A few weeks ago I saw this book, Made From Scratch, and picked it up to read. It's about a young woman who wishes to have a homestead of her own and doesn't allow a pesky little matter like owning her own land get in her way. She proceeds to learn quite a lot on her own little homestead that she builds on a bit of rented land. The author emphasizes the point that she would rather live the life she wants now, even under semi-perfect conditions then wait forever for things to be perfect. (Which we all know perfection never really happens.
I think that's a wonderful outlook to have on life. I've often thought it myself -- far more oftener than I've put into practice! Sometimes I think hearing (or reading) it from another source can help drive the point home.
The author on her blog, Cold Antler Farm, held a Fiddler's Summer where she encouraged everyone who ever wanted to learn to play the fiddle to stop putting it off and give it a go. I arrived too late (pesky libraries taking too long to transfer the book to my home library!) to the scene to participate but I really liked the idea. I also really enjoyed hearing other people's samples of how their own learning was coming along. After listening to samples from this woman at Urban Grange Hall I took the plunge and leaped over to Ebay to pick up a student's violin/fiddle. I've always wanted to learn how to play and I decided that I wasn't going to keep waiting for a 'more perfect time' to give it a try.
All week long like a child I waited for the fiddle to come via UPS. Twice, sometimes three times a day, I clicked the little 'Track Package' option to see if it had arrived or departed a new UPS station. I ordered and received a How to Play book and checked another one out of the library. Finally, on Friday the fiddle arrived ten minutes before I had to leave the house to pick up Tristyn from Science Camp. I had time to take it out of the box and look at it only.
After Tristyn & Maia left for the weekend, I got to play with it a little more. I was (and still am) completely clueless about a lot of it. But I can tell you that I understand this:
1. That screw to turn to tighten the bow is really a bit of metal at the bottom of the bow. It doesn't look like a screw at all. (20 minutes to figure this out when the bow was producing no sound)
2. Bridges fall over, a LOT, until you figure out how not to make it do that. It also makes a terrifying bang. (15 minutes)
3. Tuning is not so hard especially once you get an electronic tuner to help you out. (approximately 3 hours later right before Rick and I went to dinner)
4. But. Tuning can be dangerous when you haven't figured out the 'tune slowly to keep even tension' on the strings. (15 minutes--same 15 as the bridges fall over a lot lesson)
5. E strings that suddenly break, fly up and embed one end of itself just a few inches below your collar bone really doesn't hurt at all. Especially once you consider that that could have been your eye. (2 seconds)
All of these things were part of my pre-sound making fumbling and I've lots more difficulties to share the next time. Stay tuned.....and watch that E string!
