An Inspiring New Year’s Resolution: Woman Teaches Herself Violin in Two Years

This should help you stick to that New Year’s promise. “Violin Noobie,” a 24-year-old woman from Norway, has posted a progress video that shows her learning the violin in just two years. She starts in April 2013 with a barely listenable rendition of “Happy Birthday” (“You might want to lower the volume a tiny bit in the beginning,” she jokes in the introduction), but little by little, she becomes amazingly proficient. Even more inspiring, she is mostly self-taught, taking only eight lessons during the first year. She picks up new violins and learning tools (like a fretless finger guide) along the way and evolves from a scratchy “Silent Night” to a heartfelt “A River Flows in You.” Remember this when you decide it’s too much work to stick with your resolution to take up knitting or write a screenplay.