Beginning Viola
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Shinnai
Shinnai (#1357)
A
woman of medium height and skin the color of tanned cherry wood, Shinnai would
likely be slender if her job allowed her more respite from her desk. Her
features, while not really pretty, are distinct - high cheekbones, a straight
nose between deepset almond-shaped eyes of an aqua so deep as to appear nearly
black. Her hair is a silky, indeterminate length of dark brown which is
consistently tied up out of her way.
An ornate knot of Istan colors and harper blue marks her rank as a master,
Ista's Hold Harper. Shinnai is 30 Turns, 1 month, and 14 days old.
Seamus
(#5551)
At
first glance, Seamus seems to be a living inconsistancy. The Harper's lean,
willowy build accentuated by cords of thin muscle, Holdless years etched into
his physical being. He stands six feet in height, not so tall but assured in
bearing. Fine, coppery-brown hair, a forelock streaked with white, hangs down
slightly past his shoulders, as hazel-amber eyes shine with mischief and
secrets. Sharp features, long limbs, and slightly pointed ears add an
other-worldly aspect to Seamus, a remembrance of the long forgotten Fey. His
ever present smile and expressive eyes show a warm, caring person, always eager
to lend a hand or give advice. Imperceptibly, his barely handsome appearance is
marred by a faint scar upon his brow.
After that cursory glance, you feel Seamus directing his attentions toward you.
With a side-long glance and a roguish half-smile, he meets your gaze. Within
that look is a wisdom far more than his years should allow, as he seems barely
over 17 Turns. His eyes pierce through you, to the heart, as he delves beyond
your shell and into your soul, searching. After finding an unknown answer, the
boyish facade is re-woven, only barely covering the previous moment. The time
spent confined seems to have answered questions of his own, as an aura of
acceptance and serenity settles around the Harper. Finally, he has merged his
Holdless past to his Harper present, ready to throw his entirety
into the future. Seamus is 23 Turns, 2 months, and 18 days old.
Aleta (#6290)
Lithe,
slim, reed-thin... however you choose to describe a dancer's body, Aleta
certainly posesses one. Her hair, rich golden blonde, falls to just below her
shoulder in its soft waves, her blue
eyes sparkle in the narrow, pale face. She seems almost elongated, with long
legs, arms, and fingers. Each step is taken with graceful precision forewards,
and a smile seems permanently stuck to her lips.
Aleta wears her Harper Apprentice knot on her shoulder with pride. Aleta is 17
Turns, 9 months, and 18 days old.
Cimorene (#4958)
Cimorene meets your gaze squarely and raises her chin defiantly. Her eyes are very dark brown, almost black, with flashes of fire in their depths. She is rather tall, and more skinny than slender, though the effect is not unattractive. Cimorene usually has her waist-length jet black hair plaited into two braids down her back. She is very strong-willed, though a less complementary way of putting it (and the term that most people use) is that she is exceedingly stubborn. She does her own thing, the way she wants to do it, and woe to the person who thinks they can stand in her way. She has a flair for the ironic, and a very dry wit. She hates busy-work, and will do nearly anything to avoid it. She is, altogether, a very intense person. Cimorene is 17 Turns, 11 months, and 9 days old.
Keven (#5901)
You
see a young man with long dark hair in a ponny tail. He is tall and a bit thin,
but well trained. His eyes are a mix of green and brown, which seams to change
after the weather: when it's sunny outside they tend to be green, but when rain
falls they become deep brown. His hands are thin but quick, exellent for playing
gitar or similar instruments. He is a bit quiet and often waits untill everybody
else has spoken before talking. Because of this people often don't notice or
forget about his presence. He often smiles and in the presence of friends and
people he trusts he likes to joke. When he breaks out of his
silence he is a good leader and a man who likes to organize. People often trust
him and he has an easy time getting friends, despite his somewhat quiet
appearance. He learns easily and an exellent memory which has made studies a lot
easier.
Keven wears his Harper apprentice knot with great pride. Keven is 18 Turns, 1
month, and 10 days old.
