Music to my ears, only it's kinda bad.

After eight and some months of sad, sad neglect, I've brought my violin back out into the open.

I honestly felt an incredible pang of guilt when I first opened the case and saw how out of tune she* was. Tuning wasn't actually that bad - I've never had too terrible of a time of it, other than the first 'high desert holy crap it's dry here' tuning - once I got the pegs unstuck. For a minute I was wondering if I'd have to take it up to Sam Ash or somewhere to see if someone with more skill could help out. Eight months of sitting under my bed, from winter (when the heat was on) to summer (hot and humid) to winter again had the pegs nice and stuck.

My fingers are embarrassingly sensitive now. Again, it's not as if I could have feasibly brought my violin with me to Europe, but still. I played for, what, fifteen years or so. For most of those years I didn't have, you know, feeling on the tips of my left-hand fingers. Then I stopped playing, and the last time my fingers felt like this I must have been 4 years old and just picking up a violin for the first time.

Unlike that time, when I was befuddled by how to even hold the bow, I've at least got a place to start this time. Vivaldi's (who was sort of a hack, IMO, but he's fun) Concerto in A Minor, allegro movement. It was an audition piece for something years ago, I believe, so I've still got the sheet music kicking around. I also have a recording of it on my computer, so that helps.

Now I'm seriously considering doing a (post-Christmas, as I'd be insane to do so now) a bargain hunt online. Fine tuners would, in fact, be nice to have, as would a mute, some sheet music I haven't played a hundred times, and a metronome. Or, for that matter, an electric violin so I could practice without inflicting pain on others.