Nothing will ever change unless I get up and do something about it. It will not be easy. I repeat: It will not be easy. All it takes is willingness and dedication. And, well, time.
I decided to do something for myself. For no one else. Just me. It won't go on a resume, its just something I have always admired and dreamed about doing. I want to learn to play the violin.
Step 1: Youtube a million videos about beginners and try to figure out how long I will need to practice before I sound "good."
Step 2: Accept the fact that the answer is 1 year... Do it anyway.
Step 3: Find a teacher.
I contacted 2 people off craigslist and went with my current instructor simply based on location. He lives close to me, so its easy for him to travel to my house for lessons. I'm glad I did, because he is a cool guy and a good instructor. He recommended a music shop close by that has a rent-to-own program, so I eagerly went and picked out my own brand new violin. Its gorgeous.
I would like to point out that I am an absolute beginner. Other than playing jingle bells with 1 finger on a piano when I was 10, I have ZERO music knowledge or skill. So... this is a bit extra challenging for me.
1. I am learning to read music. Quite honestly, I know the space between bars spells FACE and I just use context clues to figure the other notes out.
2. I am learning finger placement. Luckily beginners are allowed to place marking tape on their instruments, which makes this much easier. Also, the series of songs I am learning are all done in C sharp, etc, so I can be rather consistent in my lessons. Your fingers learn to curl appropriately eventually and I keep my nails trimmed extra short on one hand only. LOL.
3. I am learning to bow. This is harder than one would think. Too little pressure and you squeak, too much pressure and you risk accidentally playing 2 strings at once. You have to have a certain posture (yes, I use a shoulder rest) and my arm gets tired.
4. Lastly, I am learning to keep time. This is pretty tricky as well. Luckily, with today's technology, I simply downloaded a metronome app on my phone and I can speed it up accordingly. But still, you have to know how to read a quarter note, half note, and whole...and play it accordingly. Right now, we ignore sixteenth notes since I can't play that fast anyways.
YES. All four of those things all at once, jammed packed into my 30 minute lesson each week. Whew!
Honestly, I love it. Its so hard and I get so frustrated, but I practice every day. And truth be told, it gets easier. I sound better. I can actually play a few songs. Yesterday was my 5th lesson and I signed up for 3 more.
I told my sister-in-law about what I was doing, and she got me sheet music on Lord of the Rings, which is my ultimate goal. Currently I can only play the first 3 bars of 1 song, but it sounds bad-ass nonetheless.
Today is the first day of a new year and I can only look forward to my skill to come. Wish me luck!
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