For a couple of years now, my husband Stan and I have enjoyed listening and dancing to polka and waltz music for weekly exercise and enjoyment. It is intriguing to hearing the different band members play their accordions, keyboards, saxophones, clarinets, trumpets and tubas. I became interested in the saxophone and teased in a serious kind of way that I was going to get myself a saxophone and start playing. I came home early from work on my 63rd birthday in a big Colorado spring snow storm. I was warming up in the recliner with a cup of hot chocolate. I mentioned to Stan that I should get up and make myself a birthday cake. He stood next to my chair handing me a wrapped package the size of a book commenting, “Why don’t you make some music instead?”
He kept standing by the chair as I opened the package which was a beginning book for saxophone. What a surprise. I thumbed through the book and said, “I guess I’ll have to get me a saxophone to play.”
“Why don’t you use this one?” Stan said as he brought up the saxophone case from behind the chair.
What a nice surprise and thoughtful gift. I guess he sensed my excitement when I heard the saxophones play.
Its has been 50 or so years since I played any kind of instrument. I leaned early on if I wait until the end of the day after work that I just wouldn’t have the energy to learn. So I practice every day at 5 am for a half hour before work. I plowed through the tickling of the reed at I blow sounds through the instrument. I could only hold my mouth in position for about 10 minutes as first. I needed to develop my ambusher (mouth muscles). I learned note after note until I could play Mary had a Little Lamb and Old McDonald.
I probably need a lesson, but haven’t found the time and want to keep learning on my own. I got bored with the beginning book and picked up some old piano music that was on top of our piano. I found one book that I remember trying to play as a kid on the piano, but I didn’t really have the skills to read all those notes on both hands and make sense of the melody. With saxophone you only have to read the top line of the treble cliff.
The Saxophone plays different notes than the piano. I haven’t figured out what that is about or how to translate music to saxophone music, so I just play the fingering with the notes I read. It sounds OK to me. I just wouldn’t be able to play with a piano or accordion as the saxophone would be in the wrong key.
At first I though this music book was from the 1940s as the songs were old. There was no copy write date in the book. Now that I think about it, I suspect it is music from the 20’s and the Title of the Book is 40 songs.
There are songs such as;
May the Good Lord Bless and Keep You
Into Some Life Some Rain Must Fall
It is No Secret
Piccolo Pete
Piccolo Pete is one of my favorites, but I haven’t quite mastered reading the notes, finding the correct fingering and playing up to the speed of the tune in my head.
I found another book on top of the piano for Bing Crosby’s Hits.
It included songs like:
Sioux City Sue
Give me Five Minutes More
This book was from about 1928. One of the songs was about – why did I meet you during this time when I have some many other things on my mind. I can’t say I every heard this one so I haven’t discovered how to play it yet. I was thinking about the words and the time this tune was written right before the great depression. There was certainly a lot on people’s mind at that time in history. The country’s economy had tanked and we didn’t have the social programs like social security, Medicare, unemployment insurance and other such support our government both state and federals offers our citizens in need. Song can reflect the worries of the times. We could take that same song and apply it to today especially in certain part of our country that have been hardest hit with economic woos of foreclosures, plant closings and layoffs. The food banks are stretched as donations are reduced due to financial circumstances surrounding many of our neighbors and friends.
Music is the great equalizer. It brings spirits up and expresses subdued words that hid in the reassesses of our concerns.
I can imagine my Mom growing up in Greeley with a family living in poverty. There was a piano that they played and all gathered around to sing some song. Mom didn’t play, but she had a nice voice that carried a pretty melody in the middle range. These old sultry songs I found in the music books must have been just right for her to sing. She told me that Uncle Vern played the clarinet, but I never heard him so I don’t know if he was good at it. My Uncle Don Travis was a real talent. He sang and played a banjo. I remember visiting them in their apartment above the bakery. We walked up a steep long staircase to the upper floor. He would bring out his instruments and play us some music. I think he had some type of concertina squeeze box. I was just enamored over this thing and the music he played.
I always wanted to play an accordion after that. I don’t think my parents were accordion type of people. My sister Nancy was the whiz at piano thanks to some coaching with a hair brush on her butt occasionally. She filled the house with every piece of music she could lay her hands on. Church music was always a big deal at our house. She could play every hymn from start to end of the book. She went on to play in piano and then organ in the church and taught oodles of kids what she knew. Can you imagine all of them playing a song together, what a majestic sound that would be.
I took piano lessons, but they never really took. I didn’t have the talent or skills to work through those pages of notes. One summer when I was about 15, I went to summer band with my cousin Pam and friend Marlyss. Pam’s sister-in-law Willy (Sylvia) had played bassoon for years in high school and college. So on the first day of summer band Mr. Faulkner, the band teacher asked what instrument we wanted to play. Pam said she wanted Bassoon and Marlyss took the French horn. I asked for an accordion, but the band leader said accordions don’t play in these types of band or orchestras.
There was an extra bassoon, so that what I selected. A double reed instrument that only played the bass notes, what ever was I thinking. I probably played that work four years up to twelfth grade when I had to give up my band schedule for a psychology class so I could go off to college.
I played bassoon every summer and through the school in both the band and the orchestra from 8th or 9th grade through 11th. I was in the marching band. You don’t march with a bassoon so my teacher gave be a glockenspiel, cymbals and a tenor saxophone. I don’t remember really learning to play any of the marching instruments. I guess I was good enough to play with the band and keep up with the notes.
I was usually second chair bassoon. The gal that was first chair had played longer and knew the instrument pretty well. Sometimes we would be selected to go to clinic with other schools and play together, kind of like the all stars of instruments. I met one guy that just loved the bassoon and was first chair of the all-stars. I don’t know his name, but saw him playing the bassoon one Christmas at a concert. I have never picked up bassoon since eleventh grade.
I also played in the orchestra and had the opportunity to play for the musicals that the school put on each year. That was fun and the music was peppy.
My Mom always went to all my concerts. I don’t know if she liked the music or just wanted to support me in my interests. That was nice of her now that I think of it. Dad was Nancy’s big supporter. He was really proud of her accomplishments and had her play for all the relatives and enjoyed her playing in church.
I don’t remember my brother Alan playing an instrument. He was a big singer at school in a barbershop quartet. They had white sport coats and black shirts. It was impossible to find a black shirt in the stores in 1958 so Mom had died one for him to wear. He still sings every week in a barbershop quartet. For my 63rd birthday he called me up and all his buddies from the barbershop sang me a Happy Birthday. It was happy indeed.