Yep, I still like the way this man thinks

[annathepiper]

"You can take your tiger fights and your helicopter stunts and your gun battles. They're nowhere near as hard as learning to play the violin. It's a very definite mistress, a very harsh mistress. You can be strong with the violin, but if you're aggressive, you won't get anywhere." -- Mr. Crowe, regarding learning to play the violin

Comments

[xpioti.livejournal.com]

And he hit the proverbial nail right on the head. Violin's one of those instruments that it takes 6 years, minimum, to learn the basics. Fighting's much easier. :)

[annathepiper]

6 years, hrmm! Do you play? ssha, who used to be my jamming group's fiddle player, was ballparking it more at three. :)

(Mr. Crowe did at least do a good job of learning how to hold the instrument convincingly; he certainly sold me in M&C on believing he could play the thing. We have not, however, yet heard what actual sounds he produced off that fiddle... I'll have to delve into the extras on the DVD to see if there's any amusing footage in there. ;) )

[xpioti.livejournal.com]

I don't play violin, no, but 6 years is the figure that a really good violinist gave me. I do winds and keys only. :) *snicker* It would be very interesting to learn what he managed to produce from the fiddle; hopefully something other than dying cat scratchy screams. *lopsided grin*

[annathepiper]

He was quoted fairly early on in the filming of M&C as making a crack about having problems with "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star". Hee. :) On the other hand, I've also read that he and Paul Bettany spent several hours a day working with the instruments--and another thing I'd read at one point had him mentioning playing Mozart and the like.

Given what I know of Mr. Crowe's temperament, I'd be really surprised if he didn't make enough progress to at least get the beginnings of something decent sounding. He's that driven sort of guy, not to mention being a decent musician, too--certainly, if I were him, I'd be determined to get to a point where I'd not be making people flee with my scrapings. ^_^

[xpioti.livejournal.com]

DIY's playing a show called Handmade Music; tonight's is about a guy who makes mandolins. Very very cool.

*laugh* Yeah, Twinkle Twinkle can provide no end of "entertainment". When bored at Faire one day, I and another whistle player started playing around. I played Twinkle Twinkle, she played Flintstones, then we proceeded into stuff like J. Geils. Fortunately, nobody complained. :D

[annathepiper]

Whoot! Mandolin making! ^_^

And hee! Hrmm. Variations on "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star"--I'll have to try that some time!

[bardling.livejournal.com]

I love the quote!

My mother was a violin teacher for beginners... *wincing in memory*

[annathepiper]

Oh, I can sympathize! I remember the kind of din that happened in my very earliest music classes--and we didn't have any stringed instruments, even, just the usual assortment of band-type instruments. ;)