Musings on the versatility of a box with strings
By Diana Ross | Posted in Staff Blogs | 3 Comments
A recent newsletter “First Time” submission reminded me of this post…. So I brought it back around for a fun conversational piece.
The violin is one of my favorite instruments (along with the cello). I love the violin’s ability to express so many moods. From a foot-stomping fiddle tune to mournful, soul-aching dirge, the violin evokes so many feelings with a single instrument. The violin meets my every mood-music need, and I am a flighty, moody person!
I remember seeing a cartoon in elementary music class that traced the origin of the stringed instrument with a caveman stretching some strings over a gourd and forming a band with other cavemen (I want to blame Disney for this one, anyone recall it?) Maybe this explains my eclectic, and somewhat confusing, tastes in music?
I came across an article today on Wired about the violin stars of YouTube and thought I’d share it with you: YouTube’s Nerdy Fiddlers Strike a Chord With Geeks.
This is the video from the article. I’ll admit it aloud: I’m a bit of a LOTR geek, and I went to hear the BSO perform the Lord of the Rings Symphony (LOVE!) so this kind of thing is right up my alley. I say kudos to these players who refuse to be pigeon-holed into a genre and branching out to a new audience in exciting ways. I love to find musicians blending, bending and breaking genres. This is pure creativity and its core!
Anyone here a fan of Apocalyptica? A group of Finnish dudes playing Metallica (as well as their own compositions) on cellos. Here’s my favorite rendition of Metallica’s Fade to Black:
And yes, I’ve been known to rock out the solo parts on my violin along to the CD when my husband’s not home. 😉
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