urban sprawl second only to Southern California.

September saw Cleveland Public Theatre's Pandemonium benefit party where, in one of the more disappointing events of the year the woman I had invited for a first "date" canceled with what would be the most creative excuse I've ever been given, had it not unfortunately, been true.

In October, I visited Las Vegas where I served as an excuse for my dad to avoid a baby shower, having previously seen Cirque du Soliel's O [wonderful] and Zumanity [**] on my own, my dad and I attended Ka, which ranks as one of the most technically captivating bits of live entertainment I've seen, and a great use of technology.

Later in October, I attended Heights Arts's 10th anniversary concert and party...as everything Heights Arts does, thoroughly enjoyable, though 2 glasses of pinot grigio might have been a glass too many and I finished the night with a silent auction bidding war that I hadn't planned on getting involved with. But it is for a good cause.

Of course, throughout the year in Cleveland there were almost countless performances at...

...Cleveland Play House (Bill W. and Dr. Bob being the most moving drama of the year, The 39 Steps being one of the funniest),

...The Cleveland Orchestra (wherein I haven't missed a performance of a program at Severance Hall since the beginning of the 09-10 season, and only missed two weekends of the Blossom season.) If I was going to choose one concert from 2010 -- it is tough. I've enjoyed most of them, though Ashkenezy's Pictures at an Exhibition and Mahler's Symphony No. 1 (combined with Franklin Cohen playing Neilsen's Clarinet Concerto) both spring to mind.

...The Cleveland Institute of Music continues to amaze with a seemingly endless (except at the holidays and summer) menu of free concerts by amazingly talented students and faculty. Quite possibly one of the most delightful recitals I've heard, was violinist Diana Cohen's Second Master of Music recital.

...If I were to list every other organization that made a mark on my 2010, I'd invariably leave a few out...and this post is already long enough.

Oh, and I've continued studying the violin. It's a long and steep hill, but I'm making progress. I'm getting pretty good at reading music, my tone is improving, but I still have a way to go with rythm.

Suffice it to say, it turns out 2010 wasn't that bad. Let's see if 2011 can beat it!

Lincoln
*- Excluding relatives, there have been exactly 0 thus far. Hey, I'm socially conservative.
*- Not really for me. Hey, I'm socially conservative.

CIM: Diana Cohen Second Master of Music Recital

Bach: Sonata in C Minor for Violin and Keyboard, BVW 1017*
Mozart: Violin Concerto #4 in D Major, K. 218**
Brahms: Trio for Piano, Violin, and Cello in B Major, Op. 8***
Diana Cohen, Violin; see the end of this post for a complete listing of performers

In the perfect performance -- when the convergence of talent, music, environment, and performance comes to an almost unattainable focus -- there comes a moment when the soul resonates in sympathy with the harmony of the music and the entire body develops a pulse that is magnified with each passing beat. This feeling of bliss is rare, when lucky perhaps one in every few dozen performances of a work evokes it, yet the sublime nature of the feeling is enough to draw one to concert upon concert: It is the runner's high; the adrenaline junkie's rush; it is music.

Tonight's concert, Ms. Cohen's Second Master of Music recital featured an impressive collection of musicians and the exceedingly rare event where not one, or two, but all three works on the program evoked the feeling of splendor that one may wander endlessly in search of. Though a relatively recent fan of Ms. Cohen's playing, she is perhaps my favorite violinist, and everything I've previously written (see, for example, this) was cemented and if anything magnified with tonight's recital concert.

Of course, the Concerto was notable for the amazing cast of musicians making the small but powerful orchestra, including several Cleveland Orchestra musicians, and Orchestra Assistant Director Tito Munoz on violin.

While I was accompanied by a friend (and after intermission, my friend's friend) I found myself swept into an otherworldly state where I occupied a galaxy, nay, universe of my own. I do not know what more can be written to accurately convey the musical nature of the performance, and thus I will end there.

Placed in CIM's visually stunning Mixon Hall the view through the windows behind the stage nearly equaled the music; at the beginning of the the third movement adagio from Brahms's Trio I noticed a contrail from a passing aircraft spanning the horizon from left to right; as the movement progressed the contrail slowly dissolved away--again from left to right--such that at the conclusion it had nearly completely disappeared from view. (Trio Terzetto, playing the Brahms piece, was an unanticipated delight)

Should you have the opportunity to hear Ms. Cohen and her colleagures play I must strongly encourage you to do so.

