I have been told that string instruments usually have names! , whether it's the creator that gives it to them or the owner self-naming them.

Does your stirng instrument have a name?

My harp is Melody or "The String Thing"

My violin is Tigger (cos it has stripes)

Well it's not really a name as such, but I play in a string trio at school, and because on the viola parts it has 'vla' written on them, my teacher started calling it that and it just caught on!

Jess

My viola teacher named all her pupils' violas. Mine is called Ernie, after the man who is lending it to me.

QUOTE (Rainbow @ May 19 2005, 04:05 PM)

Mine is called Ernie

"Ernie...and he drove the fastest milk cart in the west...."

Um. Sorry.

My early 19th century violin is James, not least because it was made by James Brown.

The new (old) cello I've just acquired will very likely be named Joe, after its maker Joseph Klotz.

QUOTE

"Ernie...and he drove the fastest milk cart in the west...."

"...is that the tress rustling, or the hinges on the gate??...no it's Ernie's gold-tops, rattling in the crate........."

Sorry, now I'm at it

maybe you should call the bow 'Trigger'

('cos he pulled the fastest milk cart in the west)

I wonder if my teacher knew all of this before she named him.... what is this, by the way?

It was a well known song from the 70s (?) - by Benny Hill - him of the smutty jokes/ TV shows with under-dressed females in abundance. It was a very amusing piece at the time, though for the life of me I can only remember bits of it!!

I'm so glad others knew what I was talking about. I couldn't resist!

*bangs her head against a brick wall* ohhhhhhh!
Thanks!

Just be grateful that you are way too young to have known what we were talking about!!
I would have thought Sarah-flute you're a bit on the young side as well to be familiar with it - maybe I've got the wrong decade?

My old violin is called trevor and my new one (which ironically is older) is called ludvico antonio andreas. my cello is called max and my piano is called archie the drum kit is simon and my viola is randy, the to the fact its strings react to heat.................
I'm glad other people named their instruments! Last time i joked around about it (after church with the snobby youth in my viallge) funnily enough I got snobby remarks from one girl about 'not naming inanimate objects' and 'maybe its just a crass american custom'
I have news for her: it's called fun. which is what life can encompass if you are open minded enough and secure enough to enjoy it.
Sometimes I hate england (thats not a generalisation, just an my view of some attitudes or prejudices that I dislike (as much as the people with those particular attitudes dislike me)
Whoops - off the subject. I need to stop ranting.

QUOTE (izzy @ May 20 2005, 02:07 PM)

Last time i joked around about it (after church with the snobby youth in my viallge) funnily enough I got snobby remarks from one girl about 'not naming inanimate objects' and 'maybe its just a crass american custom'

How absurd! Sounds like a bad case of not having a sense of humour - I apologise on behalf of boring Brits the country over, Izzy.

I think you have great names for your menagerie there *grin*

QUOTE (sarah-flute @ May 20 2005, 05:53 PM)

Sounds like a bad case of not having a sense of humour

Seems like there's quite an epidemic of that in England at the moment! I think it's good to name your instruments and anyone who's going to go all miserable about it needs a slap round the head with a mouldy piece of bread.

Or a wet haddock. Assuming the haddock doesn't mind.

....or a rubber chicken.

(hmm I definitely have to get me one of those...)

QUOTE

would have thought Sarah-flute you're a bit on the young side as well to be familiar with it - maybe I've got the wrong decade?

I hasten to add it was my father that had a copy of the song 'Ernie'. It's regular outing was at Christmas family gatherings.

Glad to say that I, and very likely sarah-flute, would have been too young to have even known it existed when the track was first released.

I think my exposure to Benny Hill was almost certainly my dad's fault as well *grin*

QUOTE (AmandaL @ May 21 2005, 03:55 PM)

Glad to say that I, and very likely sarah-flute, would have been too young to have even known it existed when the track was first released.

Yes, me too. My family introduced that, and many other time-honoured classic songs and such like to me when I was young.

QUOTE (AmandaL @ May 19 2005, 08:31 PM)

My early 19th century violin is James, not least because it was made by James Brown.

I presume there are two and you're not referring to the soul musician? but I keep reading that and it gives me a giggle each time...

It is not just string instruments who have names; my piano is called Karen, my saxophone is called Debbie (or Deborah when I'm in a bad mood and she's making mistakes!) and my oboe is called Bob (quite clever if you look at the letters in oboe and then in bob). My guitar doesn't have a name yet, as it is quite new, but any ideas much appreciated! Also, my brother's drum kit is called Cassie. All our instruments are self named, just for fun. My other friend has a saxophone called Charles and another has a guitar called Larry. However, it is important that the names of the instruments do not start with the same letter as the instrument itself, e.g. "Penelope the piano"or "Sophia the saxophone" is not allowed. What an interesting life I do lead.

QUOTE (sax_girl @ May 23 2005, 03:16 PM)

my saxophone is called Debbie (or Deborah when I'm in a bad mood and she's making mistakes!)

lol...........

Yes, well it gives me someone to blame the mistakes on at least!