Shainman Rehearsal Hall (#4130)
The
largest room in the Istan Harper Hall, save the Ballroom, this room has
wonderful acoustics that make sound bounce off the walls just so. From lessons
to rehearsal to just listening to the marvelous sounds always filling the room,
there's always a surplus of people about, harpers of every rank, and even a few
holders. Tiers fill almost every wall in the room, the choir levels on the
right, the orchestra one directly in and other smaller areas for more specific
group rehearsal on the left. The room is spotlessly clean and only
completely empty in the early hours of the morning when most harpers have to
tear themselves away from their work for a few winks of sleep. In the harper
office, you see one firelizard. Outside in the ballroom, you see one firelizard
and two people. Watching from a high ledge is Tartan. Cimorene is here.
Cimorene
wanders around the hall, whistling to herself and listening to the echoes.
Shinnai
carries a number of instrument cases in from the office, carefully keeping them
from falling to the floor.
Keven
walks in from the ballroom.
Cimorene
reaches Shinnai in her circling and halts. "Hey, I'll carry a couple of
those for you..."
Keven
smiles to both harpers as he enters.
Shinnai
unloads a couple of cases onto Cimorene. "Thanks, Cim. Just set them down
over here," she nods in the appropriate direction.
Aleta
sweeps with an air of elegance and grace in from the ballroom.
Shinnai
disgorges the instrument cases from her arms, placing them side by side on the
long table.
Cimorene
cheerfully wrestles the cases to the area indicated, then bends over in odd
directions trying to set them down carefully.
Keven
raises an eyebrow "What's going on?"
From
Aleta's shoulder, Persephone peers out at the world. Where're we going? Aleta
smiles at everyone and waves and tries to console the pretty little thing who
just got picked up and hauled down here without getting told what was going on.
Shinnai
turns to face the arriving apprentices. "We're going to learn to play a
bowed instrument today. Specifically, the viola."
Cimorene
looks up and smiles brightly. "Really? Oh...fantastic!"
Keven
smiles "The viola? Nice!"
Shinnai
scans the room. "Who else is missing, still?" she wonders. "I
guess we'll just wait another few moments before starting." She smiles.
"Have any of you ever played a bowed instrument before?"
Aleta
pales slightly. She hasn't even mastered basic chords on the gitar yet, and now
she's going to be learning viola? Eek. But Percy and Shadow do their best to
console her, also managing to get royally in the way. She shakes her head.
"No..."
Cimorene
shakes her head, gazing at the instruments lined up on the table, fingers
twitching.
Keven
shakes his head "No never"
Shinnai
smiles encouragingly. "Great, then you're all at the same level. Makes it
easier for the class as a whole."
Shakar
walks in from the ballroom.
Shakar
(#6351)
A
man who seems to glow with life.....
Shakar is 17 Turns, 2 months, and 3 days old.
Shinnai
smiles to Shakar. "Can I help you? We're just about to start here."
Shakar
says, "um...sorry, got lost somewhere" Shakar looks very confused
Shinnai
walks over to greet Shakar. "Can I help you?" she asks again, as the
various apprentices assemble for the upcoming lesson.
Seamus glides, like a shadow, in from the ballroom.
Shakar
says, "hmm....I'm sorry" Shakar says, "disturbing you and
all"
Keven
puts his gitar away since they're doing viola lesson.
Aleta pries golden tail away from her neck. "You're a beautiful little darling, but I can't play with you strangling me." Persephone chirrs unhappily and complies. "That's better, sweet." Then, she looks at Shinnai.
"Are we about to start, then?"
Shakar
walks into the harper office.
Shinnai
smiles to Seamus as he enters, briefly, then was about to reply to Shakar.
Cimorene
smiles, tearing her gaze from those tempting new instruments for a moment.
Keven looks up as he hears someone enter "Hi there Seamus!"
Seamus smiles, waving to everyone here, too. "Morning, all," he grins.
"What've I walked in on
today?"
Shinnai peers out the door, making sure the curious fellow doesn't bug the
scribes in the office. "Well, he's gone. Strange man," she observes.
"Yes, we're about to start," she answers Aleta, finally.
Shinnai goes back to the laid-out instrument cases again. "Alright, is everyone present? Then we'll get started. We're going to learn a new instrument today, to give you all a wider concept of music and a musician's skills."
