Pearls Before Swine by Stephan Pastis for July 02, 2013

I’m sure there’s a “Second Fiddle” joke in there somewhere.

I bet that happens all the time in the orchestra. No one likes the second strings.

Playing second fiddle just doesn’t cut it, I guess.

Speaking as one who was “fourth trombone” in fifth grade, I resent this.

And let’s not even THINK about the violas.

Ivan is the temperamental artist kind of guy I like. Can’t have these pushy second-stringers getting all uppity!

Use an accordion, go to jail! Oh wait that’s a gun…. No, accordion was right!

Being in orchestras is the pits.

how many times has this happened to Pastis at a gathering of comic strip writers?

Somebody get the guy a tissue to wipe the snot off his head.

Ivan is terrible.

Bruno, I’ve always heard the difference between a fiddle and a violin is a violin is carried in a case while a fiddle is carried in a gunny sack.

slap those strings

The animals have eyeballs! Yikes.

(It’s always been drummed into me not to horn in when commenters piccolo batch of puns and it ends up in sax and violins…..I’ll be gong along now….)

If the 2nd fiddle is named Joe, Ivan would have to banjo.

@Susan Sunshine—Once again, dear lady, you beat me to the PUNch!

@Bruno Zeigerts & @ Melvin Scott—THE biggest differnce? Itzhak Perlman plays the violin, Charlie Daniels plays the fiddle!!…And I enjoy BOTH performers!

Is Ivan supposed to look like James Lipton of “Inside the Actor’s Studio” fame?

Culture and dignity right into the commode in 2 panels…..well done!

Perlman does Daniels : “The Devil Went Down to Tel Aviv”.As for me, I say more Sax, less Violins.I worked my way up to first trumpet, really got to show my brass, and my fingering was to die for. Wish I’d kept it up, I coulda been a contender. Kids, if you want to play a wind instrument, don’t start smoking! I’ve long since quit, but it certainly ruins your breath control. Anyway, go forth, make music and peace. The alternatives are not pleasant.

He couldn’t have orchestrated that any better.

Guess the editors tol’ Stephan to add a little punch to his toons this week and he replied with a wise crack . . . ☻

Pig can make friends with the 1st violin, but he never seems to get to 2nd Bass.

Ivan and James Lipton…. Separated at birth?

The bass section of the orchestra got drunk one night. When they looked around they saw that the sheet music was put into bundles and fastened with string.

The bass’ were loaded and the score was tied.

Please, even this strip has its limits. Although after “We’re off to see the whiz-herd…” I’m not sure.

Ivan had better watch his back!Ooh! I hope I’m not giving away tomorrow’s plot..

Didn’t know that James Lipton played violin!

I’ve heard that violas & violins are the same size, but violinist’s heads are bigger…

Grrrooooaaaaannnn.

He looks like James Lipton from “The Actor’s Studio”.

“Tuba or not tuba.”He seems to be too high strung.He’ll cross that bridge when he gets to it.I guess I’ll bow out now.

Don’t worry, folks, nobody’s getting hurt; it’s all just orchestrated violins.

right in the fret board

Love it!

xxx

I don’t like all the violins in this comic today!

I think this is a sign for my husband Casey

Violas are such pansies.

“Viola”, said the French musician as he returned the supersized fiddle.

He’s A first violinist. There are probably 20 of them. If the second violinist were principal of the second violins, his position would be higher than a regular first violinist.

Now, if he were first horn—or first oboe—or any other wind instrument, just saying “He’s first horn” would be fine.

I say, “Stop the violins!”

Goat has a perfect pitch?

+++++

When the conductor asked the Principal Oboist for a tuning note, he did not get one. He looked over at the Oboist, who complained, “The Principal Violist broke all my reeds!” The conductor then asked the Violist why he had done such a thing, the Violist blustered, “He turned one of my pegs, and now he won’t tell me which one!”

+++++

Bonus: We all know that a viola is better than a violin because it burns longer. But why does it burn longer?

    It’s usually still in the case.

i knew a kid in 6th grade that played the accordion. other than drunk fake-germans and cheesy polka bands back in the 70’s, i haven’t seen an accordion since Lawrence Welk went off the air.

The oboe: An ill woodwind that nobody blows good.(Duke Ellington, some say)