Welcome to our forum. A Message To Our New and Prospective Members . Check out our Forum Rules. Lets keep this forum an enjoyable place to visit.
Private messaging is working again.
Log In
Register
Home
Topic RSS
(0 votes) 
Member
Offline
Hi everyone,
*sorry if this introduction is a little long
*
Thanks to YouTube, I found the online Fiddlerman-lessons and by googling some more, I found this forum. So, here I am, ready to join, read, write, play and learn 
I'm a 34 year old female from The Netherlands. I work as a pharmacy technician 4 days a week and live together with the cutest and sweetest cat I could ever wish for. My first contact with playing music was the keyboard when I was 13. But, I quit after about 2 years, because I didn't like it anymore. Also tried to play guitar for a very short while, but that wasn't my thing or sound either.
From about the age of 30-31, I started to enjoy listening to violinmusic more and more and maybe... just maybe... I wanted to learn? I was put off thought by what I read, by online-lessons and figured it would be too hard. Plus, the overall thought in my mind was: right... I'm 31 now, way too old to learn, what will people/ a teacher think??? They'll laugh at me... And at that time, that was more important than following my own choices. But last year I figured: what the heck I'm 33 now and 'old'. This is what I want to do, and if others think that's weird or stupid or whatever... that's not my problem! It's my life, it's my hobby and why should I let others decide what I want to do?
My goal is not to be as good as a pro, not because I feel it's impossible per se, but because for me, that is not my primary goal. For me, it's learning to play, learning to play well and most if all ENJOY playing. I've learned not to set goals that frustrate me from the beginning. I know, that when I say: I want to be able to play like that Brianne Kahane within a month...I'll get disappointed and give up. Because it's just not realistic. Having fun at what I do is. (I read that Rubrum has that same problem that I used to have when learning other things like writing or painting...)
And I am having fun. I enjoy this instrument so much! It also helps me with my chronic fatigue. When I play, I can set aside my fatigue to a large extent. When I'm tempted to go to bed 'too early' (say 7pm...) I choose not to, but pick up the violin instead. Most of the time, I play for about an hour and I'm having enough 'spare energy' to stay up until a more reasonable time.
So the violin to me means a lot: it's my first 'I don't care what anyone else thinks'-choice for a very long time, it's a sort of 'therapy', but most of all I feel it has enriched my life and gave me a hobby for well... years to come. 
Welcome home, Marissie.
To begin with, you've finally found what you've been searching for for a long time. Age mean's nothing when choosing your love. You find the right one to love and you don't let anything stop that love.
You say your goal, "is not to be as good as a pro". Be as good as a pro, set your goal's high. The pro's didn't get there in a week, they set goal's themselve's. You already have a violin (perfect start) so you're on the road to success already. Sound's like you enjoy to practice because you're losing sleep over it already. LOL You're on your way to stardom.
Age is a number, that's all. I recently started playing again after being off for several year's myself, 59 year's off to be exact. Oh, I picked it up from time to time over that period of time and If I hadn't found this website last February, I probably would have quit playing again. You see, I started when I was 4 year's old (1947), had to quit because time's were tough and mom couldn't afford lesson's or rental any longer. It's a long story from there on.
There are a lot of great people here and Fiddlerman (Pierre) is actually a real person, not just some online free half lesson deals, if you know what I mean.
Practice hard, set goal's and you can do it. 
Member
Offline
Fiddlestix, thanks for your post!
I know FM is a real person, I've seen his posts 
Oh and your right about the goal setting. What I meant was actually that I don't want to think I can be a pro within say, a year... That I know that it takes time, effort and lots of practice and that it's not very helpful to want to be able to play like a pro next year or so. I want to be as good as I can be, but in the meantime have fun practicing and getting motivated by progress along the way.
With other things I haven't been so patient. I really would like to write a thriller or detective kind of novel someday for instance, but I want it to come out like a (say) Patricia Cornwell or Michael Connelly on my first try without any editing 
That takes all the fun out of it, needless to say...
With the violin I don't feel this way. I would like to write a book as good (to me) as a Michael Connelly-novel (or, likewise, play like a 'pro') SOMEDAY, but I don't feel so ridiculously unrealistic that that has to happen tomorrow or so, just by picking up the instrument and there. So I guess, I do have my goals set high, but also know that I won't get there without practice. Not sure if that makes it any clearer 
It's so great to hear you've picked up again after so many years and again after so many 're-tries'. I guess old love really never truly dies, you've proven that!
How's it been going for you so far?
I've been reading a bit on this forum and indeed, great people here with very helpful advice! Nice also to see the videos with all people of all kinds of levels and the tips and advice that's been given. Maybe, when I'm brave enough, and my webcam does OK, I'll upload a video. Some Harry Potter song (Quidditch Song), when I master it well enough to think I can show it. 
Marissieviolissie said
Fiddlestix, thanks for your post!
How's it been going for you so far?
I've been reading a bit on this forum and indeed, great people here with very helpful advice! Nice also to see the videos with all people of all kinds of levels and the tips and advice that's been given. Maybe, when I'm brave enough, and my webcam does OK, I'll upload a video. Some Harry Potter song (Quidditch Song), when I master it well enough to think I can show it.
