Sylvia's Journal

On Friday I drove to Boston to get my old violin looked at. I had expected to pay a few hundred dollars and wait a few weeks to get it back, repaired and ready for my first violin lesson in at least 3 decades. 

As it turned out the was so much wrong with my old violin that the option of simply renting a new one for a while became more attractive. It would come all ready to play with a case, a bow, new strings and guaranteed new string if any of them would snap, even a new block of rosin for my bow. The repair lady asked me whether the violin had sentimental value, in case repairs might be worthwhile before she started to point out all the places that needed to be re-glued, re-attached and re-shaped. I told her no. Half an hour later I walked out with my new rental – I had made a commitment for one year. It was cheaper and the rent would count towards eventual purchase. I will made my old violin available to anyone who wants a violin for decoration.

It was strange to put the violin under my chin again. My first efforts to play were horrible and I realized I had seriously overestimated my ability to play again. I called my ukulele teacher and asked for a violin teacher and told her I was ready to start with lessons right away.

Awaiting the appointment for my first lesson I started practicing scales-whether for my ukulele or violin, I knew you could never practice your scales enough. That is when I noticed my shoulder repairs had left me with very little stamina to keep the violin up – five minutes is all I could manage before my arm started to drop. I don’t know whether it’s simply a matter of building up muscle again or whether the rotator cuff surgery had left me impaired for good.  I have decided I will play 5 minutes (scales only) several times a day to see if there is any progress. In the meantime the ukulele teacher has also asked me to do finger exercises to send messages to my aching finger joints that they need to loosen up. Musci heals, I am told. I will test that.