everything old is new again

music: Dead Kennedys

You know, I must have mentioned this before, but when you have played a couple of musical instruments for 20 to 25 years and you suddenly pick up a very different one, it is very disorienting to realize that you need to start with the fundamentals.

By fundamentals, I mean playing a single note over and over again, so you can get the tone right. OK, now you've got that one. Now move up the scale one whole tone. Repeat.

Now you are ready for the A major scale.

This is where I am with my violin. I am working on the A major scale, on the A and E strings only. One octave. But hey, I'm not in a hurry. Music is not about rushing things. You don't rush soul. When I play my bass, it comes from my heart; almost 26 years of muscular memory allows that to happen. Of course, the frets help a lot.

What I don't understand is how those little kids can get up and play their Suzuki violins. Yes, yes, the brain of a child is infinitely pliable and ready to learn; that is the perfect time to teach them (why do the schools wait until 4th grade to introduce most of us to orchestral instruments?).

I wonder if I'd be any good at clarinet if I picked one up now ... I never did get the hang of that dang register key when I was a kid ...