I realized today that the violin and I have a lot in common. Maybe thats why I am drawn to it and why I persist playing even though I am not yet as skilled as I would like to be. Here are 10 ways that I am like my violin…
1) We are both complicated. Not always a good thing, as sometimes I am too damn complicated for my own good. I heard shortly after starting violin lessons that it was the most difficult instrument to learn. There’s so much going on, so much to pay attention to and even the most subtle of differences in interaction with it can cause a significantly different sound/result. I have been told I am unpredictable in that way at times as well and that I can be hard to figure out. But I am also stimulating, challenging, and rarely boring, in part because…
2) Like the violin, I have a seemingly infinite number of “songs” within me. As the Anais Nin quote says, there are many different women inside me. I possess a massive ocean of emotions, moods, ideas, and stories within me. I have been told I am an enigma, an adventure, and hours of entertainment.
3) I can be a giant pain in the ass. You read that right. I get frustrated when I am playing my violin on those occasional days when no matter what I do it sounds like a screeching cat in heat rather than emitting the beautiful sounds it had the day before even though I cannot find a discernible difference in the way I am playing or the technique I am using. Some days are just like that, and some days even though I am not trying to be, I am a pain in the ass (primarily to those the closest to me who I feel most comfortable being my most authentic self around. No fair, I know). On those days, even I don’t know how I want to be interacted with or what can make it better so I certainly can’t expect others to magically understand. I like to think that these times are the exception rather than the rule and that I make up for it with my silliness, compassion, caring, and endearing charm on all the other days.
4) We are both expressive, and can express ourselves in a variety of ways and evoke a multitude of emotions.
5) We can be both fragile and strong at the same time. The violin can appear fragile. One wrong accidental drop can destroy the instrument’s ability to produce the beautiful sound it was created to emit. Yet, when in use, the violin can take a bit of a beating with the bow traversing across the strings frantically and with pressure at times. Some violins-despite their apparent fragility- have survived for hundreds and hundreds of years. Those that know me don’t always realize how sensitive I can be as I am pretty good at keeping the mask in place at those moments. Those that don’t know me at all and make assumptions based on my appearance and open and friendly demeanor often underestimate my strength. There are moments in the solitude of my own space when I break down, fall apart, and let the tears flow like rain. But even in those moments, I know there is a spark of strength within that refuses to allow me to give up. And so I pick myself back up and begin again to compose and play the song that is my life.
6) We tend to get get better with age. I have been told that an older violin has a truer sound, that the years have made the wood more supple and its musical essence is more refined/able to shine through. I find that as I get older I know myself better, am able to speak my truth more effectively, appreciate myself more, and be more authentically me.
7) If you know how to handle us and you enjoy a challenge, we can be lots of fun.
8) We aren’t necessarily the first thing you notice, but once you notice us, we are hard to forget. In a multitude of instruments and musical styles, the violin might not be the first instrument you hear or notice. It doesn’t have the pounding, driving rhythm of the drums that act as the life force of many songs. It doesn’t have the raucous attention grabbing sound of a guitar, the blaring music of a brass instrument or the melodic tunes of the mainstay piano. But I find that once you hear the violin, its beauty stays with you. As for me, I am probably never going to be the person that stands out in a crowd. (Unless I am on stage for a purpose). I am not the one who will be doing whatever is necessary to grab your attention. But I have been told once you do see me, hear me and get to know me, I can definitely intrigue and hold your attention. In some cases, I may even leave you wanting more. And as for those that have been brave enough to fall in love with me (I say brave not because I am mean or a heartbreaker or anything like that, but for a variety of reasons I won’t explain here) they have said things such as that I am hard to forget, and that I have left an indelible impression on their lives. Some have gone so far as to say that I have haunted them. Not like in a shrieking ghost kind of way of course (though with some, that would have been tempting. ;-))
9) Not only do we both create, we come alive in doing so.
10) We are both curvy in certain areas. Enough said. 🙂
What instrument are you the most like and why?