Friday, September 16, 2011

Favourite Things Friday: The Violin

The violinist is that peculiarly human phenomenon distilled to a rare potency — half tiger, half poet. –Yehudi Menuhin

When I was in elementary school, my best friend played the violin. She started playing at about the age of four so by the time I met her in the 3rd grade, she was pretty good. In 4th grade, I decided that I wanted to play the violin, too. I joined a little orchestra at school, but became frustrated that I wasn't an instant virtuoso. The hours and hours of practice my friend put into her talent, combined with the years she had been doing it, made it look easy. My pitiful Twinkle, Twinkle just didn't compare to the beautiful music my friend could play, so I quit after not too long. As a child, I didn't realize that anything worthwhile in life takes effort. I have often regretted not sticking with it and have considered taking violin lessons as an adult.

This week we bought a violin for Grasshopper and it is so beautiful. He's decided to join the 6th grade orchestra and I'm pretty excited for him. I think he's pretty excited too. When I dropped him off for his first class this week, I told him to pay close attention so that he could show me everything he learns so that I can learn too. He is big enough to start out with a full-size violin, so we can share. And I'm seriously considering taking violin lessons.

The violin is such a beautiful instrument. It can touch your soul and bring joy to your heart like no other instrument. I love classical violin music and have a small collection I love to listen to. But there is more to the violin than that. A violin can make music to suit any mood. One of my favorite musical groups is Ryan Shupe and the Rubberband. Lead singer, Ryan Shupe, plays a mean fiddle. He started at the age of 5. His group puts on an amazing show. This collection of clips showcases some of his amazing talent.



And for good measure this is one of my favorite of their songs. I just love the sweet sound of the violin.


Today's post brought to you by:



P.S. Ryan Tilby, if you're reading, can you get me tickets to your show in December?

7 comments:

Paulette said...

Wow, they sure are an energetic and versatile group of pickers, aren't they? I enjoyed hearing their renditions of ACDC and Ozzy, in particular. I bet their concerts are a blast.

I hope you learn to play violin along with grasshopper!

Shay said...

Miss P took violin too when she was 8 or 9. She lasted three whole weeks suffering from a genetic disorder passed down by my side of the family which means she doesn't have a musical bone in her body.

You should totally take violin lessons.

GerryART said...

oh, my. I was just telling about MY adventure playing the violin.

I started in junior high school, played for three years. Found I had not improved since the end of my first year. I retired my violin.

But, to this day, enjoy it's music.

hugs

Jill said...

Yay! I'm so excited for you guys. I played through jr. high and high school. I tried out for my university's orchestra, but I didn't make it in. I should have practiced a bit more and tried again, but I didn't. I miss being in an organized orchestra. My hubby has even looked around for a little community orchestra. But there doesn't seem to be that sort of thing around here. There was an ad looking for members of a community band, but it said "no strings." I thought that was pretty rude. But there you go.

PS, I saw Ryan Tilby at a concert with some other artists. I was super impressed. Fun group.

Michelle Ridgway said...

It's never too late my friend has learnt to play the violin at the age of 50 and she is so chuffed with herself.

Larri said...

Exciting! I love to see kids take up an instrument. They are so enthusiastic and typically have no qualms at the first awful sounds they produce. LOL Fabulous favourite! Best of luck to Grasshopper. Happy FTF ☺

Michelle said...

The violin is a beautiful instrument. Good luck to Grasshopper!