Music, My Therapy

"Star Dust" by Hoagy Carmichael

Tony Bennett's "Have A Good Time,Eden Ahbez, "Nature Boy" & Rosemary Clooney's

"Mixed Emotions" , Bing Crosby & Carmen Cavallaro's "How Soon", Eddy Howard's "For Sentimental Reasons", Van Johnson's "I Wonder, I Wonder, I Wonder

My mean music machine THE BOSE!

Oh yes, I'm back again! As everyone knows, I've been on vacation 9 glorious days! I've done NOTHING but walk, watch movies, sort through old books, papers and clothes and much of the time on the internet following my families activities, chatting and of course doing some photography to keep up with the artysy, fartsy bunch. I, of course, will never be up to their level but hey, it's fun!!

Last but by no means least is my music! I've been sorting through old, old sheet music and taking pictures of some. I've been learning alot of new songs and what wonderful therapy for me. To hear a song and then to learn the song well enough for people to recognize and actually know what the hell one is playing is a real accomplishment in my humble opinion. I cannot imagine a world without music. I listen to music from all over the world. It's so amazing to hear the different sounds and chords, the background, the rhythms and the vocals and how it all comes together. I'm not an accomplished musician but I have been given the gift of being able to hear! And to listen! And to pick out the sounds that actually make the song stand out.

At times I really do make a nuisance of myself by pestering friends to shut up and listen and they of course look at me as if to say 'I'm listening'!! ... they hear but aren't really listening. However, not to be brushed off I continue pestering by asking if they heard the low bass or the little tiny tinkle of the piano or the quick drum solo that lasts for only 5 seconds. A quick roll of the eyes tells me they aren't interested. And so I shake my head and shut up. I find, of course, I do the very exact thing if a conversation is going in a direction which bores me. I think that's called zoning out! A few of my children have the very same talent. I wonder if they learned from me or if it is just genetic? :o)

When I was very young I used to listen to my mother and grandmother playing the piano and I wanted to play! Of course I knew nothing but tried to pick out the melodies. Then one day my cousin came over to show all of us what he was learning from his piano teacher. My cousin and I were 10 years old at the time. I sat on the bench next to him and watched as he played "Lady of Spain" with a new technique of learning how to play anything with just chords. I made him play the song over and over and over as I watched his fingers. After he left I sat down and tried to play the song and much to everyones' amazement I actually learned the song in a few weeks! They said I was playing "by ear" and within a few weeks I was enrolled with my cousin's teacher and on my way to learn how to play too!!

My mother was in North Africa and my teacher made a small record of me playing and we sent it to her. I wonder what ever happened to the little record? It seems I've seen it somewhere but anyway ....

I moved to North Africa the next year (I was 11 by then) and I took lessons from a French teacher who taught me how to enhance my chords. She was wonderful and so talented. That lasted for about 4 months. I was shipped off to boarding school in Casablanca and enrolled in their music program. (approx. 4 months). I was sent back to the USA and never had lessons again until I was 14 in Los Angeles with a teacher who had actually helped arrange songs for Bing Crosby. Again about 4 months worth.

That was it for my music lessons. But I always played whenever I could. Whenever I had an instrument.

Many years later (1972 0r 1973) I moved to Brazil. I bought a guitar and learned 6 chords and proceeded to torture my children by playing and singing at the top of my lungs, in the middle of the night, Loretta Lynn and George Jones tunes. OH MY GAWD!! Poor kids!!! Once we pulled out of Brazil I didn't do much of anything with music until I lived in Canada 1977.

I bought an organ and taught myself how to use and play those foot pedals and double keyboards. My two youngest, Kurt & Deanna begged me to play "Lullabye" for them every night. I was sooooo happy they liked my playing! Alas I found out years later it wasn't that they liked the music so much, but because they knew when I started playing music that I would be playing for hours and they could play in their bedrooms undetected. I must say I did catch them under the kitchen table at times with their blankets and pillows looking at me.

My one desire was to someday, somehow, play in front of a live audience, knowing full well that I would never be famous. I set out to do just this. I practiced and practiced and was heard one night after choir practice in a small church playing a hymn. I was TOLD that night that I must play the following sunday and so I did just that.

This led to weddings and teas and then the BIG one for me! I was asked to play in front of 500 Mary Kay Cosmetic consultants and directors at Lake Louise, Alberta, Canada at The Chateau.

I'll never know how I pulled it off but I did. Then on to Toronto, Ontario, Canada for the warm-up groups before the actual seminar. Yeahhhh, I did it! Mistakes and all, but I did it! A wonderful huge black grand piano was at my disposal.

I had a piano in Scotland, guitar in Brazil, organ & keyboard in Canada and then had to sell them in 1996 because of a move to the USA.

Last September 2007, some of my children chipped in and bought me a beautiful 88 key, keyboard/organ/piano combo and I've once again started "tapping the ivories" What a wonderful and oh so considerate and loving gift. I thank you so much!!!!

And so as not to bore you anymore, I think I'll just play me a song .... How about 'Terms of Endearment" or "What a Wonderful World" or "Hotel California" or "Crazy" or "Turn The Page" or "Riders On The Storm" ... or heck, why not all of them?

Until next time .......... MUSIC, MAESTRO !