Well, my entry into blogdom was sort of a fizzle after one entry. Life in the form of family needs seemed to interfere with time I planned to set aside to write. Priorities are priorities. A wonderful week spending time with first son, sharing wisdoms, shooting together, playing golf followed by a trip to the west coast of Florida to support a great-nephew getting married. The family does weddings well and with enthusiasm. The bride's family was from Michigan and I am not sure if they quite knew what to make of us southerners, particularly when 86 year old great-grandma was up on the dance floor jitterbugging with her grandson along with all of the aunts, uncles and cousins. Fortunately, the bride bought in and will obviously be able to hold her own at future family gatherings.
The next week brought clients, an audition with a new band, and a trip to Otter Springs for the Florida State Fiddler's Convention on what may be the most beautiful weekend of 2010 weatherwise. Fell in with a pick up band for the tongue-in-cheek band contest where the entry fee is a homebaked pie and the participating bands get to pick in reverse order. The last place band gets first pick of the pies while the first place band gets the leftovers. Donna's Deviants placed somewhere in the middle of the pack of 12 bands and after heated debate chose an open faced apple pie that had entirely too much brown sugar in it. Oh well, the music was fun and we were the only band with a clogger.
Just got a call and it looks like the new band wants a fiddler so it is time to rosin up the old bow till next time.
Monday, October 18, 2010
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
The Beginning
Today marks the beginning of a new venture for me into the world of blogging. Today's entry is what I hope to be the first of many in which I strive to share my ponderings for those who might be interested in joining me in acts of ponderment, critical thinking and self examination.
I seek not to change anyone's mind about anything or to sell my own bias for self-gratification, although I am sure that in spite of my best intentions, I may stumble in that regard on occasion. I am more interested in process than outcome. The process that I seek is one of careful and thoughtful examination of ideas and experience as I and those drawn to follow my musings, seek understanding and growth rather than argument and stagnation.
Before going any further allow me to insert a glossary of terms that are perhaps unecessary but nonetheless included for the non-musicians who may be followiing.
Rosin: a translucent amber-colored to almost black brittle friable resin that is obrtained by chemical means from the oleoresin or deadwood of pine trees and used in making varnish, soap, soldering flux and in rosining violin bows.
Rosining: to rub or treat a violin bow with rosin for the purpose of improving the friction between the string of the violin and the horsehair of the bow thereby creating an intimate resonant connection between the player and the instrument.
Bow: a wooden rod with horsehair stretched from end to end used to play an instrument of the violin family.
Violin: a bowed stringed instrument having four strings tuned at intervals of a fifth having a shallow body, shoulders at right angles to the neck, a fingerboard with out frets and a curved bridge.
Fiddle: a violin with an attitude! Usually tuned like a violin (see previous comment) but doesn't have to be. Usually played without the benefit of written music leaving the musician free of the page and someone else's idea of how a tune is supposed to be played.
Life, we all have one. If you have no questions about the mysteries of life perhaps you should be writing this and I should be your reader. I find that my fiddle is a metaphor for the the way I experience my life. More on that in the future.
Truth, everyone has a perspective on truth, and there are many truths but I find myself drawn to the belief that there is a singular truth to which all truths are subservient. Many ideas that appear to be true appear so due to the limitations that one's belief system will allow. While they may be true within those self-defined parameters they might be superseded by a greater truth that is more all - encompassing.
Truth to me is like the rosin that is applied to the horsehair of a fiddle bow. Without the rosin, the horsehair simply slides across the strings creating no resistance and thereby no vibrational resonance of significance from the strings of the instrument. With the appropriate amount of resin appied the horsehair engages the instrument in a way that brings forth a statement in the form of musical tones arranged in patterns and inensities that literally have the power to speak from the musician's soul to another. Without the appropriate amount of truth imbedded within our beliefs we are like a rosinless bow, unable to sufficiently engage life as the instrument of our being. With an appropriate amount of understanding of truth, the music of our true being can then released upon our life much as a concerto, jig, waltz or hoedown might be released from the fiddle.
As I share my meditations with you the reader, I trust you will be encouraged to question, to ponder and to share your comments. In doing so, perhaps we each might discover just the right amount of rosin for the bow.
I seek not to change anyone's mind about anything or to sell my own bias for self-gratification, although I am sure that in spite of my best intentions, I may stumble in that regard on occasion. I am more interested in process than outcome. The process that I seek is one of careful and thoughtful examination of ideas and experience as I and those drawn to follow my musings, seek understanding and growth rather than argument and stagnation.
Before going any further allow me to insert a glossary of terms that are perhaps unecessary but nonetheless included for the non-musicians who may be followiing.
Rosin: a translucent amber-colored to almost black brittle friable resin that is obrtained by chemical means from the oleoresin or deadwood of pine trees and used in making varnish, soap, soldering flux and in rosining violin bows.
Rosining: to rub or treat a violin bow with rosin for the purpose of improving the friction between the string of the violin and the horsehair of the bow thereby creating an intimate resonant connection between the player and the instrument.
Bow: a wooden rod with horsehair stretched from end to end used to play an instrument of the violin family.
Violin: a bowed stringed instrument having four strings tuned at intervals of a fifth having a shallow body, shoulders at right angles to the neck, a fingerboard with out frets and a curved bridge.
Fiddle: a violin with an attitude! Usually tuned like a violin (see previous comment) but doesn't have to be. Usually played without the benefit of written music leaving the musician free of the page and someone else's idea of how a tune is supposed to be played.
Life, we all have one. If you have no questions about the mysteries of life perhaps you should be writing this and I should be your reader. I find that my fiddle is a metaphor for the the way I experience my life. More on that in the future.
Truth, everyone has a perspective on truth, and there are many truths but I find myself drawn to the belief that there is a singular truth to which all truths are subservient. Many ideas that appear to be true appear so due to the limitations that one's belief system will allow. While they may be true within those self-defined parameters they might be superseded by a greater truth that is more all - encompassing.
Truth to me is like the rosin that is applied to the horsehair of a fiddle bow. Without the rosin, the horsehair simply slides across the strings creating no resistance and thereby no vibrational resonance of significance from the strings of the instrument. With the appropriate amount of resin appied the horsehair engages the instrument in a way that brings forth a statement in the form of musical tones arranged in patterns and inensities that literally have the power to speak from the musician's soul to another. Without the appropriate amount of truth imbedded within our beliefs we are like a rosinless bow, unable to sufficiently engage life as the instrument of our being. With an appropriate amount of understanding of truth, the music of our true being can then released upon our life much as a concerto, jig, waltz or hoedown might be released from the fiddle.
As I share my meditations with you the reader, I trust you will be encouraged to question, to ponder and to share your comments. In doing so, perhaps we each might discover just the right amount of rosin for the bow.
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