Thursday 2 February 2012

To learn is to love

Yesterday someone mentioned that a book had been written ( it was a sensible book apparently so a bit of me had sunk already) that broke down which musical instrument a child should learn based on their personality. 

According to this book a violin player should be endowed with lots of patience as a child because it is much harder to make a note, play a tune then it is on an instrument that is plucked, bashed or blown.

Fortunately neither my parents, my music teacher or I was aware of this " must have"  skill when I was eight. 

Patience is not a natural virtue for me.  It is a learned one. Probably in part, one  I learned whilst learning to play the violin and learning to play with animals. Both are wild at heart, can snap suddenly,  you learn quickly if you have respect for one another things will go much better. 

That last paragraph is my overnight consideration of events.

However in the moment on being told this my reaction was to say "bugger"  Mostly jokingly, because had I known this I might have played one of the "easier" instruments ;-) and now be making a living at music  (I would not btw for other reasons to do with NOT ENOUGH talent)

I played the violin because I fell in love with it. I saw an orchestra playing at my school when I was 7 came home and announced I wanted to learn to play 

Persistence,  annoying patience in action, meant I did get to learn. I've put it down a few times in my life, for years at a time but as an Identity it is one that never goes away

 I still love it and  I am still learning it.  I always will be.