Lincoln
*- Diana Cohen, violin; Renana Gutman, piano
**- Diana Cohen, violin with Isabel Trautwein, Miho Hashizume, Tim Kantor, Emilio Llinas, Iona Missits, Tito Munoz, Sae Shiragami, violins; Courtney Bonifant, Leslie Dragan, Lisa Whitfield, violas; Tanya Ell, Daniel Pereira, cellos; Scott Dixon, bass; Andria Brennan Hoy, Cynthia Watson, oboes.
*** - Trio Terzetto (Diana Cohen, violin; Tanya Ell, cello; Renana Gutman, piano)

Paciencia y Fe / Owner of a Lonely Heart

The title of this post (Translation: Patience and Faith) is the title of a song -- and a recurring theme -- in the musical In the Heights. While I am In the Heights, but not in the Heights that the musical is based in, I find two aspects of my life where I am reminding myself of the importance of both Patience and Faith.

I'm having one of those biweeks that simultaneously uplifting and depressing: On the uplifting front, in the past two weeks I've bumped into more people I "know" in places I wouldn't expect in the nearly five years since moving to Cleveland, it kind of makes me feel like I have a place, on the not so uplifting...

Violin Wise... I really thought I was doing reasonably well, but I had an awakening about exactly how bad my intonation is. I feel like I've taken a big step backwards, but I'm working on it: Over the past week if I play at somewhere around 1 BPM I can usually hit fairly close to the note I want. Of course, it's a matter of practice, practice, practice, and training my ear to hear the oh-so-subtle differences between perfectly "on" and a more-than-a-little "off".

I also feel like my rhythm is slipping out of control but that seems like it's easier to fix at tempo...just when I fix that any semblance of proper intonation goes out the window. Paciencia y Fe. It's of no surprise to anyone who knows me, but I am not the most patient person out there, apparently, particularly when it comes to dotted notes where I don't pause long enough. My violin teacher circled all of them in a piece that I'm working in to remind me to slow down... I couldn't help but to think that they all looked like happy faces. How can you say no to two Gs on the linked on the same bow? Paciencia y Fe.

Relationship*-wise all I can say is Pacinceia aargh Y aargh Fe. (I'm temporarially supressing the rest of this category under the heading of "questionable judgement"...but it may return.

Lincoln

Learning The Violin Part ??: Respect to Violinists

So it's been a long time since my last post on the journey of learning to play the violin.

To recap, I've always been a fan of stringed instruments and the violin in particular; about 5 months ago or so I decided that I was going to learn how to play the violin. And to read music. And to keep something approximating tempo. For the first 25 years of my life I've never played anything before (the various piano keyboards I've mashed my hands on don't count). Since I've started learning to play, the near-unanimous response has been "You certainly picked a difficult instrument" -- I'm kind of glad no one said that before I committed myself.

I'm still functionally illiterate when it comes to sheet music -- give me enough time and I'll tell you what a particular note is but it is still far from automatic recognition -- particularly if the note is above or below the staff. I'm working on that. On one hand I'm told that that I'm making good progress -- I can't say how great my teacher, a professional violinist herself, is -- but its frustrating that something seemingly so simple is taking so long for me to pick up.

For those who aren't aware -- the violin, unlike a guitar, for example, is fretless -- you have the entire swath of the fingerboard to find any of the dozens of notes that the instrument is capable of across its four strings with no real roadsigns along the way. To paraphrase Spiderman, with great power comes great responsibility: Not having anything but my less-than-perfect ear to place my fingers by I'm becoming frustrated by the "just a little off" and "no two times the same" phenomena. (Part of me is convinced that this would be easier with a "real" [read: not $0.99+shipping on eBay] violin... but I'm not spending $2k+ on myself until I'm convinced that I can achieve some level of accuracy and repeatability). I'm a digital guy by profession -- it's either on or off, right or wrong, and the violin is about as infinitely variable analog as you can get.

But the good news: I've become reasonably coordinated as far as placing and lifting fingers in coordination with bowstrokes; I'm learning new pieces relatively quickly; my tempo isn't wandering as far afield as it was originally, and everything is generally making progress, even if it's not as rapid as I'd like.

