(779) Round one: Me 0 - Viola 1

Post #779
[Private journal entry written on Monday, February 13, 2012]

I went to the gym today . . . Kyle was there . . .

We didn’t have a conversation, just a quick “hello” and “how are you?” exchange . . .

As I was walking on the treadmill, I noticed that I wasn’t feeling “alone” in my workout experience . . . it felt like I had an ally or a partner there with me, even though Kyle wasn’t standing next to me. I wasn’t even aware that I had been feeling “alone” in my gym experience, but I guess I was!

How neat to feel so supported!

—–

I picked up the viola from my piano student today . . . and, as soon as I finished my lessons for the day, I took advantage of a quiet studio . . . I pulled the viola out of the case and started tuning it . . .

I had to look up the string notes on the internet . . . the lowest-pitched string is a “C” . . . so, I tried to tune it to the C an octave below Middle C . . . I got it tuned, but the string was so loose and floppy that as soon as I tried to pull the bow across the string, even if I kept the contact between the bow and the string as light as possible, the pitch of the string would change dramatically.

Something was wrong . . . very wrong . . .

I was so sure the string was supposed to be tuned to the C below Middle C . . . but, maybe my memory was getting the facts I learned 35 years ago all messed up . . . maybe it is supposed to be tuned to Middle C . . . well, it was worth a try . . .

Selflessness Forest by Martin Chen

It took some cranking, but I finally got the lowest-pitch string tuned to Middle C . . . and I started in on the next string . . . the “G” string . . .

I could not get that string tuned to the G above Middle C . . . it, too, was floppy if I tuned it to the G below Middle C . . . not as floppy as the first string had been, but still too floppy . . . it must be the G above Middle C . . . maybe I just need to crank it harder . . . I just don’t remember the tuning process being this challenging . . . but, I figured I’d give it a shot . . . I kept cranking . . .

I’m sure you know what happened . . .

Yes, the string broke with a vengeance.

Something was definitely wrong . . . it took me all of three minutes with the instrument to break the first string.

I put the viola away . . . not much I can do with it until I replace the broken string . . .

So much for that adventure, LOL! I hope I can do better in my next attempt!