What sounds are possible on a violin? Electric violins have certainly expanded the way string players can answer that question. Violinist David “Dixon” Hammond used this example to great effect in a 'speech' titled "Doing The Impossible," in which he illustrates the disparity between what is forsaken as impossible and what can be achieved through optimism and the will to find a way. Video of his speech is after the jump. *** Mr. Hammond recently 'spoke' and was awarded 'Best Presentation' at Ignite Detroit #2 using only his violin and a brief Power Point presentation to convey his message. Ignite is a movement taking place in various cities around the US and world. Attendees gather to hear volunteer speakers present ideas in the limited format of five minutes accompanied by 20 slides that auto-advance every 15 seconds. According to ignite.oreilly.com, Ignite is "a high-energy evening of 5-minute talks by people who have an idea—and the guts to get onstage and share it with their hometown crowd. Run by local volunteers who are connected through the global Ignite network, Ignite is a force for raising the collective IQ and building connections in each city." Dixon's violin (Mr. Hammond credits his violin with making the speech, for reasons that are apparent when you watch the video below) demonstrates a wide range of sounds and techniques juxtaposed against slides stating the conventional wisdom that deems those sounds impossible on a violin. The sounds that accompany the early slides are looped and combine to form a soundtrack to the remaining slides. Many of the slide's text have a negative tone and it is shown how removing the negative modifier creates an affirmative statement (impossible becomes possible, cannot becomes can). By the time the final slide states "Believe in yourself -- you can do the impossible!" Dixon's music has built up to a fully symphonic texture in defiance of the defeatism expressed in the early slides. Learn more about Dixon Hammond at www.dixonsviolin.com/ or on his MySpace profile at http://www.myspace.com/dixonsviolin.