Fiddle Tune Evening

Last night was a departure from the usual fiddle lesson. All levels of fiddle players, beginners, intermediates and seniors were asked to gather on the stage of the auditorium of the college where the fiddle lessons are held.

On the stage...opposite the 'students'...were a local collection of players who have a name but which I won't mention here. I was late getting there and there were very few chairs left. I felt dopey because I had forgotten that it was a 'special night'. And I was ill prepared as usual....because of so much energy going into "maintenance activites'...like recovering from the job...and had not had much time to practice.

I got grumpy. And I had forgotten my recording devices....of which I have very good ones and for which this would have been a rare and opportune time to use them. I also wanted to be more in line with the collection of players who faced the main body of students...all being on the stage together though.

Finally I decided to move and took a chair to the very back. I alway feel so self-conscious at the front anyway.

I only listened at first. But you know...these tunes are so nice....and so easy in a way...(I suppose you could add things and make them much more difficult and advanced if you wanted to)...that I finally got into it. But I have been afraid to actually put the bow to the strings. I don't mind fingering the notes and reading the music...but I know the sound that comes out of the violin is sooooo bad that I did not want to draw attention to myself.

But just finguring the notes and letting the others make the sound was kind of nice. I got to hear what the tunes sounded like...and they are very very good. I told my old teacher, the one who composed the tunes, that they were better than the traditional tunes. And I really think they are. I would like to learn them all.

Someone came and talked to me after. And this morning, I realized the body language was about 'being friends'. I think so anyway...it is sort of how little boys behave when they are trying to be friends with someone. Mostly I felt very afraid for myself. I was not sure how I would react. So I kind of scurried off.