Little Gypsy Girl

I've been playing this little beauty since April. I guess it's time to introduce her to the bloggesphere. She is my opus 3 and is by far my finest violin. I love her markings and finish. Her contours are graceful, all of the turns, arching, channels etc. are smooth. Yet because she is hand made and finished with steel scrapers instead of sand paper you can actually feel the narrow spruce top grains and the more prominent maple flaming on her back. Only the neck is silky smooth, as it should be to facilitate position changing while playing.

I absolutely love the way she looks and handles but that's not what makes her a standout violin. You only need to play her for a few moments to fall in love. Unlike my first two and many other violins I've played there aren't any weak tone areas. All four strings are very even. From the open "G" to the very highest reaches on the "E" the sound is luxurious and powerful. It's going to be tough losing her eventually to some gifted player. The good news is I took detailed notes on the steps that determine how a violin sounds, and I have almost identical wood for the next violin. I'm not changing the mold, arching or anything else. The finish coloring for opus 4 will likely be different but as long as the same amount of "ground" preparation, glazing and varnish is used I think I can duplicate the sound to a high degree. When I started this journey three years ago I thought it might take many years if ever to get the sound right. If all my instruments for the next several years sound this good I'll be very pleased.

As I have been playing my opus 3 over the past four months I have steadily improved my playing technique. Perhaps the ease at which a broad, warm tone can be achieved with this violin has accelerated the process. There have been many "aha" moments in that time where improvement seems to leap ahead. Tonight there was a giant "Aha" moment; some of it technique but more importantly this time was something else. Many of you know that I love that gypsy, eastern European sound, characterized by heavy use of minor keys, expressive verbrato and very high position playing especially on the two lower strings. In the past I have dabbled with that type of playing, usually as warm up exercises leading to more stately classical pieces. As my technique improved over the weeks I would experiment with a more radical gypsy style but inevitably going back to basic music. Tonight as other nights past I began the same way but never looked back so to speak. Just kept going, getting more intense and expressive into that "sound" than ever before.

I believe I have finally found my voice on the violin. It needs to continue to evolve and improve but I know the general direction to follow. I'm saying goodbye for now to classical styles and pieces and putting all my effort into this other sound. In finding my "voice" I think I've found my true musical self. In future years when thinking back to this big "Aha" moment it wont be hard to remember the date. My little baby sister has a say in this. Thanks Jane. Happy Birthday!

Here's to opus three. My "little gypsy girl"!