Tunes

At long last, I have managed to secure myself a prominent spot in a local orchestral group. Finally, I have a clever excuse to wear a tuxedo and mess about with old classics like Sibelius’ Finlandia, Grieg’s In The Hall of the Mountain King and others. Understanding basic instructions is no problem, but the conductor’s somewhat in-depth explanations of how to play certain sections in a certain way and just why it’s important to do so elude me approximately 100% of the time (as he speaks in very fast Japanese).
But it makes little difference really, as I’m somewhat of a local hero just for being there, regardless of whether I scratch and scrape away like nails on a chalkboard or glide around the fingerboard with the grace and finesse of a figure skater. I’m young, I’m foreign, I’m doing something that only Japanese do (i.e. involvement in the local community), and this makes it very exciting for all those concerned.

It’s also a great way for me to not suck at violin.