It was his grand-grand mother’s washboard, quite
heavily used. It was stored in the old barn when he discovered it. It had
a little text written on the back of the wooden frame: "My job stole
my soul this weekend." It happened right after the Cowboy Symposium
where Verbal was dragged to by his friend. They were reading poetry, singing
olde Cowboys’ songs, and the newer ones as well. They played music,
the unusual tunes. He saw some strange instruments. One of them was a washboard.
Then he recalled the grand-grand mother's washboard. It shortly became
his own instrument. Given all the hints by one of the performers, he grasped
it quickly. He became THE BEST. His grand-grand mother must have been watching
over him.
The
elements of design are very present in many
different areas of my life. I play the violin, and I
have played for 8 years. It is very interesting to
think that I can bring my art into my music, yet it is very possible. Color
in art is something that you can see, yet for me, in music it is sound. The
way I play, the louder I play, or the softer I play relates
to colors. The louder I play the brighter the colors
are in my music; the softer I play the less value of
color it has. The shape is very important in my
violin. The violin needs to have perfect form, with
enough space for the sound to come through it and sound beautiful. The texture
of the wood, and the texture of the bow is a critical factor in the sound
of the violin. To have a bow with a texture that is horrible will make a sound
that no one would ever want to hear, yet a bow made from soft, beautiful hair
will make a sound that no one has ever heard. I also have to have form for
the right sound to come out. I have to stand up straight, with my right arm
perfectly straight to hold the bow, and my left arm loose to play the notes
exactly the way I want them to sound.
The lines are in the music itself, lines tell me what
to play, how loud to play, and when to play. The
Principles of design are also very apparent in playing the violin. Balance
is very important for a song to sound good. It needs to have loud notes, soft
notes, long notes, and short notes evenly to make a interesting beautiful
song. Too much of a note will sound off balance and will start to get boring,
yet when it is loud for just enough time it will give an emphasis that is
incredible. It is part of a song that is everyone's favorite part, an unforgettable
part. Then the song will change to another interesting part to create variety,
and it will contrast completely to the beginning of the song yet still be
a very balanced song. However, the way all these notes are put together is
what creates the movement of the song. The movement is what people love, and
why people want you to keep on playing. The different parts of the song are
put together in different proportions. It is put together with repeats or
bars that let you know when to go on, or when to repeat.
All these proportions, balance, and everything else
hat I have described is what creates the unity of
playing the violin.
by Alexie
