The Idea

Through this blog I hope to accomplish a few different things. Firstly, as a double bassist of seven years and music enthusiast, I seek to improve my skills as a mandolinist. I received the beautiful instrument as a gift at the end of last year, yet sadly, I'm rarely able to practice with my other musical commitments and academic studies occupying most of my time. While I am a very proficient double bassist for my age, I am a mediocre mandolinist at best. I place a high standard from the beginning of this project by aspiring to learn Chris Thile's "Ah Spring" on mandolin. Later I will attach an audio excerpt of the piece for all to hear.

I began working on the piece last night, and I showed considerable progress within a few hours of practice - the amount of free time I had last night was an anomaly in my schedule. It actually sounds decent, which is uplifting and places me in a jovial state of mind. I plan practicing more over spring break.

The other part of this project consists of reading Walden and Civil Disobedience by Henry David Thoreau. I rarely have time to read the classic works that I am so interested in, and with my recently-heightened environmentalism and intrigue with humble lifestyles, I thought that this would be a great choice. I had started reading this over winter break, but since haven't had time to finish it. At the moment, Thoreau has moved to Walden pond and is describing his lifestyle: "where I lived and what I lived for." His view of nature is almost transcendental and pantheistic. I will add more later after I read more, and now leave with this:

I let it lie, fallow perchance, for a man is rich in proportion to the number of things which he can afford to let alone.