Big Blog Fridays #11 - The Sound of Music
Hello everybody, it's me, TheManFromMudos, and today I'm back with another installment of 'Big Blog Fridays'. Now, as discussed in last week's blog, from now on, things are going to change a little. First of all, as you may have noticed, the blogs are getting bigger. And second, we'll now be focusing slightly less on Oddworld-related topics, in favour of more 'real-life' discussion. Rest assured, we'll be back to Oddworld next week, but for today, I'd like to talk about something closer to reality. Something which has surely affected us all in some way at some point in our lives. That's right, it's musical instruments.
The reason I thought it'd be a good idea to discuss musical instruments is that I recently got a new violin. I haven't played the violin for a long time, as I first started it in primary school. But I'm going to be honest with you here. I thought that, even after several long years, I'd have retained at least some of my ability with the instrument. That was until I picked it up and realised that I couldn't play a thing. Nothing. I couldn't even remember how to hold it properly. Thankfully, a few days down the line, I've begun to get the hang of it once again. And what's more, I've remembered how much I enjoyed playing it all those years ago.
The thing about musical instruments is that people play them because they enjoy it. If you don't enjoy it, what's the point? You could be the world's best tuba player, but if you don't like playing the tuba, why bother? Alternatively, you could play the cello like a dying cat, but if you truly enjoy it, you'll stick with it anyway. But I think that this fact is somewhat lost in today's education system. I don't know how it is in the wider world, but here in the UK, we were handed recorders at the age of 6, and forced to play them until we were 12. Now, call me crazy, but I just don't think that's what musical instruments are supposed to be about. If you want to play an instrument, play it. If you don't, nobody's going to hate you for it, are they?
I suppose that what I'm really trying to say here is that playing a musical instrument should be a way to express yourself. And personally, I don't think that thirty kids being forced to learn 'Hot Cross Buns' on the recorder is the right way to show them that. Anyway, I've come to the end of my rant now, which just leaves my big question for you today. Which is this: Do you play a musical instrument? If you don't, which instrument would you most like to be able to play? And if you do, what is it about your instrument that makes you enjoy playing it so much? Let me know your thoughts, and I will see you next Friday for another Big Blog.
