Yourself?

The start of a medical year

Well, the new medical year has just started, and it's been quite a whirlwind of lectures and tutorials. It has been a big change from the hermitting of the last year, where there are now a hell of a lot of demands on my time, and a lot more tasks to accomplish, yet less time to rest and recover, and truly feel alive.

It's a change, but probably for the better, because now, I am eager to move on with my life, and do the things that need doing. The impetus of moving on is so strong, that I wish I could leap entire medical years in a single bound, or die trying.

On the violin front, I'm learning more about music studying violin in the past few weeks, than I ever did in a whole bunch of theory lessons. The sound of the practice muted violin is getting more agreeable to me now (I am coaxing nicer sounds out of it), while the unmuted violin sounds like a roar. I have found the perfect tension to set my bow at, even though it looks impossibly flimsy, it tracks like a champ, and moves like a magic wand. I am in tune! Only because I've spent the better part of the week looking at the tuner and the studies, playing the same few lines over and over again, and checking everything.

The bow feels like an extension of my hand. My elbows are moving in and out, in and out. My fingers press down more surely, and shift subtly when I am inaccurate. My wrist bends in the right direction, even though it is yet comfortable, each time i hear a false note, I redouble my efforts to keep it in line and accurate.

Right now, the violin is between the bow and me, and we're getting to know each other better and better. As Toon Li told me, maybe the reason why we fall in love with our instruments is because there is just so much about them and their personalities and quirks, we discover. I am falling now into the second camp, where I might use the same piece of kit forever and ever. But I know better now. :D At least this time, my kit is decent and I don't have to break off the relationship when the equipment no longer serves my purpose.

posted by Downhere. @ 7:06 pm