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Hi everyone,
Just yesterday I found a friendly violin shop in the city where I live and signed up for lessons starting next week. They set me up with a cheap functional violin to begin with. This was after looking around quite a bit. I don't know why but I found music schools, shops, groups, forums and musicians to be such snobs most of the time. I'm glad I found this shop and the fiddlerman.com community here, so between the lessons there and FM's lessons here I'll be scratching out a tune not too far in the future.
I have no background in music whatsoever and this will be the first actual musical instrument that I'm picking up. I always jokingly tell people that the only instrument I play really well is the radio. My wife thought I was crazy when she saw me coming home with a violin and I think she's not wrong! But little things like that has never stopped me from pursuing my interests - I've always been facinated by violins since my teenage years but for various reasons never got around to it until now.
seetho
Welcome, seetho and welcome to the world of music and violin's.
You're not crazy, you chose a wonderful instrument, they last forever. Three hundred year old and older violin's are still producing tear catching music.
The folk's here in the Fiddlerman forum are wonderfull people, some with year's of knowledge, but mostly beginner's. So many willing to give you help.
From me to you, take this journey one step at a time, don't be too anxious and you'll do just fine.
My mom didn't say anything, when i came home with violin, but she was looking at me like: "Seriously?...another useless instrument?...you won't play it, will you...no-no i'm not gonna listen to all of it...no-no!" 
LOL! Now she doesn't think so =)
Welcome to the forums, Seetho! 
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I assure you that you picked the right forum to frequent, I don't think there's a single "snob" here! Rest assured that you will be comfortabl with your stay, and hopefully you will get the advice you need. Nice to meet you Seetho.
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Hey, don't feel bad, everyone in my family as I was growing up couldn't or didn't want to take the time to play a musical instrument, but I do now, after 4 decades of NOT playing anything but the piano in grade school/high school.
I started with a cheap Chinese student grade one that got used about 2 weeks and then packed in the closet for 10 yrs, and now I have been awakened and own 3 very nice violins and look forward to picking them up every day and playing at least a few minutes on each one.
You're never too old to do what you have a passion to. If anyone gives you negative reactions, ask them if they can play it... LOL that'll get you noticed.
Enjoy your stay here, we're a real family bunch for sure.
Welcome from the west coast (left coast) of the USA...
"If you practice with your hands you must practice all day. Practice with your mind and you can accomplish the same amount in minutes." Nathan Milstein
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Thanks for the warm welcome. Practiced a little yesterday - sounded horrible, but it felt really good. Magic!
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now slow down your practice speed until it sounds great. If it feels good and sounds bad you might not change your technique, if it sounds great then you can increase with the right technique. The addage "if it feels good do it" doesnt always work if it sounds bad. imo.
"Please play some wrong notes, so that we know that you are human" - said to Jascha Heifetz.
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Hi seetho.
Yeah, first few days can sound a little rough. A thing that I found to help was to spend a few minutes each day just bowing on the open strings. Find out what fast and slow movements of the bow do, and give yourself a chance to get used to changing the bow angle to get each separate string.
That may sound a bit dull, but a few minutes of it can help with getting used to the motions involved and figuring out if you're doing all that right. Then you'll be warmed up a bit and things will usually go easier when you actually go to put fingers on strings and try to play a bit.
Welcome to Fiddlerman.com and welcome to the world of being a musician!
(It's more fun that it seems like it will be the first few days, honest)
"This young wine may have a lot of tannins now, but in 5 or 10 years it is going to be spectacular, despite the fact that right now it tastes like crude oil. You know this is how it is supposed to taste at this stage of development." ~ Itzhak Perlman
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Welcome to the forum seetho,
Really happy you found your way over here.
Look forward to reading your posts.
"The richest person is not the one who has the most,
but the one who needs the least."
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You guys are right. I'm starting from zero, so should avoid picking up bad habits that may be hard to correct later. Taking it slow until my first lesson next week. I picked up a book on music theory for beginners as well. It should help me figure out those bean sprouts on the grill things...
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If I may suggest something to do at this time, seetho..
Do a lot of listening to violin and fiddle music, and look for the things you really love the sound of. Stuff that inspires you, makes you want to do some work to be able to do that someday. Immerse yourself in the styles and sounds that are most attractive to you, and soak up their influence.
That shouldn't pick up any bad habits, and if you can get an idea of where you want to be with the instrument, it can help with keeping your motivation up. Having some reasons why you are studying theory and taking lessons and practising.
"This young wine may have a lot of tannins now, but in 5 or 10 years it is going to be spectacular, despite the fact that right now it tastes like crude oil. You know this is how it is supposed to taste at this stage of development." ~ Itzhak Perlman
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Follow-up here to the Malaysian Symphony thread, I appreciated your comments. And I hope your lesson Wed goes well and cheers you up... and to wish you well, have this picture to share and tried to copy in here, but girl genius that I am---can't figure out how to post a jpeg....
So, this a link to the picture. Its Mstislav Rostropovich playing his cello at the Berlin Wall, 1989.
Music is your own experience, your own thoughts, your wisdom. If you don't live it, it won't come out of your horn. They teach you there's a boundary line to music. But, man, there's no boundary line to art. Charlie Parker
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tamlin said
Follow-up here to the Malaysian Symphony thread, I appreciated your comments. And I hope your lesson Wed goes well and cheers you up... and to wish you well, have this picture to share and tried to copy in here, but girl genius that I am---can't figure out how to post a jpeg....So, this a link to the picture. Its Mstislav Rostropovich playing his cello at the Berlin Wall, 1989.
Hi tamlin. Thanks for the 'cheer-up'. It's so depressing to be depressed 
, so let's not dwell on that gloomy subject anymore and hope the wall here falls soon.
Anyway I found a blog post about Rostropovich which includes a youtube video of his actual performance at the wall.
http://artmodel.wordpress.com/.....rlin-wall/
Hey I used to have colleagues from Denver in my previous job. We get to meet up once or twice a year in Germany. I remember us having loads of fun every time. Bar, beer, piano... well you can guess the rest heheheh.
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I have not seen this actual concert. Thank you. I saved the link. I should be working now... if I start watching, I'll probably cry and have to cut the day short.
Blessings on your day, Seetho.
Music is your own experience, your own thoughts, your wisdom. If you don't live it, it won't come out of your horn. They teach you there's a boundary line to music. But, man, there's no boundary line to art. Charlie Parker
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