Playing the Violin.

My Ditzy plays violin...& flute...& piano. She has a list as long as her arm ( & like her arm, still growing) of other instruments she wants to learn. She finds violin hard. How hard is obvious from her feet. (Yes, I said feet.)

We have heard ad infinitum, that she is not to cluth her instrument like a drowning man nor her bow like a sword. All Ditz's instincts are to grip these things in a death hold till her knuckles show white & that, as you may know, will make the violin emit those dying cat sounds for which violins are so notorious. Instead Ditz ends up dancing on her toes. As the stress increases she begins rising on her toes. The more stress the higher she goes ~ & there she balances precariously. It is not unusual to see her going up & down like a yo~yo.

After 2 years Ditz is still perservering (though progress is too slow for her liking). She must be doing something right, though. The first signs of her vibrato are showing! Not sure if her teacher believes us; they are notoriously missing from her lessons ~ but then lessons are immensly stressful.