古崇賢的学报

It was August of 1980. I turned to my parents and said, "I want to learn to play the piano." They looked at each other, at me, and each other again. My mother asked whether i was sure. I was. "We'll talk about this later," they told me. What they didn't ask me was why. I was very dissappointed that i couldn't see the keys as i was playing. I wanted to learn in the first place so i could make the same neat visual patterns on the instrument that the music teacher made.

( Cut for length 1 )When school started again in July of 1981, we were offered the chance to learn a stringed instrument. I went home and told them i wanted to learn violin. They looked at each other, ( ...Cut for teaser, and for length 2 ) I even got to have fun playing it out of tune sometimes.

So, 27 years after i started playing musical instruments, and 20 years after my last public performance on a violin, i present the first-ever photos of me actually playing one. Both were taken by Penny Martin, who was also in The Two Gentlemen of Verona. She's a fascinating person, and a violist i'm trying to convince to participate in a quartet. Anyway, tada!


( Cut for safe-for-work pix )

I have really good form! muzikmaker21 had commented on it, but i had no meaningful idea. The photos provide a view of me playing that a mirror does not. I made the top photo into an icon, as debuted on this post. And, yes, my eyes are closed in it. Closing my eyes allows me to a) really listen to what i'm playing and b) be really aware of where my left hand is physically on the instrument, and what my right hand is doing with the bow.