As I've said innumerable times before if nothing else I have a much greater appreciation for the craft of the professional musician: Any professional makes their work seem nearly effortless... Not only do the professionals make their individual work look and sound effortless, but the work of the trio, quartet, quintet or orchestra likewise seem as effortless as breathing.

Lincoln

CIM Faculty Recital: "Gala Alumni Recital"

A bitterly cold evening outside gave way to a warm evening inside Cleveland Institute of Music's Kulas Hall.

Mozart: Quintet for Piano and Winds in E-flat major, K. 452
Mozart: L'amero, saro costante from Il re Pastore
Schubert: Die Forelle, op. 32, D 550 (The Trout)
Schubert: Der Hirt auf dem Felsen, D 965 (The Shepherd on the Rock)
Schubert: Quintet in A Major for piano and strings, op. Post 114, D. 667 (The Trout Quintet)
With Linda Jones, piano; Marla Berg, soprano; Terry Orcutt, oboe; Alix Reinhardt, clarinet; Lauren Moore, horn; Tod Jelen, bassoon; Paul Kanto and Peter Salaff, violin; Lynne Ramsey, viola; Stephen Geber, cello; Jeffrey Bradetich, bass.

Bear with me for this random thought... While I was in New York I caught the new(ish?) musical Next to Normal, which I enjoyed at the time and have developed more of an appreciation for since purchasing the original cast recording* -- anyway, one of the songs, Everything Else, includes the lyrics:

Mozart was Crazy. Flat F___ing Crazy. Bat S__t I hear.
But his music's not crazy. It's balanced, it's nimble; it's crystalline clear.
There's harmony, logic; you listen to these. You don't hear his doubts, or his debts or disease.

Which happened to be running through my head while I waited for this evening's program to begin.

The program was played, and in the case of L'amero and Der Hirt sung, passionately -- and was quite enjoyable to listen to. However it wasn't until the scherzo of Schubert's Qunintet that my ear really perked up, reinforcing the notion that I've never met a scherzo I don't like and making me realize that perhaps the only tempo I (generally) like more than an Allegro is Presto.

My recent challenge with the learning to play the violin has been my near complete inability to maintain any semblance of a steady tempo while practicing. Through that filter, Peter Salaff's playing for Mozart's L'amero, saro constante caught my eye and ear with his ability to match the vocalist's tempo, including holding sustained notes.

Lincoln
*- I've also developed an unhealthy addiction to the string melody to Masquerade from Phantom of the Opera, but that's an entirely different post.

CIM Orchestra: Dvorak and Stravinsky

Tonight I heard the Cleveland Institute of Music Orchestra beautifully play two of the most stunning pieces I've heard.


Dvorak: Concerto in B-Minor for Cello and Orchestra, op. 104 (Mark Yee, Cello)
Stravinsky: Le Sacre du Printemps (The Right of Spring)
The CIM Orchestra - Carl Topilow, Conductor


In no simpler words, I felt like crap today after not feeling all that well Monday or Tuesday... so I stayed home and in bed most of the day. Luckily by the time my 7:00pm violin lesson -- my first in two weeks due to travel -- rolled around I was feeling much more myself. I also happened to notice the 8:00 performance at CIM on my calendar and figured I'd try to make a go of it.

Two amazing yet diametrically opposed pieces made it well-worth the gamble, and leaving me with a fantastic feeling. Dvorak's Cello Concerto almost immediately conjured images from his Symphony From The New World which preceded the concerto by two years. Looking into the history of the piece, there's some connection between the principal cellist for the debut of New World and the nucleus of the concerto. Mark Yee along with the rest of the orchestra turned in a fantastic performance; the first movement was my clear favorite, while the second was enjoyable, the third was a little too sorrowful for my tastes.


Mr. Topilow provided a an introduction to Stravinsky's The Right of Spring including some well-chosen excerpts and some humor from an English Horn and then launched into 37 minutes of musical bliss. Here again, though, I strongly preferred Part I (Adoration of the Earth) to Part II (The Sacrifice), which was quite dark.

There is some amazing talent in that building....

Lincoln

Cleveland Orchestra: Eileen Ivers - An Irish Christmas

"Wow." I entered the hall with some pessimism and left with none.