Aleta releases Persephone, who launches into the air. Aleta releases
Shadowdancer, who launches into the air.
Shinnai unlatches the first of the cases. "It looks like we've enough
violas for each of you to use one. Do be careful with them, though," she
admonishes automatically. "That's all we've got!"
Keven
smiles as he looks over at the strange instruments.
Persephone
settles onto a perch where she can watch her pet. Shadowdancer settles next to
her, a protective eye on his little shouldermate. Aleta, below, looks a little
dubious. "I'm not sure about this..."
Shinnai
picks up the first viola. "Now, I'm sure you've all seen this played at one
time or other. In construction, it's the same as a violin, only slightly larger.
Does anyone know what the difference in tuning is between a violin and a
viola?"
Cimorene
reaches out with one hand to touch the wood of the instrument reverently. She
smiles.
Shinnai
plucks each string at a time, starting with the lowest, each a fifth apart.
Shinnai
says, "Does anyone know what the tuning of a violin is, for that
matter?"
Keven
looks uncertain "Ehh... nope"
Keven
says, "Can I guess?"
Shinnai
smiles. "Sure, Keven. Go ahead."
Aleta
just looks a little blank. She can read music, but just barely... playing
anything is really beyond her.
Keven
says, "Starting from above, E, A, D, G?"
Shinnai
grins. "That's correct! Now, do you know what the tuning of the viola is,
or would you like to guess?"
Keven
looks over at the the thing to check that it really got 4 strings.
Shinnai
grins as he finds out that yes, it has 4 strings. :)
Keven
smiles "I'll try another guess... D,G,H(B),E?
Shinnai
smiles. "No, you're taking that from the guitar, aren't you? Actually, a
viola's tuning is only a fifth lower than the violin. That means the strings,
from the top, are A," she plucks each again as she speaks, "D, G, and
C."
Keven
nods "Yeah! I only play the gitar so I guessed it was some sort of 4
stringed gitar."
Shinnai
grins. "Good thinking."
Shinnai
says, "So, given the range of pitch - a middle range, approximately
equivalent to a low alto or high tenor voice - what would you expect the viola's
main purpose in ensemble to be?"
Shinnai
directs the question to anyone.
Cimorene
hmms. "Melody sometimes and alto harmonies?"
Shinnai
smiles to Cimorene. "Sometimes that, and sometimes tenor harmonies. For
instance, do you know what instruments are in a typical string quartet?"
Aleta
blinks and is just completely clueless. *sigh*
Keven
is too.
Shinnai
glances around, then answers the question herself. "Two violins, one
viola," she holds up the instrument, "and one cello. The violins split
the melody and alto harmonies, generally, while the viola and cello play tenor
and bass, respectively. Of course, it's up to the composer, but that's the way
it usually works."
Shinnai
says, "Any questions so far?"
Keven
says, "The cello? Do we have one here?"
Shinnai
nods. "Yes, we have one here."
Keven
smiles "I'd love to learn to play that, but this was a viola lesson
right?"
Aleta
nods emphatically. "I didn't understand much of what you just said... I
know music in relation to /dance/. Not in relation to instruments. This hasn't
made a bit of sense to me so far..."
Shinnai grins at Keven. "Yes, today is viola. Cello is another lesson."
Seamus watches the lesson from a seat upon the lowest tier, glancing suspiciously toward the instruments.
Keven smiles and shrugs "Ok"
Shinnai
nods to Aleta, then leans against a handy desk to speak to her. "In that
case, let me see..." she thinks, then starts an explanation. Or so she
hopes.
Shinnai says, "Aleta, have you ever heard this instrument played? Usually, you'll hear it in ensembles - and very often, at dances."
Shinnai takes the bow from the case, places the viola between shoulder and chin,
and draws the bow across the strings to let Aleta hear the tone.
Aleta
nods at Shinnai. "Of course."
Shinnai says, "Then we're starting from a common ground." She smiles, holding the instrument out. "You'll see that it has four strings. You remember what we said it was tuned to?"
Shinnai
says, "Alright. So, you hear the mellow, low tone of the instrument.
