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Writing my mind off.
I'm just trying to get my mind open about music and what I want to do with it.
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augustoad
Ponta Grossa, Paraná - Brazil
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November 23, 2014 - 12:05 pm
Member Since: November 19, 2012
Forum Posts: 229
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Hey. In this post, I'm just going to write about my journey with music so far. I hope some people can relate to me in some way and share their thoughts & opinions with me.

When I was 11, my mom signed me up for guitar classes without my consent. At first I was very mad - at that age, I didn't have any interest in music whatsoever. Both my brothers played it, but very seldomly, and honestly, their playing didn't impress me at all. They used to sit down and watch hours of rock shows, and I just couldn't see why they were so amazed by it. I just thought music was boring.

However, as I studied the guitar, I started playing more and more often. I started enjoying it, and I had it as one of my major hobbies. I didn't have a guitar at the time, as my parents couldn't afford a new one for me (hard times), so I played with my brother's guitar. As I was a kid, though, my hands were very small and weak, and I couldn't do much - but I persevered in my training. That was, until the guitar broke. I got very sad when that happened, because I had no means to practice.

3 years later, while paying my grandparents a visit, I found an old guitar in my gramps' garage (he used to be a local musician). I cleaned it and stringed it up. When I showed it to him, he said I could keep it. I took it back home and started learning once more. I started looking for new bands and went with the Foo Fighters, Nirvana, Guns n Roses and etc. I learned a few songs and progressed further with my learnings.

 I asked a new guitar as a christmas gift. My parents got me a Tagima Kansas guitar, which I still own today. Gramps' guitar was way too old and the wood didn't age well, so the sound wasn't as good as I wished, so that's why I got a new one. I started taking classes once again, so I got much better.

At this point, music was still only a hobby to me. I had lots of fun playing with my buddies at the music school, but it had never happened to me what I wanted to work with. Since I always loved videogames, I thought I could learn programming and work for a game company, but I suck at maths and programming proved itself boring for me ( I got to learn pascal, C and a bit of Java, but thought it wasn't fun, so I just quit). As a teenager, I was pretty lost at this point, and we were having some problems at my house. I always hid behind my guitar and my computer games - it was more than just a hobby, music had become my comfort zone. I spent hours on end playing guitar, and forgetting all that was going wrong in my house and in my school. That's where I started to notice music was more than just a hobby.

When I was 16, I got a violin for my birthday. Right on the first week, I found fiddlerman.com and watched all of his beginner lessons and started playing "right away". I practiced  around 5 hours a day, and since I was trying really hard I was able to play a few simple tunes by the end of that week such as amazing grace, brothers (from the fullmetal alchemist anime series). On the end of that month, I had learn a bunch of simple songs.

On the end of 2012, I went on a trip with my parents to a beach in south of my country. It was really hot (In brazil, it's summer in december), and I had completely forgotten to take my violin out of the car. The glue on it melted and it broke. I was obviously very sad, but after we were back we glued itself back on (I asked my dad to take it to a luthier, but he insisted we made it ourselves since he has done some works with wood before). It worked, the violin was glued and I was able to play again. The sound was not the same, and the violin is still kinda funky and loose around the edges.

On 2013, I went on an exchange to Taiwan. I couldn't take my guitar, so I took my violin. On the first three months, whenever I got bored I would always go after it and play for a while. On the third month, my host family lent me a guitar. I swear I spent over 8 hours playing non-stop. I had missed it so much, and it was still my main instrument after all, so I couldn't help it. During that time, I kinda forgot about the violin and had the guitar around me all the time. I started attending to school there, and I had music classes (not specific instrument courses, but rather music history and concepts, which was great for me because they don't teach this in our schools here in Brazil), and I began to grow more and more interested about music. Even though the book was all in chinese and I couldn't read at all at that time, I would always take peeks at the scores that were on the book, even though I didn't understand them very well since I have played by ear since I began to play the violin.

