I have acquired an A string for the cello.
They're expensive! But I guess you can't play cello without them. Or you could, but it would be a different sound.
I've been thinking about the cello & about practicing & about why I have it. I love the sound, but I can get that by listening to cds. Not in the same way, certainly. Not feeling that live resonance of an instrument nestled against ones chest. I do want that. I do want a feeling of accomplishment, of skills gained.
I don't want a burden or duty or drudgery. So I've been going slowly, feeling my way into this. After all, I've been not playing cello for almost 49 years--a few more days or weeks of that is inconsequential.
I suspect once I get going it will feed my soul in a way that infuses my entire life, much as starting to play with polymer clay & then to paint & draw did 11 years ago this spring. I was in a bit of a burn-out state with my writing & my daily life at that point, & art revitalized me. It made me a better writer, a better parent, a better person. It was never a case of all right, get in there & paint, whether you want to or not.
Perhaps it was because I had a natural knack for art. I'm no Modigliani, but I'm a heck of a lot closer to Modigliani than I am to Mozart. I'm not saying I'm not musical, but it isn't as natural for me as for many of my relatives, who are fiddle champions & Juilliard grads & such. They trade instruments at whim. Fiddle for mandolin for guitar. No prob. I have one uncle who could play string instruments & then happened upon a clarinet. A couple exploratory blows & then he could just play it. That's natural genius. I'm hoping for a bit of affinity. I'll go at this at my own pace.
In the meantime, though, the cello has already done things for my creativity. I dusted off my guitar the other day. I got out my watercolors. I started a story that has--what a surprise--a cello as a major plot point. (This is not that unusual, as I have no less than 2 novels--one drafted & one half done--in which the cello also figures prominently. Both begun long before the cello was acquired.)
Anyway, I'm leisurely loving on the idea of the cello. Will it be a big part of my life? We shall see.
In case I was not clear about it, the picture from the previous blog was created by me myself, using my tablet computer & the Paint program.
In other news--I've come to a revelation about the IRS. They're my employees! I'll try to be a good, kind, motivating boss, expecting the best from them. They've got a tough job, after all, with not much appreciation flowing their way.
Blog alternative:
121. Think kindly of the IRS. (Or, if not kindly, at least more kindly than you have been...)
