The violin is a bowed string instrument with four strings. It is the smallest and highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments. A violin is sometimes informally called a fiddle. A person who plays the violin is called a violinist or fiddler. I'm a musician but the only instrument I play with strings is a piano. However, two of my nieces and one nephew chose to play the violin while in school. I've heard stories of my Grandpa's dances that he hosted in the top of the barn at the farm. He owned two very old violins once thought by some to be built by the Stradivari family, but we later found out that they weren't valuable other than just great old family fiddles.
I love the music of the violin. It's a versatile instrument. It's fun to watch the young virtuosos play. You may remember the bizarre performance artist Thoth, an America's Got Talent reject or may have seen the documentary about his strange performances in Central Park. Who can forget Charlie Daniels playing his fiddle to Devil Went Down to Georgia? Or, maybe you prefer Vanessa-Mae, a classical pop violinist, playing The Devil's Trill. If you're in Branson, maybe you've seen the Haygoods' play their unique version of Canon in D. Did you hear the story of how one of the nation's greatest violinists, Joshua Bell, played at a Washington DC Metro station during morning rush hour as an experiment orchestrated by the Washington Post? Do you think you'd recognize such a famous artist?
Perhaps you do not play the violin or fiddle or listen to its music, but I bet you know someone who
- is on the fiddle
- would fiddle while Rome burns
- plays second fiddle to someone
- is as fit as a fiddle
- or just fiddles around or fiddles about
Today I've just been fiddling around on a vacation day, but found another great video as a next stop on my e-tour of holiday lights. You may hear a violin part in the music. I hope you take some time to enjoy this animated lighting by Carson Williams:
As posted on YouTube by pbenja1
Image credit: Klondyke Fiddle School
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