FORUM

Music is so emotionally evocative to me that I simply want to be competent enough to adequately express my emotion through the instrument.

My joy, my sorrow, my triumph or dismay - I want to be able to let it flow through my instrument in a way that draws the same response from the listener. The music is merely a pathway to that goal.

This is a tall order in light of how late I'm getting started and difficult the instrument is to play, much less master. But given a chance to make a wish with my viola, that is what I'd wish for.

In the short-term, I'd like to be able to play the same note twice in a row. I have at least managed to get my G (fourth finger on the C string) to match the tuning of the open G string about 80% of the time, when playing up to it. Going straight to the note ... Not so much.