last summer i found myself really interested in the chinese violin. i played piano for 8 years as a child and i really missed playing an instrument, so i picked it up and started learning 7 months ago.
i really enjoy playing the instrument and it's something i could see myself doing for a long time. however, when people find out that i play they usually think it's really bizarre. i'm a really well rounded individual, i play sports, dress well, go to a good college, etc, but people seem really off put by the fact that i'm learning an ancient chinese instrument.
it's worth noting that i'm not chinese or asian at all. my father is egyptian and my mother is persian.
i listen to a lot of traditional chinese music now, am familiar with most of the instruments, attend events at concert halls, etc. is it weird that i'm so involved in something from a totally different culture? should i stop playing and just pick up the violin instead so people don't think it's weird? i don't want to be seen as another sinophile who fetishizes the east
heres a vid if you're curious
https://youtu.be/jakwxu72IJk?t=291
tldr:
>not asian
>learning ancient chinese instrument, growing interest in traditional chinese music
>don't talk about it much, but when people find out they think its weird
>start to feel guilty of trespassing in another culture
>don't know what to do
help
Think about it from another perspective:
Most Asian families try to encourage their kids to learn Western Instruments: typically piano or violin.
If you think about it, that's pretty weird too. They've got a rich musical history to draw upon but they're using Western Instruments as a sort of status symbol for wealth and education.
This may sound a bit heavy-handed, but the world NEEDS people like you who are somewhat obsessed with obscure facets of history and culture.
Without people like you being deeply involved, these fragments of history and culture will fade completely from the modern world.
Keep doing what you are doing and be happy, passionate and excited about it. Share it on youtube or somewhere else where people can see and get excited like you are.
>>16661854
w2c that jacket?
>>16661854
>should i stop playing and just pick up the violin instead so people don't think it's weird?
wtf, no, that's the worst reason to stop doing something enjoyable.
Do what makes you happy, OP, fuck if people think it's weird. At worst, they probably really just think it's kind of off beat and interesting and you're just being overly sensitive. Yeah maybe it could be a slight red flag of pretentiousness to someone who doesn't know you, but if that's not who you are you don't need to worry. And if it is who you are, fuck it, be you.
It's a fucking killer instrument too.
Relax.
>>16661854
Get some cosmetic surgery to look more chinese. kind of how asians get surgery to look more western. If you're going just based off appearance you'll never fit in.
uhh do you go to wwu because I saw a dude with that same jacket earlier
>>16661886
This
>>16661881
you make a good point. thank you for the perspective
>>16661890
thank you. i'm not one to really care about what others think.. it's the fact that i've started doubting myself. AM I fetishizing the east? do i like this instrument for the wrong reasons? i don't think so, but who knows how my subconscious works?
>>16661886
>>16661912
copped the jacket from some german arms website for $8 with shipping (i kid you not). /fa/ circlejerked the jacket for a few days hence the popularity. it's sold out now.
>>16661932
wrong pic
>>16661937
Do you normally take pictures in public bathrooms? Try going into a stall and tap your feet when someone comes in.
>>16661942
lol no i dont its just that i'm out n about today and i wanted to take a pic of fit, the bathroom having the only full mirror
>>16661932
Thanks, also what kind of trousers are those?
>>16661932
Link to jacket?
>>16661952
slim fit chinos
>>16661959
http://www.keepshooting.com/german-police-summer-jacket.html
>>16661854
can't help you OP, but i have a similar dilemma
>not chinese
>people say i look chinese
>attracted to chinese girls
>really want to learn chinese language now
>>16661992
examine your reasons for wanting to learn chinese. are they pure? are they right reasons? be critical so as to save yourself from going down the wrong path
>>16661854
If you are a bit brown than that would explain it
>>16662012
im light skinned and most people think im white.
however, if i was brown, would that change anything?
>>16661996
people say i look chinese, might as well speak like one.
>>16661932
Nice cop impersonation.
>>16662017
In the current SJW climate they get angry at white people for taking part in anything that is not from white culture. If you were really brown and looked very middle eastern instead of white they would praise you for being so cultured.
>>16662027
that doesnt sound like a very good reason to commit thousands of hours to learning a language
plus, your interest probably wouldn't hold through and you'd likely stop a few hundred hours in
>>16661874
OP here, bump for more opinions
>>16662027
>tfw I know this all too well
However OP, Chinese is no fucking joke. Learning another language is one thing but Chinese is super difficult so if you're only gonna learn to speak it, which is super hard but not as hard as learning to write, good luck. If you wanna go all out, god rest your soul because it ain't going to be easy.
>>16662084
I just ordered that jacket, thanks OP
I can empathize with you. I've been playing mandolin since I was 16 and recently started playing with Irish traditional groups over the recent years.
I've become a bit interested in tin whistle, and a lot of people think it's lame. My Dad hates the sound of it and always teases me when I practice.
I don't think you should be discouraged from following what you're interested in. I think a lot of people might just feel intimidated by it because they don't really understand or don't have your badass abilities.
Carry on.
