Yes, Mrs. Smith was very good to me. Before Montessori existed she got me into the violin program a year before any other student. So at second grade, age six, I was a music geek. By third grade I was tuning all the violins and violas, so they had to show up early to practice. I was second chair by fourth grade and concertmistress when el primo broke his collar bone.
Piano ensued, ballet ceased, then all music education ceased except Santa bought me a cheap beginner guitar at age 12 and three of us gals took up a folk ensemble and we practiced between trips to the ice cream truck. “500 Miles,” “Day is Done,” “Blowin’ in the Wind” were our repertoire. I did the chords and tried to sing harmony but the other two couldn’t get it and started singing with me.
We were a middle school disaster. But we had to play at the variety show. I believe we performed “Day is Done,” still one of my favorite folk songs.
Now I’ve taken up the guitar and have been given many exercises but have only done a few. See, I don’t want to master “Stairway to Heaven” or even “Layla.” I just want to play some acoustic guitar for me, for Jim, for family and friends to sing to.
It’s not that I’ve not been practicing. A flood of music that I might be able to play has entered my mind these past few weeks. Dylan, Baez, Dave Mason, and more. My task is to make sure the lyrics are correct, then I try to replicate the chords with ones I know and ones I can learn. It’s kind of scary as I wake up at night knowing a chord progression I couldn’t figure out the day before. We’ll see what happens, hopefully next week.
Food songs? Apart from Neapolitan songs while eating pasta, I don’t know.
I do know a poem, from the Child’s Garden of Verses, that every child loves to hear; The Goops. All I want to do is play a few chords and have family and friends sing. I hope I learn enough to make them happy. Cheers, Dee
