Why Reading About Instruments Is Good For You
Playing an instrument is, I believe highly, a privilege. You can get into playing an instrument a lot.
You can get into playing an instrument a lot, such as when you start playing an instrument, that you can cought up in that. Searching about the instrument, what pieces have been composed for this instrument, who are famous musicians playing this instrument, what do others say about this instrument, which recordings are there to listen to. Not forget to mention, going to a lot of concerts. At least, this is what I did when I started playing the violin.
Listening to (classical) music as well. I mean, when I started playing the violin, I was listening to many recordings with the same violin sonata or violin concerto, just played by different violinists. I loved to hear the difference in interpretations of the same music piece. Why did John have chosen the tempo slower than Cynthia? All these questions popped up in my head. But that is very interesting about playing an instrument.
This is how I am busy with my instrument. I want to know more about it.
It helps me understand the music better too. I mean, when Mozart wrote his violin sonatas, it actually is written for piano and violin accompanied instead the other way around (as it usually is). In Mozart’s time, was a more popular instrument than the violin. Thus the violin accompanied the piano. In this time, the violin had another sound and tuning than in these modern times. The piano was more common and more important. So, knowing this fact, I understand more about playing this piece on the violin.
Being involved in music is such a great thing. It gives you some peace from it. It gives you the opportunity to get involved with other fellow musicians or fellow music listeners.
Maybe there is a music group in your area to talk about music or go to concerts together. It is funny that everyone is busy with the same on a different level and in a different way. They have a different insight that you have. Coming this all together is a great thing, I believe.
Involved with music
As you are involved with music, you know something about music and the instruments that’ll be played, maybe a little bit more about the genre you love the most. You can say so many facts about the instruments and the music the instruments are involved with, that your friends are surprised you’re knowing these facts, more than they do. I bet, they want to be around you more often.
I think you already know, but reading about instruments is very good for you. I truly believe that you should read more about the instruments, actually all instruments. If that is not what you want, then about the instruments you love to hear or care about the most. When I do this, I am glad I read about the instruments I care about the most. I know how I should play my instrument and how to listen to these instruments, as well as how they fit in with other instruments.
When you know more about all the instruments, you know what sound it makes, what you can do with the instruments, and so on, maybe you’ll find amazing and interesting facts about these instruments, no one ever heard about (ok, someone knew about it, to write it down somewhere, but most people don’t know about it). You also know a bit more when you’re going to concerts.
Understand the music
You know why the composer used these instruments together. You understand why a violinist only can play a chord of four notes and not with five notes (the violin has four strings, haha). You understand the music piece much better when you know some facts about the instruments.
The next time you listen to music, you’ll recognize the instruments through all the others, immediately. You’ll sum up all the facts you know about the instruments, you name all the musicians who play these instruments and what instruments from which luthier they played their instruments.
You don’t have to know everything from each instrument, but it is good to know a little bit more about every instrument. I can tell you, I don’t know everything, but I know a few things about every instrument. Music is such an important factor in my life, that I want to know a bit more about instruments. Besides playing the violin, knowing about (other) instruments gives me joy too.
Agnes Laurens is a writer. She writes for the local newspaper. Agnes lives in Bunnik, The Netherlands, with her husband and three daughters. Writing is — aside from playing the violin — one of her passions since childhood. She is on Twitter and Instagram.
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