I haven't given up on my challenge, so stay tuned! I've got some down-time from work coming up, which means I'll have some extra time during my evenings to fiddle around. :oD
On this Thanksgiving's eve, I was VERY excited to participate in the music ministry at St. Thomas/Holy Spirit Lutheran Church for their Thanksgiving worship. A majority of the music for this service is comprised of traditional tunes (Celtic, old hymns and old-time), to which someone added religious text. It sounds great, and I have the opportunity to get together with several musicians that I don't get to see on a very regular basis. I definitely look forward to this evening each year. This year seemed to be particularly special. Having not taken my fiddle out of its case since practically June (horrible, I know!), I was so thankful for the opportunity to get to play and share this musical experience.
I always enjoy playing music in Church. I thank God for my talent for music, and I believe it is only right that I share this wonderful gift. ...and what better place to share it than in Church? The congregation was so welcoming and appreciative - while I already enjoy playing music, it makes it that much better to know that it is appreciated!
We had a great evening, and I reconnected with some friends whom I hope to get together with every couple of weeks to play some tunes, going forward. For some reason I've felt very hesitant toward playing music lately (maybe I'm just lazy?), and this service was just the right kick in the pants to get me playing again!
Below is one of my favorite hymns, which I think is very appropriate for this holiday weekend!
For the beauty of the earth,
For the beauty of the skies,
For the love which from our birth
Over and around us lies,
Lord of all, to thee we raise
This our grateful hymn of praise.
For the beauty of each hour
Of the day and of the night,
Hill and vale, and tree and flower,
Sun and moon and stars of light,
Lord of all, to thee we raise
This our grateful hymn of praise.
For the joy of human love,
Brother, sister, parent, child,
Friends on earth, and friends above,
Pleasures pure and undefiled,
Lord of all, to thee we raise
This our grateful hymn of praise.
For each perfect gift of thine,
To our race so freely given,
Graces human and divine,
Flowers of earth and buds of heaven,
Lord of all, to thee we raise
This our grateful hymn of praise.
For thy Church which evermore
Lifteth holy hands above,
Offering up on every shore
Her pure sacrifice of love,
Lord of all, to thee we raise
This our grateful hymn of praise.
Happy Thanksgiving!!
Friday, November 25, 2011
Saturday, June 4, 2011
The time is near
When I first initiated this challenge, I thought learning one little ol' tune a week couldn't be that hard. ...Well, I didn't anticipate life happening. I promise I'll make them up!
I got engaged to the man of my dreams three weeks from tomorrow, and everything has been a wonderful whirlwind since. I've been floating on Cloud Nine since May 15th. I got called back down to earth this past Thursday, though, when my mom informed my brother and I that my grandmother's health was rapidly deteriorating. My plans to visit with her that evening after work had to be set aside when she was taken to the hospital. I am thankful I was able to talk and laugh with her Friday evening before she took a turn for the worse over night. She was given her Last Rites this morning surrounded by her children and grandchildren. We've been talking all day about how we can take comfort in that she will be reunited with my grandfather in Heaven very soon, which reminded me of the following English folk song from Southern Appalachia - "My Dearest Dear:"
My dearest dear, the time is near when I and you must part
And no one knows the inner grief of my poor aching heart
And what I suffer for your sake, for the one I love so dear
I wish that I could go with you or you could tarry here
I wish my heart were made of glass, that in it I might behold
Your name in secret I would write in letters of bright gold
Your name in secret I would write, pray believe me when I say
You are the one that I love best until my dying day
Mo gra thu, A stoirin
(Irish Galiec: "I love you, my Darling")
And when you're on some distant shore think on your absent friend
And when the wind blows high and clear, a line or two pray send
And when the wind blows high and clear, pray send it love to me
That I may know by your hand-write how times have gone with thee
My dearest dear, the time is near when I and you must part
And no one knows the inner grief of my poor aching heart
And what I suffer for your sake, for the one I love so dear
I wish that I could go with you or you could tarry here
We love you, Grandma.