At that time, I started thiking about going to a music college, become a teacher, play on orchestras... I spent my whole exchange trying to make my mind about it. I had bought other instruments there, such as the Ocarina and an Ukulele, and I also got a few tunes on the piano. I found out music is what I really love and it is what I want to work with. I talked to my parents about it. They were very reluctant in the beginning, because they thought I had potential for other things, but I insisted. Honestly, there isn't anything I would like to work with - if not music, I'd take the first job I could, just for the money I need. But since I have the option to work with my passion, I figured it'd be better to go with it. After a few long talks, over time, my parents accepted I want to work with music. However, more than once they have encouraged me to think over it.

The reason they are so reluctant about it is my gramps. He was a musician, as I said before, but not a famous one. He tried really hard to become famous with his band, but he only got any attention on the days he played on local ballrooms, bars and etc. My mother's family had a lot of financial problems because of that, so they were afraid I wouldn't make any money. Honestly, I understand their concern, but my grandfather didn't do enough. He never learned to read score, he didn't look for labels , and he never composed anything - his band only played covers. He never tried to go up on his music career because he thought he could do everything with what he had.

But I'm looking for more. I've started studying music theory recently, and I'm learning partitures and training every single day. I have signed up for classes at the local conservatoire, and I will have an aptitude test in two weeks. Also, I will try to join the music college in my city.

 

This has been my journey so far. I hope to become a great musician someday, and I will keep trying hard to get to the place I want to. It's not going to be easy, but I have to try. I would hate to have my only dream in life die, so I can only move forward.

Does anyone have a similar hisstory? I would like to hear your opinions and histories. Thanks for the time and attention, and I apologize for the long text. 

Skype: augustoad Email: [email protected] Phone number/whatsapp: +55 42 9861-4084. I'd be happy to talk anything fiddle-related to anyone! :)

 

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Fiddlerman
Fort Lauderdale
November 23, 2014 - 9:01 pm
Member Since: September 26, 2010
Forum Posts: 16429

Thanks for your very interesting and in depth story about learning to play the violin. Your devotion will certainly get you very far. Feel free to post some videos. Look forward to following your progress.
Thanks again for sharing your story with us. :)

"The richest person is not the one who has the most,
but the one who needs the least."

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coolpinkone
California, the place of my heart
November 24, 2014 - 2:06 pm
Member Since: January 11, 2012
Forum Posts: 4180
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Hello..

What an inspiring story/journey  you have already.  You are a kind soul to understand why your mom might not be overly enthused about a musicians career and pay.  (starving artists)  I guess we want our kids to have it easier than we had it.  

BUT BUT.. .I am thrilled to see that you are hopeful and working hard in the way of making a career out of your music.   You see where perhaps your grandfather did it differently and you have wisdom and insight to do more and fill in the gaps.   :)

Being a musician will enrich your life no matter what path or journey.  At times when our other life is bogging us down if we have our music, our music friends and our instrument then we are rich in heart and soul.  Having music is like having magic therapy in hard times.

I wish you the best success.  I hope you post more here and look forward to sharing more of your journey.

Thanks again for your bio.

Cheers,

Toni

Vibrato Desperato.... Desperately seeking vibrato

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augustoad
Ponta Grossa, Paraná - Brazil
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November 24, 2014 - 6:20 pm
Member Since: November 19, 2012
Forum Posts: 229
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coolpinkone said
Hello..

What an inspiring story/journey  you have already.  You are a kind soul to understand why your mom might not be overly enthused about a musicians career and pay.  (starving artists)  I guess we want our kids to have it easier than we had it.  

BUT BUT.. .I am thrilled to see that you are hopeful and working hard in the way of making a career out of your music.   You see where perhaps your grandfather did it differently and you have wisdom and insight to do more and fill in the gaps.   :)

Being a musician will enrich your life no matter what path or journey.  At times when our other life is bogging us down if we have our music, our music friends and our instrument then we are rich in heart and soul.  Having music is like having magic therapy in hard times.

