There is a piano in our apartment and I play it from time to time. When I was young and restless, I played alot, and once even fancied myself an expert of sorts. But now, with jobs, soccer practice, and daily laundry loads, I am content to get in a few minutes on the ivories here and there.
Rada enjoys music, but has showed no interest in the piano. Last winter she developed a yearning for the trombone and asked repeatedly for lessons. Worried that its weight would physically overwhelm her 4 ft frame, as well as in dreaded anticipation of the sonic emanations that would come from such a structure, I stalled and deflected for months.
Finally last week Rada turned her sites toward the violin. My ears perked up. String instrument, lightweight, fairies in the woods…? I went for it.
So last weekend we went to Johnson’s Strings for the rental. The store has shelves and shelves of violins of all sizes…. starting with little bitty ones no more than 10″ long and extending through violas, cellos and big bass viols.
We picked up a small violin for her, outfitted with bow, rosin, and shoulder pad. All the pieces fit neatly into a ultra-indestructible case.
In preparation of her first lesson Rada spent the week taking the violin out of its case, assiduously rubbing the bow with rosin, and then dragging it across the strings of the instrument. The resulting sound was excruciating like nothing I’d ever heard before: words fail me.
I’m sure that the lessons will soon infuse Rada with new skills, new techniques, new sounds.