My name is Sheri and I decided to start teaching myself violin.  I have always felt drawn to this instrument, but never really pursued it in the past.  My dad and husband are both guitar nuts, so I have briefly dabbled with electric guitar, but I didn't get too far.  My dad bought me a mandolin a couple of years ago thinking that would be easier for me to start with; however, I've been in graduate school for the past six or so years, and even though I was interested in learning music, most of my free time went to crochet and online gaming (ahem, warcraft). Right now, I am in the process of writing my dissertation for Ph.D. and the writing and publication process can be a rollercoaster (tedious, thrilling, depressing, elating), and editing the same thing ad nauseum can be tiresome.  There are times when I feel stuck, and even though I know I'm moving forward, it doesn't always feel that way because it takes so long to be \"done\" with one publication. 

Anyway, I decided to give music a shot again because I wanted a new hobby where I was challenging myself and also experiencing noticeable progression in relatively short time frames. I also discovered Lindsey Stirling in the last couple of months of 2012 and her music really spoke to me and reminded me of how much I loved the soul of violin/fiddle music. 

My husband bought me a Cecilio CEVN-2NA electric for Christmas.  I took it to a local violin shop to have some adjustments made, and I have been learning some basics on it.  My first song was \"Twinkle, Twinkle\" which I learned from this site by watching Fiddlerman's video.  Within two weeks of playing, my friend asked me, on a Thursday, if I knew how to play Happy Birthday for her son's upcoming party that weekend. I did not, but I watched Fiddlerman's tutorial repeatedly until I could do it and I played it for him that weekend.  I was super nervous of course, but really happy to be sharing what I was learning with my friends. 

 It became clear to me within a month that I was totally hooked on learning violin, so I realized that I would need a traditional instrument as well.  I have been eying the Concert Master, and then it went on special recently....end of story! 

Anyway, that's a short intro to my current state of mind and progress.  I am glad to have found this place. I've been lurking on the forums recently and utilizing a lot of Fiddlerman's videos/games. As many others have mentioned, Pierre seems like a great guy.  It's so amazing to see someone so passionate about something and want to share that knowledge with others. That's one thing I've always enjoyed about scientific endeavors and finding those people who want to show others what an amazing thing they have discovered and how other people can experience it for themselves.  This process inherently generates more interest in a given area and advances the field too.  Thanks again Pierre for doing what you are doing and thanks to the community at large for reading my introduction.

Sheri