November 2012

V.com weekend vote: Would you consider going without your shoulder rest?

Speaking with the Baroque violinist, teacher and specialist Stanley Ritchie about his book, Before the Chinrest made me think of an obvious question: Would I ever consider going without a shoulder rest?

I think the shoulder rest would be the first thing to go, before the chinrest, if one were to start shedding these aids for holding the instrument. Ritchie no longer uses either one, and this all started when he became interested in the Early Music movement.

The answer for me is, perhaps I would do so if I were embrace Early Music and period performance, which does sound like great fun. (I mean, look below at Tafelmusik -- those people are having fun!) The other answer for me is, I'm pretty much what I am, and I play with a shoulder rest, without a lot of pain. It works, and it's unlikely that I will change things! I think that this might have been more of a possibility, if I'd tried it as a young student!

I'm curious about your thoughts! If you already go without a shoulder rest, just vote "yes," and also share with us your thoughts and experiences. If you are seriously considering it, vote "yes" as well. If there's no way you see yourself going without a shoulder rest, vote "no," and also share your thoughts!

Shoulder rest-less people having fun (the Canadian-based Early Music ensemble, Tafelmusik):

29 replies

V.com weekend vote: Do humans need music, like we need food, clothing and shelter?

Do humans need music, like we need food, clothing and shelter?

Vote first, and then I'l tell you my thoughts on the matter:

I think if you'd asked me this question when I was a teenager, I probably would have said, "No way, food, clothing and shelter are all you need to live, don't be ridiculous."

As I've grown older and become more aware of the fragility of human existence, I've changed my mind. I truly believe that music -- and art -- are necessary nutrients for the human condition, without which, we lack the engagement, imagination and will to survive.

Music can help us do our work. When I was younger, I had some truly boring jobs that I took to make ends meet -- the kind where you punch a clock, work seemingly forever and come home late, only to get up early the next day to do it again. At one of those jobs, we had little radios at our desk, and though I couldn't listened to Brahms symphonies (it was tuned to a pop station), the music kept me sane.

Music can greatly help people doing physical labor: people sing while they work in fields or on construction sites. I actually sing to myself when I go running; the beat falls in with my breath and it keeps me going.

Music somehow opens pathways to learning in our brains, allowing us to accept and understand new ideas. Would a child learn his or her alphabet, without a song to go with it? Perhaps, but I just haven't happened to meet any children during my lifetime who did not learn this fundamental skill without a song to help.

Music also has the power to lift us, motivate us and console us. Is it a necessity? Please share your thoughts on the matter!

22 replies

V.com weekend vote: So what would you do with your multi-million-dollar fine instrument?

If you had a multi-million-dollar instrument - say, a Strad or a Guarneri -- what would you do with it? Since we're pretty much in fantasyland (at least for most of us), let's just say that you somehow inherited or were given this instrument. Also, it's in wonderful condition, with nary a crack or ding. The instrument sounds great, too.

Here are a number of options, and reasons for considering them.

First, you could simply play the instrument yourself. What could make life better, than to have a fine instrument that you can play whenever you would like? And an instrument like that is such a wonderful teacher; you would learn so much about playing, simply from being able to have that kind of response in an instrument.

Or, you could keep ownership of the instrument and lend it to a fine artist. That means that the artist would be in possession of the instrument, but it would give you a certain relationship with that artist, a fun reason to follow his or her career. It would be a generous thing to do for the arts, while still keeping a great asset.

Or, you could keep the instrument in absolutely pristine condition by putting it in a glass case and never having anyone play it. This way the world would retain a perfect specimen of this kind of fine instrument without it getting worn, as it would if it were being played. A good deal of the value of an old instrument is in its antique, limited-edition value, so it's legitimate to treat it simply as a work of art.

You also could sell the instrument, and then you could have quite a bit of money. You could spend the money to commission a good number of modern violins -- an exciting prospect. Or, of course, you could use the money for a cruise to the Caribbean, or a new house, a fancy car, etc.

So what would you do with your multi-million-dollar fine instrument?

18 replies

V.com weekend vote: With the electricity out, would you practice your violin more, or less?

What a week!

When monster storm Sandy hit the Northeast United States, I first was concerned for everyone's safety and well-being, wondering how people were faring with no electricity: no lights, limited computers and phones, no television, no refrigeration. What could they do?

Then I realized something: People could still play their violins! This beautiful instrument, 500 years in the making, does not require electricity. Unless, of course, you have an electric fiddle, but even many of those can either take a battery or be played acoustically. What a nice picture: my east coast friends playing the fiddle by candlelight. I actually did this, about a year ago when a major windstorm blew out the power for 3 days in Pasadena. Pretty fun!

But did people really do it? I thought I'd find out with this week's vote, and you don't have to be a storm victim to vote. Here is the question: if the electricity went out in your town or city for several days, do you think you would play your violin more, or less?

11 replies