My viola

I'm feeling sentimental about my viola for some reason (maybe because I'm listening to some viola-heavy Shostakovich), so I'm going to tell you the story of my viola.

It started in 6th grade. At my elementary school, everyone was to play an instrument in either band, orchestra, or choir. I'd always fancied playing the fiddle - back when I thought the fiddle was it's own instrument and not a style of music. So, when this opportunity arrived, I signed up for orchestra without hesitation.

On my first day of orchestra, I discovered a friend of mine there, so I sat next to her. The conductor began going down the rows of students, asking which instrument they were going to play. "Violin, violin, violin, cello, violin, cello, violin, etc." Wow. I guess what I wanted was really popular. Then my friend said: "Viola." and I was like what is a viola?! He then called on me and, without thinking, I replied: "Viola."

It was the beginning of a beautiful relationship.

I love the viola. I couldn't have found a better instrument. I'd always naturally picked out the harmonic lines in music anyway. My fingers weren't fast enough, and my music-reading ability not good enough, to play the violin (in fact, it was probably easier for me to read the viola clef -yes, it has it's OWN clef - because I wasn't used to reading the typical clefs). So I'm more than happy I ditched that popsicle stand before I wasted any time in it. Turns out, I had an amazing viola vibrato. The viola was just...magic. I truly enjoyed playing. Orchestra was largely the only class I looked forward to in elementary, middle, and high school (I still loved it in college, but I had other cool classes by then).

The viola was my ticket to social interaction. In fact, it lead me to my most memorable high school experiences and it lead me to my college friends. My very first date was with the 1st chair cellist. I tried out for a very prestigious teacher in Provo, and she accepted me! I learned from other amazing professionals. I recorded. I went to Disneyland and had my first romantic encounter with a boy who is now my husband. I played in the pit orchestra for two different plays in high school. I got to play in the Ephraim community orchestra's Messiah concert. I played the viola in a trio in a college concert. All this and many other things. I just had a blast.

But life happens.

After what happened between me and my husband's ex, it only brought back bad memories and I deteriorated as a player. She married a violist I'd had a long history with. Mostly I just fancied him a lot, but we also played together in orchestra. It would always remind me of them when I picked it up. Like it was poisonous now. What used to bring me joy and relief only brought heartache.

I guess it was good I'd distanced myself from it because, in the winter of 2013, we were flat broke and starving. The rest of my family had fallen on hard times and forget his family, so we had as much help as they could give, but we were hungry a lot.

I made the decision to sell my viola. It was hard even then because I had so much value in it. My viola had scars and dents and I gave her every one of them. There was a story behind each - usually of negligence. But her value was nothing to other people. Those scars and dents and blemishes made her worth, in the end, about $250 or something. We paid at least $2,000 for her when we bought her new when I was 16. In all honesty, she was worth more than $250, even to people who don't care about her. Evah Pirazzi strings, Jade rosin, Kun shoulder rest, unique chin rest, nice tuning pins (on all strings)...she was beautiful!

She deserved better. I miss her. I regret it immensely, but we were fed for another few weeks and I didn't have to have another reminder of the worst event in my life thus far.