Homemade Music and Me

brilliant, carol. i love hearing about music. it IS the stuff of life. thanks!

One of my fondest memories is the San Diego State College folk music festival of 1970, where I heard the hammered dulcimer for the first time. People were all gathered around in a courtyard playing a motley assortment of folk instruments to "Little Beggar Man" and the music swirled up and around the players, who played and played, and I wished it would never stop. This is the kind of experience you can have in your own home, if you're fortunate enough to have a few friends who will play together.

My brother, long written off by the rest of the family as "tone-deaf" like my father (a violence I now regret deeply) began experimenting with hand drums as a young adult, and eventually made African drum playing, carving, and importing his livlihood and avocation. He used to have "drum circles" of a dozen or more that would go on and on. If you find yourself part of something like this, it's a moving experience.

1970 was when I got my first hammered dulcimer, and I'm now on my 4th addition, made by a friend who I think makes the best in the country. And drumming in a drum circle is very moving! Fun stuff and, as you point out, very moving!

"I was chagrined at myself for not being able to play the music without a book"

I'm so envious of your dedication to overcoming this! I hate to admit this, because seldom in my life have I admitted defeat - but two weeks ago, I told a friend I am ready to admit I just can't overcome my years of dependency on reading music. Hopefully, this group will help me eat those words ;-)

Nice article, Carol, and thanks for starting this group. I look forward to seeing where we can take this.

"There isn't a song I don't want to learn." Really? Does this all encompassing love of music even include "One Eyed, One Horned, Flying Purple People Eater", "Does the Spearmint Lose It's Flavor on the Bedpost Overnight," and "Drop Kick Me, Jesus, Through the Goalposts of Life"?

Well, Carl, I already know those, plus "your flag decal don't get you into heaven anymore" and "Plastic Jesus on the dashboard" , and a few others.
Sandy, the trick is to learn to play the really simple tunes by ear with only 2 or 3 chords and then move on from there.

Carol:

I'm with you. I have traveled a similar path, except for becoming dependent on the page. The music I prefer to listen to is classical, in particular, classical guitar. I sang in the Paul Hill Chorale, which became the Master Chorale doing all sorts of long hair stuff – Beethoven's Missa Solemnis, for instance.

But I make my own music too. I took inspiration from Pete Seeger who conjured an image for me about the time before radio, before music was universally available, when people sang around the house and when they worked, and in the evenings on the back porch. When songs were passed around, learned by repeated hearing. Then if you wanted music, you had to make it.

That was before my time. But in my time, which began about 35 years or so after radio was invented, the old customs had not faded away totally. And almost every house in our neighborhood had a piano and someone in the family who could play. I remember that family parties when I was a kid always included a time for gathering around the piano and singing. We'd attempt to sing from every piece of music in the piano bench.

I owe my guitar skill to the folk mass, which became fashionable in my young adulthood. I learned to play, because the folk mass gave me something to practice for. Eventually the skill came. And from somewhere, primordial wiring of the brain perhaps, I got a feel for the music and started shaping it and making it expressive. For 20 years of so, I was the leader of the folk group at our parish. To this day I want that sort of control. I squirm in the choir now. And have few outlets.

When either of my two sons visit, we break out the guitars and jam a while. Their skill has surpassed mine. And they like the Beatles and later music. I like it too, but haven't learned it. Or not much of it. I can do "In my life" and "Yellow Submarine" and a few others, which turns out to be a tiny fraction of the Beatle's output. My sons like later music too. Which I know even less of. But they humor me too. I who got them started at least by modeling the behavior. I have prepared a binder of my favorites entitled "99 songs". Words and chords only. It's all I need. And frankly the notes just confuse me. Useful for learning music, but extraneous thereafter.

I used to serenade my kids at bed time. Normally with the same few songs. And those songs became imprinted in my brain and evolved into sounding pretty good. Today I get rare opportunities to do a bed-time serenade for the grand kids. Always it includes "Froggie Went a Courting" "Fast Freight" "Country Roads" (Alas I live in WV, almost heaven), and twinkle twinkle little star. Recently, I have added "You Are Near", which was among my favorites from the folk mass era, and serves really well as a night prayer.

And just last week, I had an opportunity to play for the kids in my grandkid's school. It was grandparents day. We sang "He's got the whole world in his hands" substituting two of their names in each verse, (e.g., He's got David and Ann, in his hands ...) and told them when we sang their names, they had to get up and dance for that verse. Such fun.

Making my own music has made my life richer. And continues to.

Cheers.

Jim

Carol, I started playing piano again after about a 30 year hiatus. I had to stop for a short time but love playing. I can somewhat play by ear but while I am relearning depend on books. I can't wait to see your tutorial!

For many years, music was my love. My family loves music. My father, the pianio, guitar, recorder, harmonica, violin. He never even played until college. My mother, the piano and the mandolin. My sisters, flute, piano, guitar. Me, piano, guitar, violin...I rarely play these days, though for several years recently, I did. Am focusing on writing, these days. Excellent article!!!