Thanks P. Sad yes but the sadness was relieved by the musical interludes and by the poetry which described them. I love Steinbeck's almost stream of consciousness style of writing. I empathised too because in my 'fambly' we have a harmonica, guitar and fiddle player who have played many a reel
. I particularly liked the description of the ease of carrying and playing a harmonica because in my youth hostelling days I always had one in my pocket, ready to knock against my palm, shake out the dirt and begin....
Peppermill wrote:I liked Chapter 23, even though parts are melancholy and sad:
"And always, if he had a little money, a man could get drunk. The hard edges gone, and the warmth. Then there was no loneliness, for a man could people his brain with friends, and he could find his enemies and destroy them. . . . No the stars are close and dear and I have joined the brotherhood of the worlds. And everything's holy everything, even me.
"A harmonica is easy to carry. Take it out of your hip pocket, knock it against your palm to shake out the dirt and pocket fuzz and bits of tobacco. Now it's ready. . . .
"A guitar is more precious. Must learn this thing. Fingers of the left hand must have callus caps. Thumb of the right hand a horn of callus. Stretch the left-hand fingers, stretch them like a spider's legs to get the hard pads on the frets.
". . . . Play her in the evening, an' they's a harmonica player in the nex' tent. Makes it pretty nice together.
"The fiddle is rare, hard to learn.
". . . . Harsh ol' bastard, ain't she? Wanta dance? I'll rub up the bow with plenty rosin. Man! Then she'll squawk. Hear her a mile.
"These three in the evening, harmonica and fiddle and guitar. Playing a reel and tapping out the tune, and the big deep strings of the guitar bearing like a heart, and the harmonica's sharp chords and the skirl and squeal of the fiddle. People have to move close. They can't help it. . . ."
"Men and women, dripping, clothes sticking tight, watched; then gurgling and sloshing in their shoes they walked back to the camp, to the tents, and they talked softly in wonder: ‘We been saved,' they said. ‘We're washed white as snow. We won't never sin again. . . .'
"Wisht I knowed what all the sins was, so I could do 'em.
"The migrant people looked humbly for pleasure on the roads."
Ah but you can't put a violin in your pocket Ibis!
One of my in-laws is a well known violinist in a quartet here and he would like to be able to 'fiddle' better. As a family we play a lot of folk music for folk dancing and he regrets that he cannot join in the fun because of his classical training. It rather looks as if one of our grand-daughters, who is learning the violin, is more inclined to 'fiddle' because she gets more exposure to folk music than to classical. Do you 'fiddle'?
IBIS wrote:I had to laugh when I came across this:
"The fiddle is rare, hard to learn.
". . . . Harsh ol' bastard, ain't she? Wanta dance? I'll rub up the bow with plenty rosin. Man! Then she'll squawk. Hear her a mile.
I laughed because I actually found the violin a lot easier than a harmonica or a guitar.
(NOTE: I'm a violinist with our symphony orchestra here in Boston.)
I'm in the same boat as your violinist in-law. My training is heavily classical. I would love to, but I cannot fiddle. (And unfortunately they don't make inflatable or foldable violins!)
My daughter is training to become a pianist... she loves jazz and is freer and innovative.
WW play informal duets together... including popular tunes like the Bruce Springsteen and Arlo Guthrie songs about the Grapes of Wrath.
Choisya wrote:Ah but you can't put a violin in your pocket Ibis!
One of my in-laws is a well known violinist in a quartet here and he would like to be able to 'fiddle' better. As a family we play a lot of folk music for folk dancing and he regrets that he cannot join in the fun because of his classical training. It rather looks as if one of our grand-daughters, who is learning the violin, is more inclined to 'fiddle' because she gets more exposure to folk music than to classical. Do you 'fiddle'?
IBIS wrote:I had to laugh when I came across this:
"The fiddle is rare, hard to learn.
". . . . Harsh ol' bastard, ain't she? Wanta dance? I'll rub up the bow with plenty rosin. Man! Then she'll squawk. Hear her a mile.
I laughed because I actually found the violin a lot easier than a harmonica or a guitar.
(NOTE: I'm a violinist with our symphony orchestra here in Boston.)
Your daughter is fortunate to have a teacher who allows her to play jazz - mine wouldn't and I had so many arguments with her and my mother about this that I gave up my LRAM round about Grade 7
IBIS wrote:I'm in the same boat as your violinist in-law. My training is heavily classical. I would love to, but I cannot fiddle. (And unfortunately they don't make inflatable or foldable violins!)
My daughter is training to become a pianist... she loves jazz and is freer and innovative.
WW play informal duets together... including popular tunes like the Bruce Springsteen and Arlo Guthrie songs about the Grapes of Wrath.
Choisya wrote:Ah but you can't put a violin in your pocket Ibis!
One of my in-laws is a well known violinist in a quartet here and he would like to be able to 'fiddle' better. As a family we play a lot of folk music for folk dancing and he regrets that he cannot join in the fun because of his classical training. It rather looks as if one of our grand-daughters, who is learning the violin, is more inclined to 'fiddle' because she gets more exposure to folk music than to classical. Do you 'fiddle'?
IBIS wrote:I had to laugh when I came across this:
"The fiddle is rare, hard to learn.
". . . . Harsh ol' bastard, ain't she? Wanta dance? I'll rub up the bow with plenty rosin. Man! Then she'll squawk. Hear her a mile.
I laughed because I actually found the violin a lot easier than a harmonica or a guitar.
(NOTE: I'm a violinist with our symphony orchestra here in Boston.)