Because
of this, it usually plays the same sort of part that a tenor might sing, in a
group. Does that make sense, Aleta? Don't be afraid to say no."
Aleta nods slowly. "I think so."
Shinnai
says, "Ok. I'm just attempting to give you a little background on the
instrument before we start torturing any felines..." she grins at her own,
rather lame, joke.
Aleta
blinks, it completely passing her by, but smiles. "Okay..."
Keven
nods.
Shinnai
looks around. "Has everyone got a viola and bow?" she wonders.
"Now, we can leave the construction of these things for shop class, I
think, and get started on the mechanics."
Aleta nods, although she has absolutely no clue how to hold the thing.
Keven nods as he's looking down on the instrument.
Seamus
grins, still watching the violas suspiciously. "Uh oh," he says,
mostly to himself, while eyeing the others critically. Why does this sound like
it'll hurt...?
Shinnai
says, "Good. We'll start with the bow." She holds her own up, the
block at one end held lightly in her right hand, fingers splayed slightly to
support the length. "This end," she points to the end she grasps,
"is called the 'frog'."
Keven
looks over at the end "Frog?"
Shinnai
spares an amused glance for Seamus, then continues. "Don't ask me why it's
called that," she grins, "it just is. The end you grasp is the frog,
and the other end, the pointy one" she touches the point at the other end
of the bow, "is called the 'tip'."
Aleta makes hasty mental notes. Frog. Tip. Okay. She's got it.
Keven smiles and looks over the.. 'stick'.
Shinnai
says, "Indeed, the rest of it is the 'stick', Keven."
Keven
looks genuinely surprised "Whoaa! my guesses really turn out well
today"
Shinnai grins. "So they do. Now, everyone hold your bows in your right hands, just like I am. Your hand should be relaxed, not stiff -- your thumb must be bent, to keep you from stiffening up."
Aleta takes bow in right hand--of course it's relaxed, that's something she's
good at--and bends her thumb like shown. "Okay..."
Keven holds his 'bow' in his right hand while watching Shinnai. The bow moves a
little from right to left not quite steady.
Shinnai
says, "It takes some practice to keep the bow steady. Hold it vertically,
and move it toward you, and away from you - careful, keep it straight up and
down. Don't let it wobble."
Shinnai
demonstrates.
Keven
looks at Shinnai before trying.
Seamus
is now glad he's chosen not to take up the viola. He'd poke someone's eye out.
He knows it...
Shinnai
says, "And then, side to side, and up and down. Don't be discouraged if you
can't keep it perfectly still."
Keven
moves the bow quite slowly steadying it with his thumb as he takes long strokes.
Keven
reads Seamus' mind and chuckles.:)
Aleta
tries it, just like indicated... she isn't afraid she'll poke someone's eye out,
but this is still new to her.
Shinnai
says, "You'll use your first finger, your thumb, and your little finger to
balance the bow in your hand. If it starts to wobble, use your little finger for
leverage."
Shinnai watches the wobbling bows around the room slowly get a little straighter. "Good!"
Keven
feels some strain to the right hand, as a gitarist he isn't used to do fine work
with his right hand.
Shinnai
smiles. "Alright, put the bow down and shake out your hand for moment. Now,
we'll go to the viola."
Shinnai puts down the bow, and takes the instrument. She holds it from the fingerboard, the scroll up and the body of the viola down, in her left hand.
Keven sighs a little of relief as he lowers the right hand, he shakes it in various directions to remove the stiffness.
Aleta tries this method, and smiles as it doesn't wobble quite so much. Then she
sets the bow down, and takes the viola.
Keven lifts the viola and holds it like Shinnai, by the fingerboard. Keven looks
at the viola with a worried expression "Hey there are no frets on this
thing!"
Shinnai
says, "First, stand up. Set your feet a little apart - about shoulder
distance - and then turn your left foot about sixty degrees out, and slightly
forward."
Shinnai
grins at Keven. "Of course there aren't. That's one of the benefits."
Keven
raises an eyebrow "Benefits?"
Keven
stands up as he's talking.
Aleta stands, and positions herself easily. That's the easy part. She still looks dubious. "What's a fret?"
