Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you Trace Bundy.
I sometimes impress younger people with how old I am by offhandedly mentioning that they didn't play "Stairway To Heaven" at my Senior Prom because it hadn't been recorded yet. Similarly, though this piece is centuries old it was almost unknown until I was just getting out of college.
Am I wrong that your musical training in college was vocal/theatrical? I'm your same age, but my musical training was classical with a side helping of band and football where french horns were tolerated, never celebrated, and keyboards non-existent. The rest of the year, it was solo or orchestral works, both instrumental and voice.
ReplyDeleteIMHO, Canon in D is a masterpiece because it can be beautifully performed by almost any combination of instruments. Or, as you post, by one instrument.
I was primarily a singer, and learned to do simple harmonies almost unconsciously. I do like it when I know more complicated harmonies, as when I learn something for choir, but I would far rather play at music than work at it at this point. I used to have a marvelous voice and could sing anything from first tenor to second bass. Years of smoking, screaming at sporting events for five sons, and talking long in loud rooms has caused it to deteriorate. It's just okay now. I am not careful with my breathing, and I keep moving to vibrato more and more as I age.
ReplyDeleteI was a theater major and did a fair bit of AMT. I was "good enough" at acting, dancing, and singing, but not a star. I sang in church choirs since childhood, but edged away as an adult. I still do Christmas and Easter seasonal choir now.
I have terrible fine-motor coordination and have that odd neurology that I can't make the right and left hands do different things very easily. I forced myself to be a guitarist so that I could be a folk and CSNY/Eagles sort of singer. I always said I had to work twice as hard to be half as good. I worked with some very fine people, some of whom still at least make a living at it.
I learned to breathe 'deep and economically' in both vocal and brass instrument training. Years of smoking and other vices have certainly had an effect... but I could never, still can't, do vibrato.
ReplyDeleteThat neurology that can't make right and left hand do different things doesn't apply to me as I had piano lessons from an early age and that would have shown up early. I absolutely enjoy playing pieces that call for.... say a 6/8 in the left hand and a 4/4 in the right.
I despise neil young in so many ways. I do hope that your interest was more in the CSY and the Eagles.
My son also has my left-right limitation, though more mildly, and had trouble with piano. We switched him to voice. When he was tested for ADHD in 6th grade the neurologist said that based on something or other he saw that, even though we had not told him. But another neurologist told me he had no idea what the other guys was talking about when I asked a few years later. Go figure.
ReplyDeleteAs for Neil Young, we discussed him 3 years ago and you commented then. So did Zachriel, who explained his lyrics to us.
https://assistantvillageidiot.blogspot.com/2021/07/classic-neil-young.html
I'd forgotten about that. Grim's Lynyrd Skynyrd remark took me down a youtube rabbit hole. In favor of Lynyrd Skynyrd is that nobody needs anyone to explain what their songs mean. With the possible exception of Sweet Home Alabama - and I blame Neil Young for that too. It's been 5 years or so since I was in a music store selling guitars, but some things never change -- there was a kid trying out the guitars by trying to play Freebird.
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