While certainly not the orchestra's traditional fare, this evening's concert was incredibly energizing. The Orchestra played the role of idle audience to Ms. Ivers and band for a larger chunk of the program than I would have liked, but all were thrilling to listen to.

It appeared that everyone -- including the orchestra, and most notably Mr. Feddeck was enjoying themselves; I think I can safely say I've never noticed a conductor's head bobbing so vigorously. I have also never seen so many players pour so much energy into their music; I nearly worked up a sweat just watching. It's hard to pinpoint one specific favorite piece, but opening with A Christmas Festival, while not as wildly energetic as some of the later pieces, certainly made for great listening, as did Parchelbel's Frolics

The crowd was a willing participant in the show, and I was not unaffected by the surplus of energy... tapping my foot through a large part of the show, and during the encore succumbing to the rhythmic clapping. Also of note were the number of first time or rare guests to Severance in attendance.

I'm looking forward to tomorrow evening's concert, but for now... I need to be at work in the morning ;)

Lincoln

The Program
James Feddeck, Conductor with Eileen Ivers, Celtic Fiddle
Anderson: A Christmas Festival
Traditional, arr. O'Carolan & Starobin: Planxty Loftus Jones
Bach, arr. Finno: Jesu Joy of Man's Desiring
Ivers & Keane, arr. Sammut: Medley: Bygone Days
Traditional, arr. Sammut: The Holly Tree
Traditional, arr. Sammut: Medley: Deck the Halls
Bizet: Farandole from L'Arlesienne
Traditional, arr. Sammut: Pachelbel's Frolics
arr. Sammut: Mrs. Fogarty's Fruitcake
Whelan, arr. Hollenbeck: Riverdance
Traditional, arr. Finno & Levine: Medley: Christmas Time Is Here
With One Encore, title and composer unknown.

Learning the Violin, Part IV & Fantastic Service from Carlin Violins

Ok, no extensive monologue here: Ms. Terry Carlin of Carlin Violins (Little Italy, http://www.carlinviolins.com/ or 216-791-A=440) just plain has customer service down. Add reasonable rates and amazingly prompt customer service and... well, what else is there to say?

My visit to her shop this afternoon, occasioned by my mis-guided attempt to replace my own tailpiece -- a story of its own -- remnded me that I haven't posted in a while about that adventure in quite a while.

I'm still taking lessons -- I'm having more fun with every week, and I'm making awful noises with far less frequency. The best part about learning to play, is thanks in large part to my fantastic teacher my understanding, appreciation, and general enjoyment of the musical world surrounding the violin has incereased exponentially.

The lessons are a highlihgt of my week and practicing is a great distraction from the outside world. The violin I bought for $0.01 (plus $45 in shipping), though, is reaching it's limits, and some of its quirks are becoming more fustrating by the day -- especially in the slipping peg department. It was (is) a good introduction, but now that I know I'm enjoying the journey I really want to acquire a violin made out of real wood.

Right now I'm holding off on most expenses because I'm expecting a hideous property tax bill -- the Auditor seems to have determined that my home's value has increased by $100k despite what the rest of the market has done -- but once that bill gets paid I may just get myself a late Christmas present.

Lincoln

CIM Chamber Orchestra: Beethoven, Bloch, Copland and Violin Part IV

Beethoven: Symphony No. 2 in D major, op. 36
Bloch: Concerto Grosso No. 1
Copland: Concerto for Clarinet and Orchestra

I started this evening with violin lesson number four... I feel like a massive amount of progress has been made, but there's plenty of ground left to cover. I then made my way to CIM for a magnificent concert.

Seeing Copland on the billing is what got me through the door--depending on my mood if you ask who my favorite composer is Copland would be as likely an answer as Gershwin, Newman [either of them] or Williams. I think, though, this is the first time I've heard Copland played live. I don't have a favorite piece from this concert simply because I thoroughly enjoyed and was engaged by all of them.

I think Symphony No. 2 became my favorite Beethoven piece, had a magnificent energy... and I may be committing sacrilege by saying this but in the 2nd or 3rd movement I could have sworn I heard hints of the the Looney Tunes theme. The lack of an adagio certainly doesn't hurt.

