Splendid!

I had been worried that it wouldn't come on the day it was supposed to, when you were obviously looking forward to it so much.

I think all of us are like that, by the way.  Worse than kids at xmas when there is something like a new violin on the way.  I know that I am, definitely.

I don't think that not being "chomping at the bit" to try out the new violin was entirely about "being afraid", though.  Maybe a bit, but I think some of it was probably also just trying to get the most out of a rather grand moment in life.  A little gloating time.

Not surprised to hear your hand was hurting a bit after 45 min.  LOL  It will take a couple weeks for your hands to "muscle up" to the unaccustomed positions and movements.  During that time, shorter sessions, like maybe 15 min now and then throughout the day.  Don't want to push it too hard at first or you may get sore joints or tendonitis and it will actually take you longer to get going.

Besides, the lack of energy from the cancer is going to make short sessions through the day instead of one long session once a day maybe a better choice anyway.  I haven't been through it personally, but my wife was going through ovarian cancer last year and it was seriously scary to see how much it knocks the stuffins right out of someone.  Just play long enough for it to feel like a bit of a workout and then play some more later when you feel up to it.  Being gentle with yourself but steady is the way to go with any musical instrument, in my opinion.  Keep it fun, and just push the limits a bit when it comes to endurance, and your endurance will build up and you'll soon be able to play longer comfortably.

Books and etc do tend to focus quite a bit on learning to read music, because it is the easiest way to instruct someone through printed media.  But it will work, and as you are probably figuring out, it isn't as hard as it may have looked. 

Shoulder rests and chin rests.. well.  Most people do use them.  Not everyone does, though.  There are actually plenty of good reasons both ways, and in some places the issues of whether to use a shoulder rest are hotly debated.  Chin rests are debated less often, but there is still some differences of opinion on whether they are necessary or good.  

I am not an expert on the matter.  I don't use a shoulder rest with my acoustic violin, and I don't like the chin rest, but I am trying to give it a fair trial before taking it off my newest acoustic.  I don't actually have anything against them.  I use both on my electric, because it is heavier and on that instrument it is both more comfortable and easier to play with both a shoulder rest and a chin rest.

But on acoustic violin, it has never felt really natural or correct to me personally.  My first acoustic, the chin rest was I think poorly made and tended to dig into just the wrong part of my jaw, so I took it off fairly early on.  I never used the shoulder rest with that instrument after giving it a brief try and finding it not to my liking.  Played it for months "bare" like that.

Then I got a violin that was a bit nicer.   The chin rest is nice smooth ebony, fits under the jaw comfortably isn't too high.. And I still don't really like it.  As a matter of discipline, I am giving it a bit longer so that I know I have given it a fair try, because folks say it is very helpful.  But I don't like it, and it may yet end up taken off.  When I had it off for a little bit when I was putting a leather tab on it to cushion that dumb metal clamp that has an appetite for my collarbone, I played for about an hour with it off.  Mmmm.. much nicer, at least in my opinion.

Anyway, folks will most likely tell you the chin rest and shoulder rest are absolutely necessary and their reasons why.  But if you do some research, you can also find arguments against both, especially the shoulder rest. LOL  The folks in this particular community tend towards using both, from what I can tell.  If you went to other places though, like the famous Julliard music school, as I recall they strongly discourage shoulder rests.  They have turned out some fine players, though.  

I think it boils down to this.. The shoulder rest and the chin rest are attachments that were invented for your comfort and ease of playing.  Neither of them were an original part of the instrument.  If they don't add to your personal comfort or ease in playing the instrument, and especially if you don't like them, then take them off.

I don't know about people having short necks or etc really.  Doing the standard thing of standing up straight and looking straight ahead and measuring vertically from collarbone to the jaw bone, I get about 4 inches.  I don't know if that is long or short, never thought of myself as being particularly one or the other.  But I still don't really care for either the shoulder rest or the chin rest on my acoustic.  They feel perfectly fine on my electric, and it definitely would be uncomfortable to play the electric without them.  I think it is a personal thing and a matter of comfort and what works for you, and it may vary from violin to violin as well.

Your mileage may vary.

But anyway, great to hear that your new violin made it in ok and you are having some fun and enjoying it!

If you click on the photo to see all of it, you can see the hair on the bow.  The forum "crops" pics a little in the forum view.

cdennyb said

You did know it'll be a relationship like a new mate... an introduction time, a learning time, a practice and tolerate time and then comes the really fun times...

   Well, then there's the other side of the coin.. The days when you're pretty sure that as far as that violin is concerned, you just aren't doing anything right.  When you can tell that it figures you couldn't even hit the ground with your hat if you tried..

LOL

@Linda:  My wife is doing much better, but still recovering.  We lucked out, and though the tumor they took out was about the size of a football, they got it out intact and she ended up stage one.  Her blood tests have been clear and so long as the next one is good, she will go to checkups once every 6 months.  But she still tires easy and gets annoyed that she can't do things she used to do just yet.  Scary stuff.

Now, so far as worrying about not being able to do anything with the violin, I don't think that is unusual.  I've been a musician for years and still I worried a bit about that when my first violin was on the way.  I was quite delighted to get some notes out of it, instead of just the awful sounds I'd been kind of expecting at first.  Same thing with the friend I gave my first acoustic violin to.  He said he expected to get "nothing but screeches for the first couple years".  

I'll still hold out for the notion that you were gloating a bit, though.  I mean, how many times in life do we get to be a beginner once more?  To tackle something new and see what we can do with it, ask (sometimes silly) questions, and gradually have something that we work at get better until it finally starts to turn into something we enjoy the results of?  That is worth some gloat.

With just sitting and admiring your violin?  Well, sure.  Even the humblest of violins is made of wood prettier than most furniture and other objects around us.  Maybe I'm a little odd, but I have always considered violins as one of the fanciest looking instruments.  Objects of art.  Luxury.  I have spent some time admiring all three of the ones I have owned.