[lit-ideas] Musical Ambitions (was: Cheney's shooting expedition)
- From: "Mike Geary" <atlas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: <lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Wed, 22 Feb 2006 00:08:01 -0600
Very interesting, Julie.
I had always wanted to play an instrument, but no one in our family played
anything -- not even extended out to the 8 aunts and uncles, all our talent was
in drinking, we were Irish after all. When I was 16, I gave up my paper route
and took up working in grocery stores. The next year I decided to take
clarinet lessons. Amro Music Store had tutors and lesson rooms and rented
instruments by the month. I loved learning clarinet but I knew absolutely
nothing about music, and so it was an up hill struggle, and I can only imagine
that it was heartbreaking experience for that poor teacher. But after about 4
or 5 months the Union went out on strike at the store and I found myself
without any income and so had to give up my musical ambitions. But that's only
half the story. The last day before turning in my clarinet, I was practicing
it in my room. I set it on the floor, partially on a book and my younger
brother came in and stepped on it, breaking the male insert off on one of the
sections. I was in a panic. There was no way I could ever buy the damn thing.
So I glued the insert back onto the section, John Wayne Bobbitt like, and
voila, it worked, except for the white circle of glue. Never fear, black shoe
polish is here. I took black shoe wax and covered over the "scar tissue", took
the clarinet back to Amro and told them how sorry I was I wouldn't be able to
continue with my lessons. They opened the case and I broke into a sweat.
"Everything seems in order," he said and sent me on my way. For months
thereafter I expected the police to show up at my door, but it never happened.
It was probably for the best that I had to give up music. I have no talent for
it whatsoever. I can whistle a symphony but I can't carry a tune across a bar.
Universally people ask me to please stop singing.
Envious,
Mike Geary
Memphis
----- Original Message -----
From: JimKandJulieB@xxxxxxx
To: lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Sent: Tuesday, February 21, 2006 10:40 PM
Subject: [lit-ideas] Re: Cheney's shooting expedition
I was taught piano from age 4 and violin from age 8 -- I wanted to play the
flute, but my Mother had wanted to have violin lessons when she was a kid and
couldn't, so she wanted them badly for me. I didn't want to hurt her
feelings.... I played both through College -- AA in Music, Primary instrument
piano, secondary violin, some classical guitar. When I had to leave College I
couldn't face the instruments anymore. I haven't touched the violin since.
Sometimes if I'm alone in the house I mangle some Schubert or Beethoven on the
piano for old times' sake. My 14 year old has played violin (HER choice) for 5
years, flute (HER choice) for 3 (Honors band and honors orchestra), and has
quite successfully taught herself (because I didn't want to push it on her) the
piano -- going in 9 months from my showing her middle C and how to hold her
hands to playing a quite passable Chopin Prelude, entirely from memory. She's
begun composing her own music. Scary. I hope she doesn't burn out too soon.
Her music is her destressor -- as it used to be mine. When she's upset or
angry or depressed she gravitates to her flute or piano and works it out. She
also sings in a local Symphony Society Choir. Singing always changes her foul
black moods to upbeat joy. I miss "doing" music ....but the muscles and brain
have atrophied and I can't stand the sound that emerges, knowing what I used to
be able to do. Blame Marlena -- she had to ask.
Julie Krueger
========Original Message======== Subj: [lit-ideas] Re: Cheney's shooting
expedition
Date: 2/21/06 10:12:15 P.M. Central Standard Time
From: ritchierd@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
To: lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Sent on:
On Feb 21, 2006, at 6:59 PM, Eternitytime1@xxxxxxx wrote:
>
> Wonder if he has a fishing license, too?
>
> For me, $25 is a bit much--and so I can understand not wanting to pay
> for a license. But, I will--it IS the law after all...but it makes me
> cross--I don't want to because of sparing the money, not because I'm
> above the law.
[snip]
> Speaking of the price of gas, (whine whine), I had to not allow my
> child to take the bass lessons he always wanted--the orchestra teacher
> in his middle school said that my son could catch up if he took the
> lessons form this guy--who's the best in the area--so that within two
> years, he'd be not only ready for high school orchestra (he decided to
> not continue with the violin--and had always wanted to play the bass
> but was not big enough...and he finally is! [this is still exciting to
> us...], but his dream of playing jazz would come true. However, the
> private instructor is over on the Kansas side and the gas just tipped
> the cost of the lessons over the edge beyond the budget.
Why don't bass lessons come with the cost of a fishing license?!!!
>
> What instrument do you play? Would you play if you had been given the
> opportunity? What is it that you like about it?
>
I don't play the bagpipes and the piano...until there's no one else
home. It's not a matter of opportunity; it's a matter of aptitude,
with which I was not amply endowed. The music genes seem to have
skipped a generation.
David Ritchie
Portland, Oregon
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