Shinnai stands in the position, balanced relaxedly on her feet. "Yes,
benefits, Keven," she smiles. "You can do things with a viola that you
can't with frets - a slide, for instance. You don't need anything special. Also,
you can get half-tones - those notes in between the frets."
Keven
nods "Yes I see, but it would help to see where to put your fingers."
Shinnai
says, "A fret," she explains to Aleta, "is one of these small
bars you see on most guitars' fingerboards. They allow a guitarist to get a
consistent pitch when fingering complex chords.""
Aleta
ohs, and still looks confused, just not as much as before.
Shinnai
grins. "You'll learn where your fingers go soon enough. It doesn't take all
that much with a good ear."
Keven
says, "Why don't they just paint frets on the viola, then you would see
where to put your finger without destroying the sliding effect."
Keven says, "It would help in the beginning."
Shinnai, standing with her feet in position, extends her left arm, still
dangling the viola, away from her body. "Hold your arm out," she
instructs.
To Keven, she replies, "That's often done, in the beginning. But since these are the Hall's instruments, and not only for beginners, we can't do that."
Shinnai says, "Now, turn your wrist so that the viola is standing straight up in the air. You can steady it with your other hand if you need to."
Keven smiles "Oh ok" He stands like Sinnai holding his arm out.
Shinnai does just that, then pulls the upright viola down in an arc to land gently on her shoulder. "Then, bring it in to your shoulder, and put your chin down on the chinrest," she demonstrates, her chin landing on a small black piece of wood clamped to the viola's body to give her better purchase.
Keven nods to Shinnai and moves the viola up over his arm and to the shoulder,
then carefully he lays his head down.
Shinnai says, "Now, you'll often see players get lazy and cover the
chinrest with their whole cheek," she cautions. "That can cause
stiffness in the neck, however, and should be avoided as a general rule."
Aleta follows along all this, trying to do just what she's supposed to do.
Shinnai
grins. "Now, the trick is to hold it entirely with your chin and shoulder,
leaving your hand to do other things independently." she removes her hand
from the viola's neck and waves it about unconcernedly. "Careful the first
time, though, it can be heavy if you're not used to it."
Keven
looks from his position on the viola out over the fingerboard, "Hmm now
this looks strange, you see the finger board like a road going from you. This
will make it hard to judge distances."
Keven strikes a tone on his viola but all tat comes out of the thing is a half muted, half strangled.. something, certainly not a tone. "Hmm..."
Shinnai says, "Well, Keven, you're not supposed to judge distances with
your eye. You'll learn the feel of it, and you'll judge your position by that
and by pitch."
Keven
smiles "Ahh just listen to that.. beautiful"
Shinnai winces. "Now you know what I meant by torturing felines," she mumbles. "Hold off a moment, Keven, before you kill it," she teases.
Keven chuckles and throws a longing look on his beloved gitar.
Cimorene stands there like a nerd with a viola on her shoulder ;) She frowns in
deep concentration, waiting for the signal to play. Or try. Or torture kitties.
Seamus
hides his cringe, and grimace, behind a slight smile.
Shinnai
says, "Now, before we add the bow in, rest the thumb of your left hand near
the end of the fingerboard, where the scroll begins. Not *on* the scroll, just
in front of it." Shinnai places her thumb in the appropriate spot, turning
her body to show all and sundry.
Cimorene
looks at Shinnai's demo and copies her stance to the best of her ability.
Keven
moves out his hand on the fingerboard once again "Hmm like a gitar but
smaller"
Shinnai says, "Then, you curl the rest of your hand gently around, without grabbing the neck, but leaving a nice space between your hand and the wood. Place your first finger down on the string, pressing it down to the fingerboard."
Keven curls his hand while looking out from the viola "How hard should I
press?"
Shinnai demonstrates, then deshoulders her own viola to come around and inspect
the students' posture. "I should be able to fit my finger between the
bottom of the neck of the viola and your hand.
Cimorene winces slightly as she pushes the string down to the 'board, trying to
resist the urge to strangle the viola-neck.
Shinnai inspects Cimorene's hand, pulling the girl's wrist back and down
slightly to allow the hand freer movement.
