The ‘Snow’ must go on…

No, I’ve not turned my hand to weather forecasting – although based on recent weeks, the white stuff IS a possibility!

I am of course talking about this chap…

After many months of soul searching, deliberating, hair-watching and lie detecting, he’s about to be back on our screens as Season 6 of the GREATEST SHOW ON EARTH premieres! (Slight, ‘can’t believe you’ve not heard this plot point’, S5 spoiler ahead!)

Or is he? You see, until it starts, nobody is certain whether Jon Snow will have escaped his fate, dealt out on the end of many knives via the Night’s Watch (and that hateful child Olly). We’re currently in a Schrödinger’s Cat situation – at the moment he is both alive AND dead. Turning on the TV ‘box’ will decide the outcome.

If there’s a chance he’ll be resurrected into some immortal warrior, then I’ll take the risk of peeking inside.

Pfft – like I could even try to stay away! One of the things I’m most looking forward to about having a weekly dose of Thrones back in my life is the theme tune and opening credits. For me, it stirs up similar emotions to listening to / watching the Star Wars opening scroll – pure excitement!

Which brings me to FAD NUMBER 756: CECIL

You may remember Cecil from a couple of months ago – he’s a very photogenic fellow. (Back then, he was known as Cedric, but I had  a senior moment and forgot this major plot point.) He is, of course, my cello.

As some of you know, I had the ludicrous idea to take up this instrument, pretty much from scratch. I love the sound it makes and although I’ve been ‘learning’ the basics with the children at school on and off for a few years, I have never;

• Played beyond the four basic strings (C,G,D,A)
• Had to tune the it
• Read sheet music
• Learned any other instrument.

Hmm…. Tall-Orders R Us!

Undeterred by my lack of knowledge and previous Fad Fails, I was determined to buy one. After all, it would make a beautiful ornament in the corner of the room. 😉

However, always the voice of reason, Sam did not think it was a good idea to spend several hundred pounds on something I’d likely get fed up with, so encouraged me to hire one to begin with.

Which is what I did, on a three month loan – just enough time to master it and learn the Game of Thrones theme tune before the premier!

Yeah, right. So, this is how it went…

Week 1: Full of enthusiasm, practising for at least half an hour everyday. Developing my bow hold, learning how to read music, getting a feel for the instrument.

Week 2: Learning the positions on the finger board. Hurting my fingers. Having to resort to stickers to guide me. Let’s just practise tunes that require C,G,D,A shall we…?

Week 3: Come on, you can do this! Why do I need to learn to read music anyway when I’ve always learned by ear? Teach myself Twinkle, Twinkle. Play it badly. Decide I’m too heavy handed for a bow. Photograph Cecil instead.

Week 4: I think I was ill. I should really think about lessons.

Week 5: School music teacher cannot fit in lessons around my new job. Nobody else in the immediate area. Maybe see what happens with new job before committing to anything anyway. Continue to scratch my way through Twinkle, Twinkle.

Week 6: I need to learn the GoT theme. Discover ‘Guitar Hero’ style lessons online. Memorise the first few bars like a mantra. Still far too heavy handed with the bow. Decide I might have been better with a guitar…

Week 7: Oh, who am I kidding? Cecil is hibernating behind the sofa, wondering if his life would have been different as Cedric… 😦

Hmph, I’m useless! I’m like the GRRM of cello playing – a major task to undertake that everyone (me) has been waiting for by a certain time. The deadline has arrived and it’s still unfinished. I just wish I’d had some of his previous success!

I know I’ve made some progress and it’s apparently one of the more difficult instruments to learn (so says Google) but I’ve never been the most patient of people. However, I still have around a month before the hire is up – I’ll then decide whether to extend it or swallow yet another piece of humble fad pie.

But for your enjoyment torture , here’s an exclusive, behind-the-scenes look at my cello journey. Prepare to have your ears bleed…

Sooo… yeah, that was delightfully embarrassing wasn’t it?! It was a masterclass in bad-habit elbows, wrong notes and dodgy editing. Perhaps I should take up the drums. And by drums, I mean a set of old pans and some dustbin lids at the end of a very, very long garden.

Anyway, I couldn’t let you leave without restoring the musical balance, so for your actual enjoyment, here are some brilliant, alternative (and in some cases, bizarre) renditions of the Game of Thrones theme – I’m sure I recognise some of the musicians…

And remember, NO GoT SPOILERS – We Brits are behind on the broadcasting times! Thank you 🙂

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Some real cellists (and an enthusiastic drummer) showing how it should be done… in a basement!

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An alternative, classic guitar version by some guy in a (weir)wood – I hear he has no heart, perhaps he’s a Wight…

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One man, one violin, yet he can be (almost) everyone in an orchestra. Like the Jaqen H’ghar of theme tune covers…

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Accordians always sound a bit sea shanty-ish to me.
Maybe this could be Davos’ version?

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Not to be seen in a Littlefinger establishment, these old school floppy drives (sorry, sorry…) scratch their way to perfection.

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I have bad images that this is Jaime and Cersei ‘mood’ music…

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And finally (what do you mean ‘thank goodness’, surely you can listen to it on loop all day?), these crazy Wildlings, who appear to be in onesies, don’t need additional instruments at all.

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Image Credits: YouTube, telegraph.co.uk, Pinterest and DeviantArt

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