Soularium

Any instrument played can be played beautifully. Some instruments are very forgiving, which is not to suggest that one can suck at it. There are many qualities in Love. The forgiveness of a guitar is beautiful because its liberal nature has shaped the peaceful and passionate freedom of rock and roll. The mathematical precision of a piano teaches our children the beautiful foundation of the language of music and can be played with any style, fitting in nicely. My friend Josie comes to mind as she is a teacher of piano. A saxophone is a direct extension of the wailing tears of a temper tantrum and the excited joy of a roller coaster. Percussion is the footsteps of life. It guides us along our path with a determination that won’t allow us to slow down if the beat is furious. Unconditional determined Love is a huge sound from a tiny instrument, and that instrument is the violin.

When you pick up a violin for the first time, first you notice the delicate work that went into the craftsmanship. The greatest luthier of all time was from Cremona, Italy in the late 1600’s named Antonio Stradivari. His violins are still around and worth hundreds of millions of dollars. No really. I am not joking. Some say he worked for God. The thin wood is bent into ergonomic shapes and appear as though they were constructed for aesthetics alone, yet the function of the acoustics defies all definition of sound with a supernatural booming voice. The strings are suspended by their own tension over a thin slice of blonde wood not even attached to the instrument. The pegs hold the tuning tension in a scrolled headpiece, gracious and bold like a seashell. When you hold the bow you don’t grasp it. You guide it with the very tips of your fingers. The way that you hold the violin between your cheek and shoulder, forces you to tilt your head penitently before its delicate power.

The tuning of the instrument being that it is very short is extremely sensitive. The slightest movement of a peg could take you up or down an entire step. The fingerboard is traditionally ebony with no markings or frets. It may sound like I am implying guesswork to find the proper notes, but that is the point you have to get to know this instrument, not just the basics of the mathematics of an octave, but taking the time to memorize the way it feels with each hand movement. Your fingers must explore every position and sound of the violin and commit its graceful sounds to memory everywhere with every touch.

Guiding the horsehair across the strings is another temper that makes this instrument so special. The speed of the stroke, the tension on the string and the direction of approach are all things that affect the fine sounds. If you don’t rub it the right way, believe me that there will be no guessing. The violin will scream the most hideous screech you have ever heard in protest of its delicate needs. When you do it right, it will sing more beautifully than any sound you could ever think might come from your own hand. The passion in your heart shines through your fingertips, extended along the bow and end up coming out of a tiny, curvy box, humbly nestled into the side of your neck.

Having the intimacy of the violin memorized into your sense of touch so that the passion of your heart can be properly expressed, is a marriage of a work of Love and the submission of yourself. When you take the time to give yourself to it, and give some more, until you feel like you cannot give anymore. You keep on giving, and in the end you find out that there no more pain in failure. There is, instead, more Love. You are now ready to sing your Love to the world, through your heartbreaking failures, painful learning experiences, and strength of not giving up. That is Love.