I got engaged to the man of my dreams three weeks from tomorrow, and everything has been a wonderful whirlwind since. I've been floating on Cloud Nine since May 15th. I got called back down to earth this past Thursday, though, when my mom informed my brother and I that my grandmother's health was rapidly deteriorating. My plans to visit with her that evening after work had to be set aside when she was taken to the hospital. I am thankful I was able to talk and laugh with her Friday evening before she took a turn for the worse over night. She was given her Last Rites this morning surrounded by her children and grandchildren. We've been talking all day about how we can take comfort in that she will be reunited with my grandfather in Heaven very soon, which reminded me of the following English folk song from Southern Appalachia - "My Dearest Dear:"
My dearest dear, the time is near when I and you must part
And no one knows the inner grief of my poor aching heart
And what I suffer for your sake, for the one I love so dear
I wish that I could go with you or you could tarry here
I wish my heart were made of glass, that in it I might behold
Your name in secret I would write in letters of bright gold
Your name in secret I would write, pray believe me when I say
You are the one that I love best until my dying day
Mo gra thu, A stoirin
(Irish Galiec: "I love you, my Darling")
And when you're on some distant shore think on your absent friend
And when the wind blows high and clear, a line or two pray send
And when the wind blows high and clear, pray send it love to me
That I may know by your hand-write how times have gone with thee
My dearest dear, the time is near when I and you must part
And no one knows the inner grief of my poor aching heart
And what I suffer for your sake, for the one I love so dear
I wish that I could go with you or you could tarry here
We love you, Grandma.
Sunday, May 1, 2011
Clouds and storms will in time pass away
This week had a few more lows than one would prefer. Plus, Missouri and Illinois have gotten an unprecedented amount of rain - it seemed like we'd never see the sun again! Given these circumstances, I thought it would be good to jump-start a positive attitude with a song for the week: Keep on the Sunny Side. I've always known the chorus to the song, but I've never listened closely enough or taken the time to learn all of the lyrics.
I've always learned best by ear - it's no coincidence that the name Samantha means "God's listener!" I find it slightly humorous that I also ended up choosing the career of an auditor - for those of you who know your Latin, audit is translated as "he/she/it listens." One of my favorite ways to learn tunes and songs is to listen to them over and over... and over again! I imagine my family learned some tunes with me over the years as I listened to albums ad nauseum on the stereo, pausing and rewinding tracks to learn each phrase. For this week, I burned The Whites recording of "Keep on the Sunny Side" and listened to the song on repeat in my car, picking up a couple words here and there each time until I was able to sing the entire way through.
So... here goes!
There's a dark and a troubled side of life,
But there's a bright and a sunny side too
Though we meet with the darkness and strife,
The sunny side we also may view
Keep on the sunny side, always on the sunny side,
Keep on the sunny side of life
It will help us every day, it will brighten all the way
If we keep on the sunny side of life
The storms and its furies raged today
Crushing hope that we cherished so dear
The cloud and storm will in time pass away
And the sun again will shine bright and clear
(Chorus)
Let us greet with the song of hope each day
Though the moment be cloudy or fair
Let us trust in our Savior always
Who keepeth everyone in his care
(Chorus)
There's no way to know that I actually wrote out all of the lyrics above from memory... you'll just have to trust me!
I also looked up a little history courtesty of Wikipedia... the song was originally written in 1899 by Ada Blenkhorn to music composed by J. Howard Entwisle. The song was first popularized by the Carter Family - it later became their theme song on the radio! A recording of the song by The Whites was featured in the movie O Brother, Where Art Thou?
Ada was inspired to write the hymn by a phrase used by her nephew. Her nephew was disabled and always asked that his wheelchair be pushed down "the sunny side" of the street.
Looking forward to keeping on the sunny side for the rest of the week!
I've always learned best by ear - it's no coincidence that the name Samantha means "God's listener!" I find it slightly humorous that I also ended up choosing the career of an auditor - for those of you who know your Latin, audit is translated as "he/she/it listens." One of my favorite ways to learn tunes and songs is to listen to them over and over... and over again! I imagine my family learned some tunes with me over the years as I listened to albums ad nauseum on the stereo, pausing and rewinding tracks to learn each phrase. For this week, I burned The Whites recording of "Keep on the Sunny Side" and listened to the song on repeat in my car, picking up a couple words here and there each time until I was able to sing the entire way through.
So... here goes!
