Julia Paré
Question: “What is the funniest thing anyone has ever requested you to play on the violin?”
Answer: “No one ever asked me to play anything really funny on the violin, but my sister (who also plays the violin) and I used to fool around with our instruments and try to pretend we were at some country fiddler square dance. We’d play this little tune while adding dialogue like “you look mighty purty today Sally!” or “Swing your pardner!” It was pretty fun (and silly) and we experimented with ways to make it seem like the music was in the background, or in a different room, by using this technique called “col legno,” where you tap the violin strings with the wood side of the bow instead of playing on the side with horsehair, creating a quieter, tinny sound.”