Actually, it's been going pretty well. I play by ear even though I read music. Song's come to my head while I'm watching TV or even while I'm playing one song, another will pop into my head and I'll start playing that one. I'm pushin 70 now and there's no hope for a symphony in my future so i'll just continue to play to entertain, myself.
Please don't get discouraged with your new found endeavor. There'll be day's when you pick up the violin and get nothing but chicken scratch out of it, the next day it sound's like you've been playing for years.
Good luck.
Offline
Welcome Marrissie!!!!
Nice to hear about you and have a blast with your music and this site. It is a great place to make friends, learn and share.
Toni from California
Vibrato Desperato.... Desperately seeking vibrato
Regular advisor
Regulars
Offline
Welcome to the forums Marrissieviolissie! 
Hope you enjoy the site. There is a lot of help and Knowledge available here. Good luck. 
Btw my ancestors are from Deventer, Netherlands.
"The dictionary is the only place where success comes before work." - Mark Twain
Pro advisor
Regulars
Offline
Didnt read your intro as my ADD was acting up, will peruse the mini novel later. Welcome to the forum!
"Please play some wrong notes, so that we know that you are human" - said to Jascha Heifetz.
Offline
Welcome to the forum Marissieviolissie,
I love your story, and you have probably noticed that you are in good company here. No one here thinks you are too old to learn and we all think that you will love your journey. Also, I feel certain, already, that you will fit into our "family" perfectly.
Thanks for your very interesting introduction.
I look forward to reading your future posts about your progress.
"The richest person is not the one who has the most,
but the one who needs the least."
Member
Offline
Thank you all for the warm welcome
@MikeV: ah Deventer! That's not too far from where I live. (nice city too)
@fiddlestix: pretty cool to play by ear! And yes, the chicken scratch is all too familiar by now... but you're right: the next day or sometimes even after 'warming up' it suddenly sounds much better. That kind of tells me I'm not hopeless after all
@Pierre: I didn't think anyone here would find me too 'old', I've seen so many ages pass by that I knew that wasn't an "issue" at all. It was only an issue 'in real life', but I suppose I was the one who made it an issue by filling in what others would think. It's much easier and less hard work to stick with my own thoughts 
Honorary advisor
Regulars
Offline
Marissieviolissie said
So the violin to me means a lot: it's my first 'I don't care what anyone else thinks'-choice for a very long time, it's a sort of 'therapy', but most of all I feel it has enriched my life and gave me a hobby for well... years to come.
Let me just say that's a wonderful attitude! I'm so glad you've found this extraordinary instrument and that it means so much to you. Also, welcome to the forum! 
~ Once you've ruled out the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be true. ~
Member
Offline
Tack så mycket Almandin! (yep, I do also speak Swedish 
)
Honorary advisor
Regulars
Offline
Oj vad förvånad jag blev! 
But I've heard Dutch and Swedish are quite similar. The only thing I can say in Dutch is "Ist heer iemand?" (spelling uncertain). Learned it on a tv show...
~ Once you've ruled out the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be true. ~
"Wooden Shoe" are the only two word's I know in Dutch. Do they count ?
Regulars
Offline
Member
Offline
Thanks Jim! I watched some of your vids last night, impressive!
@ fiddlestix: sure they count 
(or actually I should say: it counts, as in Dutch it's only one word )
But, all of you English-speaking people have at least one/two Dutch word(s) in your vocabulary. It's somewhere around Christmas-time, the person in question travels a bit unconventionally and loves milk and cookies. (or so I heard...)
Yep.. good old Santa So hey, everyone over there speaks some Dutch one month a year
@ Almandin: You actually type: Is hier iemand? But I understood what you meant, so when you speak the words, it wouldn't be a problem
Dutch and Swedish are in their basics quite the same indeed, but I found that it did take a study or good languagecourse to properly speak. (I started out studying Swedish, switched to a different study, but always kept taking Sw. languague acquisition.) I also studied in Stockholm for a year and took all my courses in Swedish. I'm sure that helped a bit.
Now I keep my skills 'up to date' by.... reading my 9 year collection of Kalle Anka's 
It works though and Donald rules so why not
Honorary advisor
Regulars
Offline
Marissieviolissie said
Dutch and Swedish are in their basics quite the same indeed, but I found that it did take a study or good languagecourse to properly speak. (I started out studying Swedish, switched to a different study, but always kept taking Sw. languague acquisition.)
Why did you choose to learn Swedish? I'm curious, because my sister recently decided to learn Dutch. She's got a friend in Amsterdam, so they're teaching each other their language! Lovely idea, I think. My sister says Dutch is really hard to pronounce, and her friend says Swedish sounds "retarded"...
Marissieviolissie said
I also studied in Stockholm for a year and took all my courses in Swedish. I'm sure that helped a bit.
Now I keep my skills 'up to date' by.... reading my 9 year collection of Kalle Anka's
I think the only way to learn a language properly is to live in a country where it's spoken. The only way to learn to speak it, anyway. And reading is a great way to keep up the vocabulary and the pathways the language makes in your head. I read French so as not to forget it. (English is different since I use it almost as much as Swedish every day.)
I've never read Kalle Anka, though. I liked Bamse as a kid. Did you come across Bamse while in Sweden?
(Sorry, everyone, this has gone terribly OT... Although technically we're still on the topic of Marissieviolissie... 
)
~ Once you've ruled out the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be true. ~
1 Guest(s)
Mouse
Fiddlerman
ELCBK
