VIOLINS

  THE SOUND OF HEAVEN

EVEN BEFORE MY BIRTH, VIOLINS HAD A PROFOUND MEANING AND ROLE IN MY LIFE AS MY MOM PLAYED A LOT OF VIOLIN MUSIC TO HER BELLY.

SOMEHOW I MUST HAVE SAVED THESE SACRED VIBES BECAUSE I EXPERIENCE THE SOOTHING HEALING SAFETY OF ENDLESS MOTHER LOVE IN THE WOMB, WHENEVER I GET INTO PLAYING FLOW. SOMETIMES I FEEL LIKE THE VIOLINS ARE "MY DAD", 

SINCE I GREW UP WITH A STEP FATHER & NEVER GOT TO KNOW MY REAL DAD BECAUSE HE IS IN HEAVEN, BUT ALWAYS FEEL SUCH A DEEP LOVING CONNECTION WITH THE INSTRUMENTS.

HUMBLE BEGINNINGS

AT THE AGE OF 5 I SAW A VIOLIN FOR THE FIRST TIME IN MY LIFE AND WAS IMMEDIATELY SO OBSESSED, THAT I STARTED GETTING LESSONS RIGHT AWAY.

THAT OBSESSION NEVER LEFT ME, ALTHOUGH MY FOCUS WAS RARELY ON THE PRACTICE ITSELF, BUT MORE ON FIGURING OUT THE INSTRUMENT ON MY OWN, IMPROVISING, PLAYING WHAT I FEEL AND OF COURSE, I WAS ALWAYS BEYOND MESMERIZED BY THE VIOLIN ITSELF, EVEN WHEN SHE DIDNT MAKE A SOUND.

THIS DID NEVER CHANGE. 

I WAS VERY TALENTED & STARTED PLAYING MY FIRST CONCERTS AT THE AGE OF 8, FOLLOWED BY A GUARDED SAFE CHILDHOOD,

WHERE I SPEND COUNTLESS HOURS ON MY BELOVED VIOLIN: IN MUSIC SCHOOL, IN ORCHESTRA, AT HOME, ON WEEKEND MASTER CLASSES & AT HOME.

ALREADY BACK THEN I USED TO GET LOST IN ANOTHER WORLD WHENEVER MY HAND TOUCHED THE WOOD, AND TIME STOPPED. 

STAR SEED , STAR STREET.

WHEN I SAW THE GENIUS VANESSA MAE FOR THE FIRST TIME LIVE IN CONCERT IN HANNOVER AT THE AGE OF 7 IN 1997, I KNEW THAT ALL I EVER WANTED WAS TO BECOME A STAR VIOLINIST AND THAT DEEP URGE IN MY SOUL NEVER LEFT ME. 

UNFORTUNATELY; DUE TO LIFE CIRCUMSTANCES; I STOPPED PLAYING AT THE AGE OF 16, TRIED TO PICK UP THE INSTRUMENT AGAIN EVERY COUPLE OF YEARS BECAUSE I NEVER LET GO OF MY BIG DREAM, 

BUT IT WAS TOO HARD AND TOO FAR AWAY AND I HAD TO START LEARNING EVERYTHING FROM ZERO, WITHOUT A TEACHER, WHICH IS SIMPLY UNOBTAINABLE, 

SO I NEVER REALLY PUSHED THROUGH UNTIL THE START OF COVID, WHERE - AT AGE 30, AFTER 14 YEARS OF BREAK, I MADE THE DECISION TO GO ALL IN BUT THIS TIME, I STAYED COMMITTED AND THREW MYSELF TO THE WOLVES:

I PLAYED ENDLESS HOURS TO PRACTICE WITHOUT REALLY KNOWING HOW, EVERY SINGLE DAY.

I SLOWLY GOT BETTER, BUT STILL, THERE WAS ONE MASSIVE FACTOR, WHICH SEPARATED ME FROM MY DREAM SINCE I WAS LITTLE, ONE OBSTACLE, THAT SEEMED TO HIGH FOR ME TO EVER OVERCOME IT: 

MY I N S A N E  LEVEL OF STAGE FRIGHT / PERFORMANCE ANXIETY, 

WHICH WOULD ALREADY LEAVE ME SIMPLY PARALYZED AS SOON AS A SINGLE WAS LISTENING FROM 400METERS AWAY, I COULDN'T EVEN PRACTICE AT HOME BECAUSE I WAS SO TERRIFIED OF ANYONE HEARING IT AND ME NOT BEING AT A LEVEL YET THAT I WOULD CLASSIFY AS GOOD. 