There's a dark and a troubled side of life,
But there's a bright and a sunny side too
Though we meet with the darkness and strife,
The sunny side we also may view
Keep on the sunny side, always on the sunny side,
Keep on the sunny side of life
It will help us every day, it will brighten all the way
If we keep on the sunny side of life
The storms and its furies raged today
Crushing hope that we cherished so dear
The cloud and storm will in time pass away
And the sun again will shine bright and clear
(Chorus)
Let us greet with the song of hope each day
Though the moment be cloudy or fair
Let us trust in our Savior always
Who keepeth everyone in his care
(Chorus)
There's no way to know that I actually wrote out all of the lyrics above from memory... you'll just have to trust me!
I also looked up a little history courtesty of Wikipedia... the song was originally written in 1899 by Ada Blenkhorn to music composed by J. Howard Entwisle. The song was first popularized by the Carter Family - it later became their theme song on the radio! A recording of the song by The Whites was featured in the movie O Brother, Where Art Thou?
Ada was inspired to write the hymn by a phrase used by her nephew. Her nephew was disabled and always asked that his wheelchair be pushed down "the sunny side" of the street.
Looking forward to keeping on the sunny side for the rest of the week!
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
The Frost Is All Over - Week 1
My 52-week challenge is underway! I picked my first tune primarily based on its title. I'm not sure about the weather in the rest of the country/world, but this has certainly been a record-breaking and odd winter season here in the Midwest! My friends Caitlin and Jason exchanged marriage vows on Saturday, March 26 in four inches of snow. The temperatures the prior Saturday and the following weekend topped 70 and 80 degrees! As such, I thought "The Frost Is All Over" might be an appropriate tune - and will hopefully keep those cold temperatures away for the rest of the year!
It's a simple jig in the key of D, and it has a light-hearted feel to it - makes me hopeful for spring! From just a bit of research, it appears that this traditional Irish tune goes by many names: "Frost Is All Over," "The Slán le Sioc," "The Frost Is All Gone," "The Loughrea Jig," "Lisdoonvarna," "Frieze Britches," "The Praties Are Dug and the Frost Is All Over," "The Praties are Dug," "The American Dwarf," "What Would I Do if the Kettle Boiled Over?," "Mist of Clonmel," and "On a Monday Morning," among others.
I even found lyrics!
What will we do if the kettle boils over
What will we do only fill it again
What will we do if the cow eats the clover
What will we do only set it again
The preaties are dug
And the frost is all over
Kitty lie over close to the wall
How would you like to be married to a solider
Kitty lie over close to the wall
What would you do if you married a solider
What would you do only follow his gun
What would you do if he died in the ocean
What would you do only marry again
The preaties are dug
And the herrings are roasted
Kitty lie over close to the wall
You to be drunk and me to be sober
Kitty lie over close to the wall
What will we do if the kettle boils over
What will we do only fill it again
What will we do if the cow eats the clover
What will we do only set it again
The preaties are dug
And the frost is all over
Kitty lie over close to the wall
How would you like to be married to a solider
Kitty lie over close to the wall
According to Ted on Yahoo! Answers, apparently it's safe to assume that "preaties" or "praties" refer to potatoes - fun fact to know and tell!
One of my favorite things to do is to string like-sounding tunes together. After a few loops through this jig, I fell right into "Peter's Peerie Boat," another D tune in 6/8 by Tom Anderson that I learned from my friend Wes Chappell of No Strings Attached.
It's a simple jig in the key of D, and it has a light-hearted feel to it - makes me hopeful for spring! From just a bit of research, it appears that this traditional Irish tune goes by many names: "Frost Is All Over," "The Slán le Sioc," "The Frost Is All Gone," "The Loughrea Jig," "Lisdoonvarna," "Frieze Britches," "The Praties Are Dug and the Frost Is All Over," "The Praties are Dug," "The American Dwarf," "What Would I Do if the Kettle Boiled Over?," "Mist of Clonmel," and "On a Monday Morning," among others.
I even found lyrics!
