# Does your fiddle/guitar/cello have a name?



## Ingélou

Do any of you also give names to your instruments? 

I have two violins. On my cheap one, I play folk music. That's 'Bonnie'. My more expensive one is 'Tiger Lily'. I have a classy bow called 'Monsieur', and the cheaper practice bows are Muzhik, Tuvok & Ilex.

Violins are usually considered to be female and bows male, but my luthier calls violins 'the boys', and I have to change their names to Captain Bonnie & Tiger when they are with him.

Thank you for any replies!


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## Taggart

We called our Piano Liebling believing it to be German. When we got it tuned, it turned out to be English. Still sounds very sweet - providing I keep it very simple


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## moody

Taggart said:


> We called our Piano Liebling believing it to be German. When we got it tuned, it turned out to be English. Still sounds very sweet - providing I keep it very simple


Did the accent give it away?


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## Ingélou

moody said:


> Did the accent give it away?


No - it's a reconditioned 'Zender', which the salesman said was German, but the piano tuner says is a UK firm. So we do have an excuse! But then Liebling seemed to suit it. (So we didn't 'return to Zender'.) 

We had a choice in the shop between two second-hands, and the Zender sounded the nicest. It does have a lovely tone. Looking up the firm just now, I see that they made models in the 1980s, always small models. So the usual quote occurs .... perfectly-formed, etc.


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## TheBlackCat

I've named my guitar Melodia.
I want to also play the violin when I grow (sadly I'm unable to start now), and unless I will have forgotten by then, I'll call her Aria. I don't know about the bow yet. Female names are easier to think of.


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## PetrB

I think it is almost exclusively women (or a very high percent of women vs. men) who name their instruments, cars, etc.

I'm curious about this "phenomenon." Make a poll of it?


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## Ingélou

Nice idea, but maybe not enough women, or weirdos, to take part in it!


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## moody

Ingenue said:


> Nice idea, but maybe not enough women, or weirdos, to take part in it!


There are plenty of weirdos here.


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## moody

PetrB said:


> I think it is almost exclusively women (or a very high percent of women vs. men) who name their instruments, cars, etc.
> 
> I'm curious about this "phenomenon." Make a poll of it?


It's just that women ARE curious phenomenons.


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## moody

moody said:


> It's just that women ARE curious phenomenons.


I suppose that should be phenomena !


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## moody

There aren't many fiddle/guitar/cellos around---they are difficult to transport.
But I was fortunate enough to be left one and I call him Herbert.


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## Ingélou

moody said:


> I suppose that should be phenomena !


I had my fingers on the keys but decided to desist. Must break these schoolmarm habits!


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## Ingélou

moody said:


> There aren't many fiddle/guitar/cellos around---they are difficult to transport.
> But I was fortunate enough to be left one and I call him Herbert.


Because he *sounds* like a Herbert?


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## moody

Ingenue said:


> Because he *sounds* like a Herbert?


He sounds like a whole band !!


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## Ingélou

My violin Tiger Lily has an orange ribbon tied round her scroll, & my fiddle Bonnie has a length of plaited sedge grass plucked from Rannoch Moor in the Scottish Highlands, as befits her folk repertoire and my clan ancestry. My bow Ilex has a yellow ribbon near his frog (Ilex = sometimes yellow-berried holly) & my bow Tuvok has pale blue ribbon (Vulcan science officer uniform). 

You don't have to be weird to play the violin, but it helps.


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## moody

Ingenue said:


> My violin Tiger Lily has an orange ribbon tied round her scroll, & my fiddle Bonnie has a length of plaited sedge grass plucked from Rannoch Moor in the Scottish Highlands, as befits her folk repertoire and my clan ancestry. My bow Ilex has a yellow ribbon near his frog (Ilex = sometimes yellow-berried holly) & my bow Tuvok has pale blue ribbon (Vulcan science officer uniform).
> 
> You don't have to be weird to play the violin, but it helps.


There's only one thing to say.........YUK !!


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## Ingélou

moody said:


> There's only one thing to say.........YUK !!


But you always say it so well, Moody, and in so many different ways!


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## moody

Ingenue said:


> But you always say it so well, Moody, and in so many different ways!


It takes years of practice.


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## RonP

The only time I call my instruments names is if I'm having a bad day. Those names aren't proper for a family-oriented forum.


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## ComposerOfAvantGarde

I just named my guitar Hilja (with great irony. It is a female name that comes from the word hiljaisuus which means silence in Finnish)


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## aleazk

"piano"  .


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## CyrilWashbrook

I haven't named my cello, but it seems to me that "Marcelo" would be a logical choice...


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## Mesa

My lovely little parlor guitar is called _Blackbird_, because i learnt to play Blackbird on a dread, and when switching to play it on the smaller guitar it was the first time i realised how much nicer it sounded. (Turns out, it's just a little sweeter in G, the other ones an E/B kind of fella)

The dread is an electroacoustic, made by Farida, so what would a nerd call it? _Faraday_, of course.


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## Ingélou

Oh, I forgot - Taggart's guitar is called Peggy. But she's gone on a long vacation at present.


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## Pianoxtreme

My Mandolin's name is Mandy... very appropriate!


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## hreichgott

My piano is called Cherubino. None of the smaller instruments in the house have been named.


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## mtmailey

I do not name them because it makes no sense to do so it is not like the thing will talk back.


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## Ingélou

It makes no sense logically but I believe psychologically, it's another matter. It makes you fond of your violin or piano & want not to let them down and that can help make you practise more.


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## Taggart

mtmailey said:


> I do not name them because it makes no sense to do so it is not like the thing will talk back.


Can't you make your instrument "sing"?


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## EddieRUKiddingVarese

I call my six guitar's all by different shades of grey ie light grey to dark - but it does get confusing. Note Clapton called his favourite strat blackie!

I have not got a name for my Banjo yet- any suggestions................?


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## Taggart

EddieRUKiddingVarese said:


> I have not got a name for my Banjo yet- any suggestions................?


Patterson? (short)


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## EddieRUKiddingVarese

Excellent suggestion- Done

My banjo is now known as Paterson or Matilda, you may have known his pseudonym was "The Banjo" or more commonly as we know him today as Banjo Paterson.


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## Taggart

EddieRUKiddingVarese said:


> Excellent suggestion- Done
> 
> My banjo is now known as Paterson or Matilda, you may have known his pseudonym was "The Banjo" or more commonly as we know him today as Banjo Paterson.


I thought the name had been changed to $10 bill?


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## EddieRUKiddingVarese

Touche' .............. 

dots added to meet minimum reply length


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## Taggart

EddieRUKiddingVarese said:


> Touche' ..............
> 
> dots added to meet minimum reply length


Highlight next to get round that simply select the text and click on the A to choose white colour. Try it on my Patterson post as well.


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