Likewise, while I've only heard one Bloch piece before this evening (and that piece didn't particularly enthrall me) Concerto Grosso No. 1 held me spellbound through all four movements. The counterpoint that popped up throughout the piece was intriguing, and the Fugue was particularly interesting especially with the violas kicking off the movement.

Copland's Concerto for Clarinet and Orchestra was great, but didn't captivate me to the same level as Symphony No. 2 or Concerto Grosso No. 1 --- the prolonged clarinet solo in the middle of the piece just felt too long.

The gentleman next to me made a comment about half of the orchestra playing out of key--it's possible that that's the case, but I certainly didn't hear it.

Have I mentioned this week how much I love Cleveland, and everything this city has to offer... Or how amazed I am at the talent of the students at CIM (and that CIM offers this programming to the public at no charge)?

The Violin, Part III

My instructor is a genius. Having never learned how to read music, much less play an instrument I was intimidated by the sheer number of new things that need to be learned to truly play -- fingering, bow hold, reading music, etc.

It wasn't until walking back from my 3rd lesson that I realized that based on the way she has structured the lessons -- while I still have a quite a path in front of me, thus far each component has been broken down into an piece that's easy enough to cover independently of everything else... slowly, ever so slowly, the various parts are coming together--I can see how they relate to the whole.


Side Lesson - Buying a violin on eBay for $0.01 is probably not the best idea. I'm already plotting for an upgrade...A violin, to me, is acoustically and visually beautiful and a beacon of fine craftsmanship. My present instrument is lacking, though not sorely, in all three of the above. It is rather amusing to see the initial reaction each time a new professional lays eyes on it... ;)

The Violin Part II

I may have already said this but it bears repeating: One indication that someone is truly skilled in anything -- be it sports, art, music, acting, technology -- is when they make that activity appear to be completely effortless. Once again I find myself in awe of the talented musicians of the Cleveland Orchestra and other organizations in the area.

Tonight the weather was nice enough that I walked from my place to my instructor's home -- about 20 minutes -- and I have to admit that I felt a little goofy with a violin case hanging on my back as I made my way thorough Coventry and Overlook.

The lesson was surprisingly productive, and we attempted to actually play something resembling "music" for the first time. I have a long, long, way to go. The good news is that I understand up bow, down bow, and can generally find my way to a string. Making the combination of bow and string sound even remotely as beautiful as I know is possible is still a long way off. It is, actually, quite possible to make that beautiful instrument sound remarkably awful without much effort. Thank the Deity of your choice for my teacher's patience.

Posture and leading with my wrist are probably going to be the next two things that do me in. The positioning of the left hand will take some work (and apparently stretches a muscle that hasn't received much attention lately) but wasn't as bad as I had prepared myself for.

Learning the violin, Part I.V - A new teacher.

My original "teacher" bailed on me and I'm at the point in learning where I'm absolutely terrified of breaking something and/or learning bad habits.

I've discovered that in Cleveland it's actually far easier to find a violin teacher than the nearest drive-through food joint (There are 12 teachers -- that I know of -- and 5 drive-throughs joints in a 3 mile radius). I also found out that the daughter of a friend of my grandmother is not only a professional violinist that lives in Cleveland Heights but she also teaches and really likes teaching adult beginners. Score!

Wednesday evening I went over for my first lesson. I got a much better vibe from her and am excited to continue down the path; I have a much better idea of what I need to work on and how I need to do it -- plus notes to reference. The bow hold is still causing me consternation. It looks like it should be so much easier than it is, but my pinkie keeps slipping off the top and my thumb keeps wanting to lock itself straight. But at least now I'm much more confident of what it should look like so I can correct myself when I'm practicing.

Learning the Violin, Part I -- A new appreciation

The perfect series of events lined up and I've decided to learn how to play the violin. Considering my musical ability, or complete lack thereof this is a major leap.

I didn't expect this to be easy. I didn't expect this to be quick. It isn't going to be easy, nor is it going to be quick.

I expected the fingering to be a challenge... but I'm not even that far yet. Things that I didn't even consider -- bow hold, tuning, and holding the violin itself are kicking my rear end. The two "holds" largely becuse I'm deathly afraid of starting with a bad habit; the tuning because I really feel like I'm missing something here -- every time I try it seems like something wierd happens. And I'm afraid of causing damage.