What will we do if the kettle boils over
What will we do only fill it again
What will we do if the cow eats the clover
What will we do only set it again
The preaties are dug
And the frost is all over
Kitty lie over close to the wall
How would you like to be married to a solider
Kitty lie over close to the wall
What would you do if you married a solider
What would you do only follow his gun
What would you do if he died in the ocean
What would you do only marry again
The preaties are dug
And the herrings are roasted
Kitty lie over close to the wall
You to be drunk and me to be sober
Kitty lie over close to the wall
What will we do if the kettle boils over
What will we do only fill it again
What will we do if the cow eats the clover
What will we do only set it again
The preaties are dug
And the frost is all over
Kitty lie over close to the wall
How would you like to be married to a solider
Kitty lie over close to the wall
According to Ted on Yahoo! Answers, apparently it's safe to assume that "preaties" or "praties" refer to potatoes - fun fact to know and tell!
One of my favorite things to do is to string like-sounding tunes together. After a few loops through this jig, I fell right into "Peter's Peerie Boat," another D tune in 6/8 by Tom Anderson that I learned from my friend Wes Chappell of No Strings Attached.
 |
| A cheap trick we attempted late one night at Swannanoa (Asheville, NC - 2005) |
I might try to look for another new tune for next week to make it a three-tune thread!
Friday, April 8, 2011
Johnny you rosin up your bow and play your fiddle hard
When I was seven years old, I ventured into a local music store with my parents and brother to buy harmonicas. Out of the corner of her eye, my mom spied a hammered dulcimer and took me by the hand. The co-owner of the store at the time introduced himself and handed me a hammer. D-D-A-A-B-B-A-G-G-F#-F#-E-E-D - after one round of "Twinkle, Twinkle," I was in love. My parents surprised me with a Cloud Nine for my eighth birthday. February 12, 1993 marks the day I began this wonderful, musical journey.
Just a few years later, I picked up the fiddle. It was a painful beginning - for not only me, but any of those within hearing distance. It was a challenge to tame this wonderful instrument and learn how to manipulate it into making beautiful music - it still is! This was a test of my abilities in a demanding but exciting undertaking. Still today, holding the fiddle up to my chin brings a comforting, yet exhilarating feeling.
I am so thankful for all of the opportunities that have presented themselves to me through music. I have balanced on milk crates when I was too short to reach someone's instrument, and I have stood on the stage of the Grand Ole Opry. I squeezed into massive jam sessions of more than 50 players, and I have huddled in circles, knee-to-knee with some of the greatest old-timers. I picked out tunes in hotel hallways with world-renowned musicians, and I played music til dawn in the Pecan Grove at the WVA Festival in Winfield, Kansas. I will treasure these experiences always and look forward to making many more memories in the future.
Having graduated from college and started my career, finding the time to play has been difficult. As such, I am issuing a challenge to myself to learn 52 new tunes in the next 52 weeks. I'll be picking songs out of the myriad of music books and albums I have acquired over the past 18 years, in addition to taking suggestions from fellow musicians and sitting in on local jam sessions. I would like to not only learn how to play the tunes, but also learn a little history about and anecdotes related to each of them, if possible. The next year will be music-filled and a great learning experience.
Just a few years later, I picked up the fiddle. It was a painful beginning - for not only me, but any of those within hearing distance. It was a challenge to tame this wonderful instrument and learn how to manipulate it into making beautiful music - it still is! This was a test of my abilities in a demanding but exciting undertaking. Still today, holding the fiddle up to my chin brings a comforting, yet exhilarating feeling.
I am so thankful for all of the opportunities that have presented themselves to me through music. I have balanced on milk crates when I was too short to reach someone's instrument, and I have stood on the stage of the Grand Ole Opry. I squeezed into massive jam sessions of more than 50 players, and I have huddled in circles, knee-to-knee with some of the greatest old-timers. I picked out tunes in hotel hallways with world-renowned musicians, and I played music til dawn in the Pecan Grove at the WVA Festival in Winfield, Kansas. I will treasure these experiences always and look forward to making many more memories in the future.
Having graduated from college and started my career, finding the time to play has been difficult. As such, I am issuing a challenge to myself to learn 52 new tunes in the next 52 weeks. I'll be picking songs out of the myriad of music books and albums I have acquired over the past 18 years, in addition to taking suggestions from fellow musicians and sitting in on local jam sessions. I would like to not only learn how to play the tunes, but also learn a little history about and anecdotes related to each of them, if possible. The next year will be music-filled and a great learning experience.
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