Monday, November 10, 2008

What did they do to get the violinists to smile?

I'm now going to risk offending half my reading audience. After all, I can have no idea what musical experience any of my readers have.

I watched 'Dancing with the Stars' last night. I love dance, and I love watching people who are as unco as me getting better and better and enjoying themselves so much. I'm glad Luke won.

The really amazing thing was that they had Andre Rieu on the show with his orchestra. And the string players were smiling. I simply cannot compute this anomaly.

It has always amazed me that string players are always so poker-faced. Even if the occasional one manages to get their body swinging to the music, their faces are blank at best and most often stuck in a positive scowl.

The irony is that their facial features have access to showing a full range of human emotion. Granted, it would be difficult for a violinist to throw back their heads with gusts of laughter without losing their grip, but the woodwind and brass usually manage to have expression with eyes, eyebrows and as many of the other facial muscles as they can use without disturbing their embouchure (fancy word for the way you have to hold your mouth to play).

And yet last night the string players appeared to be enjoying themselves.

I did not think this was possible.

How much money would I wager on the fact that they were real string players?

... Approximately None.

7 comments:

Allegro ma non troppo said...

I saw that too! And I too thought that the string players were looking a little surreal. I'll admit I didn't notice their faces, it was those big poofy dresses.

Why would you dress violinists to resemble toilet roll dolls?

Givinya De Elba said...

Heh, you're right. String players don't show us much emotion do they? Glad you're back.

Dee said...

Interesting, I only watched the ending, so probably missed the violin players. maybe they had lots of champaigne

Aleta said...

Not until you wrote it did I think about it... but yes, most violin players don't smile. Maybe it's because they fear they will poke themselves in the eye? I know that would be a concern of mine if I played that instrument. (Playing the piano is a lot less stress, I think)

Jen said...

I so know what you mean. They always seem to be playing with a stick up their butts or they are WAY to into the music and seem like they will sway off the chair.

Hippomanic Jen said...

Yes, they may be way too into the music and sway off the chair, but not only are they not smiling at all, the sight of them falling off thier chair won't even raise a grin from any of the others!

Anonymous said...

I've just asked my violin playing friend and she said that smiling disrupts the position of the instrument under the chin - so there you go! lol