I've Never….played a violin before

Now, I'm not claiming to have learned the violin. Oh no -- far from that. It's merely about me playing a violin for the first time…ever!  In fact, I'm pretty sure it's my first time even holding a violin.  So just know that if you click on the video below, you are listening at your own risk.  It's a little painful - okay, actually a lot painful, so don't say I didn't warn you.

Me at a piano recital

I've actually wanted to learn the violin for a while now.  I already know how to read music due to my lovely mother forcing piano lessons on me for almost 10 years of my life (there was some literal kicking and screaming at times as she can attest to).  I also learned the clarinet in band which I played in for a few years. 

Me again

If I had had a choice, I would have done orchestra and not band.  It just sounds so much classier, doesn't it?  Plus, then you don't have all the parades and pep band stuff which was the worst part for me and probably one of the main factors of why I quit band halfway through high school.  It just wasn't really my thing. And don't get me started on those band uniforms.  I only had to wear them once or twice for homecoming games since I avoided the marching band but those 2 times were enough to make me want to have a uniform burning bonfire. 

Band uniforms!

But anyway, turns out my school district was not super great.  I didn't really realize how awful it was until I came to school in Utah and heard about all of the amazing opportunities and programs that others had had growing up.  For instance, my cousins were taught foreign languages in elementary school!  My high school offered French and Spanish--but did we actually learn how to speak it? Ha. In any case, orchestra was not offered in my high school and even if it were, they probably wouldn't have been able to recruit enough students to make it worth it.  My school was the type of school where the goal was just to get people to graduate. And even that was pretty difficult, it turns out.  I'm pretty sure my graduating class was only about half the size that my freshman class had started at (of course, not ALL of those were drop-outs…but still).

So long story short, my school didn't offer orchestra and violin was just never a thought that I even had growing up.  But then, when I came to Utah and everyone and their mom plays some kind of instrument or sings amazingly, violins started popping up all over the place.  And all of a sudden, I really wanted to learn how to play. 

Me in band - Sorry it's blurry

Lucky for me, Amy plays the violin!  And after a few years of established friendship (I promise the violin thing wasn't the only reason I wanted to be friends with her), I started occasionally throwing in random comments about how I wanted to learn the violin.  And finally, it worked! And Amy gave me my first violin lesson.

I discovered that holding the violin is really awkward -- at least it was to me.  You have to cram it up against your jaw bone, and maybe I was a little too intense (since Amy threatened me if I dropped her violin) but I actually had a bruise there the next morning.  I asked Amy if they happened to have left-handed violins but she said everyone learns this way.  I really think it would feel more natural for me to hold it on the other side and hold the bow in my left hand.  But I suppose that's something you get used to and I'm sure it will be fine after a few more practice sessions.  Also, you can't really play the violin with long nails.  So, if I want to get serious, I'll have to chop them off.  Not that my nails are creepily long (at least I don't think so…) but I just really don't like the feeling of super short nails.

Within an hour or so though, she had taught me how to hold it, how to use a bow, where to place my fingers on the strings, and even taught me to play Twinkle Twinkle Little Star!  Well, "play" is used very loosely here -- it's more she taught me how to screech out the song.  And Amy was so sweet…She kept telling me that I was doing amazingly for my first time.  I can't really tell if she was just being nice or what but either way, it's not pretty so again, only listen if you enjoy scratchy violin noise.