AFTER ENDLESS HOURS OF PRACTICE AT NIGHT ALONE IN THE FIELD (COMBINED WITH QUITE A LOT OF DRUGS THAT HELPED ME TO CUT OUT MY FEAR), I SLOWLY MADE MOVES TO START PLAYING STREET MUSIC IN FRANKFURT, WHICH WAS THE BEST DECISION AND BEST SCHOOL I COULD EVER HAVE, BECAUSE THE STREET IS THE MOST HONEST STAGE OUT THERE AND TEACHES PERFORMANCE LIKE NO ONE ELSE. 

AFTER ROCKING THE STREETS AND A FEW PUBS SUCCESSFULLY IN FRANKFURT, WIESBADEN, VIENNA (WELL, THE HOFBURG PALACE <3) AND ISTRA, CROATIA, FOR 3,5 YEARS, I FINALLY FEEL READY TO ELEVATE TO THE NEXT LEVEL AND PLAY ON ACTUAL STAGES, NOT ONLY WITH MY VIOLINS, BUT ESPECIALLY AS A SINGER WITH MY OWN SONGS, ACCOMPANIED BY MY PROBABLY BIGGEST LOVE AMONG INSTRUMENTS: 

THE PIANO. 

DANKE FRANKE ! <3 

ALL MY JOURNEY AND PERSONAL ACHIEVEMENTS WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN POSSIBLE WITHOUT ONE VERY SPECIAL PERSON IN MY LIFE, WHO I MET IN SUMMER 2020, ON THE EDGE ON MY OWN INSANITY, JUST BEFORE PLAYING ON THE STREET, 

THE GENIUS MASTER VIOLIN MAKER MICHAEL FRANKE, 

WHO IS OWNING AND RUNNING FRANKE VIOLINS IN WIESBADEN (GERMANY),

A MASTER VIOLIN MAKER WORKSHOP FOUNDED IN 1894 BY HIS GRAND FATHER MAX FRANKE. 

FRANKE VIOLINS, WHERE HE WORKS TOGETHER WITH HIS SON JULIEN & ANOTHER EMPLOYED MASTER VIOLIN MAKER, OFFERS LITERALLY EVERYTHING YOU COULD EVER WISH FOR AROUND STRINGED INSTRUMENTS:

FROM NEW BUILD INSTRUMENTS, REPAIR, RESTAURATION & SALE OF FINEST HISTORIC MASTER VIOLINS LIKE AMATI , GAGLIANO & RUGGIERI & A REMARKABLE COLLECTION OF FINEST BOWS LIKE PECCATTE & LAMY, TO AFFORDABLE STUDENT INSTRUMENTS FOR SALE & RENT AND OF COURSE ALL SPARE PARTS LIKE STRINGS, LUTHIER PROFESSIONAL VARNISH CLEANER, CASES, ROSIN ETC. 

MICHAEL BECAME ONE OF THE MOST INFLUENTIAL PEOPLE IN MY ENTIRE LIFE AND EMPOWERED ME BEYOND MEASURE BY REPAIRING THE INSTRUMENTS, THAT I BOUGHT FOR A SMALL PRICE ON EBAY OR THE FLEA MARKET OR MY FORGOTTEN BEAUTY, WHICH I STOLE FROM A WALL IN A PUB IN FRANKFURT WHERE I WAS PLAYING.

HE WASN'T ONLY IN CHARGE AND RESPONSIBLE FOR GIFTING ME WITH INCREDIBLE VIOLINS THAT HE MADE OUT OF THE RAW PIECES I BROUGHT TO THE WORK SHOP, BUT ALSO BECAME LITERALLY MY BEST FRIEND DURING THESE TIMES, LIKE THE DAD I NEVER HAD.

MICHAEL FRANKE HAS AN INCREDIBLE EXPERTISE, EXPERIENCE, NETWORK & CREDIBILITY IN THE GLOBAL VIOLIN MAKER SCENE AND I WAS VERY LUCKY TO BE ABLE TO LEARN FROM HIM ABOUT THE INSTRUMENT, HISTORY & DIFFERENT MAKERS. 

I ALSO HELPED TO BUILD THE INSTAGRAM PAGE FOR THE SHOP, WHICH YOU CAN FIND HERE.

IF YOU'RE READING THIS: THANK YOU ENDLESSLY MICHAEL, WITHOUT YOU, I WOULD BE NOWHERE, I MISS YOU SO MUCH & CANT WAIT TO SEE YOU AGAIN!! <3  

IVORY VIOLINS

WHEN I MET MICHAEL, I HAD JUST STARTED TO BUILD UP MY PERSONAL COLLECTION OF VIOLINS, THAT I BOUGHT FOR A SMALL PRICE, WITH THE INTENTION TO REPAIR & SELL THEM. 

