Hi, kids.
I had my first of 10 violin lessons today. It was amazing. It turns out that I was the only student that signed up for the class so it's an intimate 1-on-1 with a teacher who is classically trained but now plays jazz violin.
I feel compelled to bring up the fact that a few of my musician friends are dubious that I can succeed when starting violin at 23. Regardless, my teacher told me that I was doing so well today that I could easily advance to the intermediate class in the next few lessons if I kept learning at the pace I did today. It isn't exactly as daunting as I thought it would be, but encouragement is still exactly what I need right now.
Maybe If I'm good enough after this conservatory class I'll feel up to breaking it out for the wedding I was asked to play in April. Mebbe not. We'll see.
I'll have an update after next week's lesson.
Adios!
-Chris
EDIT:
I thought about doing cello and maybe I will in the future. For me, it seems like a very likely step after learning violin.
I picked violin b/c:
1. I play mandolin. It's the same tuning so I already have a huge head start.
2. I've been wanting to learn how to play an instrument that can sustain notes.
I have one friend in particular who when told about my violin lessons said "Well.. I started when I was 7 and couldn't get the thing to sound good until I was about 12 or 14"....... which sounds like "oh my god it's a hard instrument to learn and it's too late for you".
The difference between his scenario and mine is the fact that I'm not 7 and my attention span is way better. A 7 year old is probably pushed by his parents to learn an instrument b/c "it will be good for you" no matter how much you want to do it. He plays cello and loves it now, but I'm sure during those early days he would dread going to practice. I, on the other hand, have determination, commitment, and a love for all things music. I want to expand my knowledge and do a damn good job of it. So I look forward to my one lesson per week and I'll be practicing every day in between so I can be the best I can possibly be at this.
The lessons are cheap but I can't take it for granted. It's $60 for ten 1-hour classes, but I'll be treating this class as if I paid thousands of dollars for it.
Tags: Violin Breeze
(Translation: you're very freakin' talented, and you can do anything, as you should know 
)
