Tuesday, May 10, 2011

Hey Diddle Diddle take 2

I'd like to introduce you to my newest favourite distraction. Ain't she a beauty? It's a Yamaha fiddle, and it's mine for a month. I rented it from Long and McQuade's, and for only 16 bones a month, I get her, the case, the bow, and roisin. Hoping that maybe I can get good enough by July that I can convince somebody to buy me one for my birthday.
I picked her up yesterday afternoon, and stopped in Garrison Creek park halfway home to try her out. Couldn't wait till I got home. I screeched and scratched my way across the strings, but it was music to my ears.
I went home and studied for a while, and the next time I was ready for a break I took her out to the front porch to fumble my way through a youtube lesson. One of the neighbor's boys was drawn out to see what I was doing. He was enthused to have another "musician" on the street. I told him I was hardly that... yet at least. He just smiled and told me that if I was passionate about it, I was a musician. I liked this kid already. Then he told me that it sounded a little out of tune. I don't have the ear to be able to tune these things myself, but he went and got his guitar, and by plucking that, then plucking my fiddle, he helped me get it back in tune. Then he sat on the front porch steps and played the guitar for a while. He plays 5 instruments and is learning 2 more. I was impressed. The kid is 14. I wished I had a batch of iced tea or something mad up to offer him. Anyways, I've lived here since January, and that was one of the longest conversations I've had with a neighbor. Music really does build communities. So does screeching apparently. He headed back home when his little brother got home from school and I studied Joint mobilizations.
Later on, when it was time for another break, I let all 4 cats out into the backyard and followed them out with freshly made iced tea and the fiddle. I played for about 15 minutes, and then sat studying Neuro in the glorious sunshine. Wearing a tank top. I am so burnt. It felt really good to soak up the vitamin d though.
And now it's morning, and I'm blogging/studying until I'm pretty sure I won't wake anyone up with the fiddle. I think this pattern of study, take a break to fiddle, study some more is gonna work out really well this week.

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