Hello Again

It's been a few weeks since my last blog, but that is not to say nothing musical has happened in my life lately. Quite a bit has actually. Some of it has just given me pause to think.

First, let me mention I got a pair of real-live organ shoes. The are "maryjanes" and so are very stylish. I used them today for the first time. I know it would have been better to practice with them before I played in front of people, but I couldn't get access to an organ yesterday and i really wanted to know what they were like. I am going to have to use an outdated metaphor because I can think of no other. But playing with organ shoes was like having played on a manual typewriter all my life and then switching to an IBM Selectric. I may have played faster than I should have. Toe-heel has never been so easy and sliding from bass note to bass note was as smooth as velvet.

Second, I got a new accordion. It turns out that accordions sound much nicer when they are in tune. I am surprised at how easy the placement of the 48 bass buttons is coming to me. At first I thought they were way too close and I would never be able to keep my big fat phalanges from striking more than one at a time. But my finger tips can actually figure it out. It would probably be easier to find my dimpled "C" if my left hand wasn't calloused from ukulele and guitar playing. I won't be playing any ornate solos anytime soon, but I can keep up with my folk needs.

Third, Sam got cited for disorderly conduct for playing the guitar on the college campus. This has really taken me some time to think through. As it was told to Sam, disorderly conduct is doing anything that is not socially acceptable. I understand that there is a time and place for everything and perhaps this wasn't the time or place, but I am wondering if some people believe that music should only be allowed in the music hall or on the radio.

The day before his citation, the college newspaper did an article on Sam and his friend Dusty singing on campus. you can find the link here. And you can find the editorial regarding his citation here.

Bobo, whose primary instrument is the trumpet has recently taken up the piano so she can help accompany in Young Women's. The girls are learning the song "Today While the Sun Shines" for the girl's camp singing tree. Bobo is planning to bring her ukulele to accompany them in July. In the meantime, the girls need to learn the song. (It is a bit of a surprise to me that the girls and their leaders are unfamiliar with this tune.) To help Bobo and her friends out, I created a simplified version of the hymn. (Of course I looked for it on line first. And since I couldn't find it, I have posted it here, so the next person who needs it can find it.)

Today While the Sun Shines

I have also been busy arranging a Bach Minuet for the Bach Festival, because the instruments in my ensemble are out of the ordinary. This year it is not going to be all ukuleles. We've got three ukuleles, two guitars, two acoustic basses, a charrango and a glockenspiel. I am posting the arrangement as simply as I can. Because of the preference of my musicians I have had to create separate lead sheets of tablature and notation. Also, the lead ukulele is tabbed for a tenor uke with a low G.




Bach Menuet SWFP

So if you are not in the St George area, you are welcome to use these as you will. If you are in the St George Area, please don't steal our thunder. However, if you would like to join the Southwest Fretted Philharmonic at the upcoming Bach Festival, give us a shout. We'd love to have you join us.

Now, for an outro. Here is Sam (with his brother Mace) singing at a house show last fall. :)