It's Never Too Late to Play

And yes,that means you!
    While one is never too old to play,(it is a popular excuse) what I mean in this context  is no matter how many times you pick up an instrument and put it down for awhile,you can always pick it up again. I did this with fiddle and viola for the past few years. I shared a house with my Dad who passed this past April,and he was forced into violin as a child by my grandparents and forced to play till he was 18. Sad to say,his memories of it poured over into my playing endeavors,which always got me a ton of criticism. (I'm a fiddler,not a classical player) Well,seeing as he had previous playing experience,I took his negative comments to heart,and would sometimes quit playing for a year or more at a time.
    After his passing,I picked it up again. To my delight,a neighbor had a visitor staying with her who fiddles also. I asked her over to jam,and to my astonishment,after watching & hearing me play,she felt I was quite good.  This really blew my mind. The other thing she noted was the 4/4 I was playing was simply too big for me and she suggested strongly I get a 3/4 size,which I did. (I play 1/2 size violas) She was right. The 3/4 Sarasate I have is easier to handle,and sounds wonderful.
    Had I not picked it up recently I would've never known about my playing ability being decent,and would've probably sold off my fiddles.