I GOT INTO PAINTING THEM ARTFULLY WITH SPARKLY NAIL POLISH AND PLAYING THEM FOR A REMARKABLE SOUND DEVELOPMENT AND STILL HOLD THE INTENTION TO SELL THEM HERE ON THIS PAGE AND ALSO GIVE AWAY INSTRUMENTS FOR FREE TO CHILDREN IN HOSPITALS OR YOUNG TALENTS WITHOUT ANY POSSIBILITIES TO AFFORD AN INSTRUMENT.

UNTIL TODAY, I GOT ABOUT 20 VIOLINS BUT I WANNA GET MORE FORGOTTEN PIECES, SO I CAN BRING THEM TO LIFE AND MAKE PEOPLES HEARTS HAPPY AGAIN.

THEREFORE I AM ALWAYS GRATEFULLY WELCOMING ALL DONATIONS OF ANY VIOLINS AND ANY SPARE PARTS, BOWS, CASES, NOTE SHEETS, THE OLDER THE BETTER. :)

I EQUIP THE LOST GEMS WITH NEW STRINGS, BRIDGE AND WHATEVER THEY MIGHT NEED AND WORK MY SPECIAL MAGIC TO "TEACH" THEM MY SPECIAL SOUND, SO THEY ARE READY TO PLAY AND FREE FROM FRUSTRATION, SINCE THE NUMBER 1 REASON FOR PEOPLE TO NOT CONTINUE PLAYING IS THAT THEY DONT GET ALONG WITH THE INSTRUMENT, AS ITS HARD TO TUNE OR GETTING OUT OF TUNE ALWAYS, WHICH IS IN MOST CASES THE LUTHIERS RESPONSIBILITY TO CRAFT AN INSTRUMENT THAT FUNCTIONS.

RITUAL VIOLENCE & VIOLINS

I PERSONALLY WAS BEYOND FORTUNATE TO HAVE ONLY POSITIVE EXPERIENCES WITH THE VIOLIN & EVERYONE INVOLVED AND DID NOT KNOW UNTIL VERY RECENTLY, THAT VIOLIN PLAYING & MAKING HAS A LONG CRUEL AND SAD TRADITION IN EXTREME CHILD ABUSE & TORTURE AND THAT PRETTY MUCH ALL PROFESSIONAL VIOLINISTS, ESPECIALLY THOSE WHO ARE CLAIMED CHILD PRODIGYS, 

COME EXACTLY FROM A HIGHLY ABUSIVE BACKGROUND AND ARE CONTINUOUSLY MASSIVELY ABUSED IN THEIR CAREERS BY THEIR MANAGERS, CONDUCTORS, FELLOW MUSICIANS THEY COLLABORATE WITH AND/OR MOVIE DIRECTORS. 

THIS PROFESSIONAL ABUSE, ADDITIONAL TO THE ONE THEY GET TO EXPERIENCE AT HOME,

STARTS WHENEVER THESE MUSICIANS EMBARK ON AN OFFICIAL CAREER, NO MATTER THEIR AGE, WHICH MEANS THAT THERE ARE A LOT OF PSYCHOPATHIC OLD WHITE GAY MEN OUT THERE WHO SYSTEMATICALLY RAPE CHILDREN IN THE NAME OF "TRADITION", ON BEHALF OF THEIR LABELS. 

ONE MAJOR OFFENDER IS THE OLD GERMAN LABEL DEUTSCHE GRAMMOPHON, WHO ALSO SIGNED THE STAR VIOLINIST DAVID GARRETT AT THE AGE OF 11, TODAY HE IS 43 YEARS OLD AND CONTINOUSLY EXPLOITED IN ALL MEANS.

CHILDREN OF VIOLIN MAKERS ARE IN THE MAJORITY OF CASES ALSO VICTIMS OF SEXUAL VIOLENCE & ABUSE BY THEIR PARENTS, FROM THE EARLIEST AGES ON.

EVEN THOUGH THERE IS PRETTY MUCH NO PUBLIC INFORMATION ABOUT THE TOPIC #METOO MUSIC INDUSTRY / #METOO VIOLINS, 

IT IS VERY REAL & SAD AND I DO PERSONALLY FOLLOW THE MISSION TO SHINE A LIGHT INTO THIS DARK GODLESS BUSINESS AND BRING HAPPINESS BACK TO VIOLIN PLAYING AND THE VIOLIN BACK TO PEOPLE, FOR THERAPY & HEALING AND SOLELY FUN PURPOSES. 

VIOLINS ARE FOR EVERYONE!

TO BE CONTINUED.