Cimorene wills her hand to stay in its new position. Stay! Stay! Good hand.
Shinnai encourages Cimorene. "Good! Keep it relaxed. Don't strangle it, it hasn't done anything to you," she grins. "How are you doing, Keven?"
Keven looks over the fingerboard "Hmm good question, I bet you know that
better then me" Keven tries to relax at the same time as he press the
finger at the string.
Shinnai pushes the scroll of Keven's viola up slightly, causing him to stand up straighter. "It gets heavy, but don't get in the habit of slouching," she warns. "Good, just use the leverage between your thumb and forefinger to press the string down. It doesn't require that much force."
Cimorene giggles slightly and tries to loosen up her hands a bit.
Keven
nods and sighs a little of relief as Shinnai straightens his back "Ahh...
that was nice"
Shinnai
picks up Keven's bow, tightens the hair slightly, and takes his right hand.
"Now, let's add the bow." she allows Keven to place his fingers on the
bow, holding it gently but steadily.
Shinnai says, "When you put the bow on the string, it should be halfway between the bridge," she points to the thing that holds the strings up, "and the end of the fingerboard. That's where you'll get the most even tone."
Keven nods and discovers that that was a mistake since he makes the whole viola
nod "opps sorry"
Shinnai guides Keven's bow to the string, putting it down relatively close on the bow to the frog, and halfway between the bridge and fingerboard.
Shinnai grins. "No slouching," she warns, going to aid Cimorene and
Aleta with the bow.
Aleta
wasn't slouching! Honest! She doesn't slouch. She just isn't very good at the
/rest/ of it.
Shinnai says, "Now, feel where that is, then, to pull the bow across the string, simply straighten your arm away from you."
Shinnai says, "Allow your wrist to move freely."
Shinnai
puts her own viola in position again, and takes her bow, places it on the
string, and draws a note.
Keven
takes a deep breath "ok here goes" He lets the bow move across the
strings between the board and where the strings begin, and to his supprice out
comes a clean quite nice tone.
Cimorene
moves the bow carefully across the strings... *SQUAWK* Cimorene winces.
"Sorry!"
Shinnai grins. "Good, Keven! Now, take an 'up-bow' - pull your wrist back toward your nose, keeping the bow moving straight across."
Seamus
glances quickly around for the wherry...
Shinnai
grins at Cimorene. "It's only to be expected, don't worry. Here, try that
again." She guides Cim's bow onto the string, then touches her arm to tell
it where it ought to be as she pulls.
Cimorene
pulls back dubiously in the right direction. Oh, poor kitty! No wait, that's
just Cim playing again.
Keven
carefully strokes the bow back again, the tone that comes out is clean at first
but then strangles into one of those wherry squawks.
Keven
smiles "Ops!"
Shinnai
grins. "That's right, now the other direction." she guides Cimorene's
wrist back directly toward her nose.
Cimorene
pushes as indicated and smiles as something akin to a tone emerges.
Shinnai
says, "There! Now, Keven," she turns, "Don't tense up.
Gently.""
Eli
walks in from the ballroom.
Seamus waves to Eli from his perch atop the low tier, knees pulled up to his chest. No, they're not there to cover his ears. Really. "Morning, Eli."
Keven smiles from his viola "Hi Eli!"
Eli says, "Morning. What's up?"
Shinnai
smiles to Eli, then turns back to the class. "Ok, now, we try for the next
finger. Put your second finger on the string, and pull the bow across.
Shinnai says, "Good progress, folks. Any final questions?"
Keven shakes his head "Nope"
Aleta
shakes her head. She still isn't very good, but... "Er... no."
Shinnai
says, "Alright, then. You're welcome to come down and practice, or ask for
help, at any time now that you've had an introduction to the viola. That goes
for the violin, too."
Keven
smiles "Thanks for the lesson Master Shinnai"'
Shinnai
smiles. "Good work. Make sure that you loosen the bow before you put it
away," she cautions, putting her own viola back in its case."
Keven
nods "Ohh.. ok"
Shinnai smiles and waves. "Have a good time. Don't forget to put them away in the office."
