Typecasting.

August 19, 2012 at 7:47 PM

This happened to me a couple of weeks before school broke up for the summer holidays. I was sat, at a computer, rifling through some sheets on IMSLP.

Someone to my right asked "Are you in a band?"

I said I wasn;t.

Another person quietly (and mockingly) said to him(presumably hoping I wouldn't hear) "What, with a violin?"

Ugh.

Let's be honest, though. The violin isn't an instrument renowned for 'rocking out'. Mostly people think of it as a classical instrument.

Of course, there are exceptions. The violin can be found in pop music, rock, and even Mark Wood's heavy metal - though is the timeless debate with Mark, being 'How far can you 'edit' a violin before it becomes not much of a violin?'

The electric violin is changing people's minds - with amps and distortion, it can do pretty much anything an electric guitar can do and then some. Plus, there's the shock appeal. I imagine seeing a live rendition of Jimi Hendrix's 'Purple Haze' would look more startling on a violin.

It's a dream of mine to pursue a music career of some kind. The best thing that could possibly happen is if I find a few like-minded freaks who like Baroque music and instruments, rock, metal, and dark surrealist imagery and music, who would love to form some kind of Vaudeville group of strange things going on in derelict rooms.

We all have our dreams.

The main point of this is that, if people open their minds (and ears) we can find the versatile violin in all music; Eastern, pop, New-Wave, electronica...you name it. But really...how far can we take the violin before it's not the beautiful instrument we love, but something trying to be something else?

Maybe, on the other hand, there's no limit to the violin's capabilities.

From Tyrone Wilkins
Posted on August 20, 2012 at 4:09 AM

THAT SOUNDS AWESOME! I love Baroque music,rock,metal,alternative,and all that stuff (just nothing satanic or anti Christian)the group sounds like a great idea...but I'm sure you live no where near me.... :(

From jean dubuisson
Posted on August 20, 2012 at 9:12 AM

this person who reacted "not with a VIOLIN" has a limited knowledge of pop music. there are various bands where the violin is one of the essential voices, not just in a cheesy romantic song now and then, but in every song of the band. a nice example is the Belgian rock band "dEUS".

From Bob Bears
Posted on August 20, 2012 at 2:15 PM

I really like the Rock of 'Dueling Fiddlers'. On youtube, their back in black is truly amazing to listen to. You should get their Cd for an option to much of the standard violin 'stuff'. Yoour friends don't know what they are talking about....

From Skyko Tavis
Posted on August 20, 2012 at 7:05 PM

I come from a long history of both classical and rock. There is one deciding factor to take into consideration. Give a person a guitar or a piano and a sheet of paper and they could very well give you back a "hit" pop song in a year.

Give a person a violin, cello, viola or upright bass, and in five years they will have just begun scratching the surface of this incredibly complex and beautiful instrument.

Take it from my 30 year experience with rock musicians 95% of them are lazy, ignorant slobs who think that because they can strum a couple of chords like Elvis - that they deserve to earn a living at it.

Pop music is a myth perpetuated and forced upon our population by the major, corporate conglomerates that own the airwaves, press and now (with Live Nation) nearly every live venue across America.

From Charlie Gibbs
Posted on August 21, 2012 at 6:28 PM

I'm like so many people who grew up with pop music in the '60s and '70s and know it inside-out. I was in a musical hiatus at the time, having played cornet through my pre-teens and teens. I always knew that I'd someday get into classical music, but the time wasn't yet ripe.

Twenty years ago I took up guitar, mostly folk fingerpicking stuff, then drifted into mandolin and the bluegrass scene. Somewhere along the way I started listening to - but not yet playing - classical music. Even when a friend gave me a violin a few years ago I still just did a bit of fiddling at bluegrass jams, while the mandolin remained my primary instrument.

But one day while visiting another friend who plays violin, we started playing Corelli and Brahms - and I realized it was time to get serious about classical music. I've been taking classical violin lessons for three years now - and not only has it given me a lot of enjoyment playing classical music, it's done wonders for my playing in the jams as well. We don't only play straight-ahead bluegrass; late at night we wander into country, swing... and yes, even pop.

At last night's jam we played everything from Hank Williams to the Beatles and Simon & Garfunkel - and my violin had something to say in all of it. I've come to realize - and also to make others realize - that there are no musical barriers to the violin (or any other instrument, for that matter) if you can truly serve the music.

Too bad there's no such thing as a classical jam. It'd be kind of fun to hear someone in the circle say, "OK, let's do Mozart's Symphony No. 40. Ready? One... two... three... four..."

This entry has been archived and is no longer accepting comments.

Typecasting.

Subscribe

Laurie's Books