I wish you the best success.  I hope you post more here and look forward to sharing more of your journey.

Thanks again for your bio.

Cheers,

Toni

Thanks! I intend to come around here every now and then. It's nice to have a way to chat with people that have similar interests, so I believe I'll be sticking around. Besides, there aren't many musicians in my town besides my friends, and even less fiddlers, so I guess this is the place to come. :)

And I do agree with you on what you said about music. I'm atheist, but I do believe music opens the gates to one's soul.

Fiddlerman said
Thanks for your very interesting and in depth story about learning to play the violin. Your devotion will certainly get you very far. Feel free to post some videos. Look forward to following your progress.
Thanks again for sharing your story with us. :)

I appreciate your interest in my history! Thanks for the support, Fiddlerman. I wouldn't be able to have learned to play the fiddle as well as I have if it weren't for your videos, so I sort of see you as a "indirect teacher". You have done a lot to the music community, so kudos for that! :D

I do intend to post some videos sometime soon, and I'll record my part on the xmas project this week. I hope I play well enough.

Skype: augustoad Email: [email protected] Phone number/whatsapp: +55 42 9861-4084. I'd be happy to talk anything fiddle-related to anyone! :)

 

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Fiddlerman
Fort Lauderdale
November 25, 2014 - 8:23 pm
Member Since: September 26, 2010
Forum Posts: 16429

You are welcome. I look forward to getting your video :)

"The richest person is not the one who has the most,
but the one who needs the least."

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EricBluegrassFiddle
Members

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November 29, 2014 - 8:48 am
Member Since: August 18, 2014
Forum Posts: 183
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Very inspiring story!! Do you still have the Violin that your dad fixed for you after leaving it in the car?

I'm actually jealous! Your parents "bought" you a Violin...I actually asked mine for a Violin when I was a young kid in middle school and they said "no"...pick something else, your too young and the Violin is waaaay too difficult an instrument.

 

Now I'm having my revenge!

 

I'm in Argentina but from the US: I know Brazil very well...I've been to the state of "Rio Grande Do Sul" and the city of Uruguayana on the Brazil/Argentine border and I LOVE Brazilian Bossanova and can play a little on a nylon string guitar. I really like "Luis Bonfa" "Rosa Passos" Tom Jobim" and "Chico Barque"

" I just keep telling myself...."It's all about becoming one with your bow"

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augustoad
Ponta Grossa, Paraná - Brazil
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November 29, 2014 - 8:58 am
Member Since: November 19, 2012
Forum Posts: 229
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EricBluegrassFiddle said
Very inspiring story!! Do you still have the Violin that your dad fixed for you after leaving it in the car?

I'm actually jealous! Your parents "bought" you a Violin...I actually asked mine for a Violin when I was a young kid in middle school and they said "no"...pick something else, your too young and the Violin is waaaay too difficult an instrument.

 

Now I'm having my revenge!

 

I'm in Argentina but from the US: I know Brazil very well...I've been to the state of "Rio Grande Do Sul" and the city of Uruguayana on the Brazil/Argentine border and I LOVE Brazilian Bossanova and can play a little on a nylon string guitar. I really like "Luis Bonfa" "Rosa Passos" Tom Jobim" and "Chico Barque"

Hey, Eric! I still have it, yes, but it's more of a VSO than a proper violin. It was great aid on my learning curve, tho, and my parents only bought it because it was super cheap, around US$60. This year, as I'm trying to join a conservatoire, my grandma gave me enough money to buy a proper violin, and I'm in love with it. :D

I've been through almost 50% of the brazilian states, but I'm currently living in Paraná. And kudos for your music taste, those are awesome singers! I really like Bossa as well, tho I haven't studied as much I as wish I had in the guitar. Can play a few tunes such as "Garota de Ipanema", tho. ^^

Skype: augustoad Email: [email protected] Phone number/whatsapp: +55 42 9861-4084. I'd be happy to talk anything fiddle-related to anyone! :)

 

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