Tomorrow we celebrate Thanksgiving in the United States. Wherever you live, this can be a time to reflect on and express gratitude and thankfulness. Gratitude is the inner feeling that you have received kindness. Thankfulness is the expression of that feeling. Both are positive and, though seemingly small, add so much to our lives. After all, if we don’t acknowledge the good things we already have, how can we receive more? The feeling of gratitude opens us to more positive feelings, including kindness and compassion toward ourselves and others.
“Angel” is a piece I wrote in 2003, on keyboard and harmonica. I hope you enjoy hearing it on lyre, Oriole soprano recorder, Oriole Dolce Duo (a double flute), and viola. Putting this together was a labor of love!
I wish each one of you a blessed, happy, hopeful, peaceful, and safe Thanksgiving, and many moments of gratitude and thankfulness now and every day!
We seek oasis, safe and warm,
A beacon shining in the dark.
We need a fire to light our spark!
We long for shelter from the storm.
When troubles come, they come in swarms
And prey on thinking that’s confined.
We’ve lost our way, because we’re blind
To greater good and higher plan.
Yet guided by an unseen hand,
We reach oasis in our mind!
My race of life is not yet run,
With miles to go before I sleep.*
While during loss I sometimes weep,
Much joy and laughter have I won!
I’m thankful for each day begun;
For night, to enter wisdom’s wood.
My life unfolds just as it should,
Yes, even when I cannot tell.
The Universe does all things well!
Before I sleep, I wake to good!
I could wax poetic about the joys of playing a musical instrument! And indeed, there are many rewards. However, they don’t come at the beginning, when what you hear in your head sounds so much more beautiful than what you’re playing actually brings forth. The rewards wax like the moon, appearing with time, great patience, focused practice, and a healthy sense of humor! Meanwhile, you can still have fun and enjoy learning, as with this piece called “Carousel” that I wrote for viola and ukulele. If you want to learn a musical instrument, realize that it must be learned, that beginners aren’t supposed to sound like professionals–and play on!
So you’re wanting to know how I cope
When I’m reaching the end of my rope?
Well I really don’t know,
‘Cause I go with the flow,
Holding onto my love, faith and hope!
And you’re wanting to know how I make it
When the mind says I simply can’t take it?
I just keep my mouth closed,
Breathing deep through my nose
Without saying a word, and I fake it!
No, I don’t have a piece of advice
So that everything works out all nice.
Through my problems I pray
For the will and the way
That won’t ask for my soul as its price!
So you’re wanting to know how I cope
When I’m reaching the end of my rope?
Well I really don’t know,
‘Cause I go with the flow,
Holding onto my love, faith and hope!
The holidays are coming, whether we like them or not, whether we celebrate them or not, and no matter how different our celebrations may be this year than in years past! They are coming nonetheless, and it would be more positive to embrace them than to dread them, or wish they were different!
TO that end, I offer “The More We Get Together,” a Viennese melody composed by Marx Augustin in 1679. Its German title is “Oh du lieber Augustin.” In the United States, the tune is a children’s song, but it’s fun, and as strange as it may seem, also timely. We still need to get together with our loved ones, reach out and make new friends and contacts, etc. Even if our physical gatherings are limited, there are so many ways we can still get together for the holidays and all year long! As the song says, “The more we get together, the happier we’ll be!” I believe this to be true.
Today you’re listening to zither, Oriole (soprano) Recorder, and viola. That’s right, viola. You know, the middle voice of the string section in an orchestra… The instrument with its own individual clef for musical scores… The true alto, tuned a fifth below the violin and an octave above the cello… And the instrument that is the butt of nearly every joke in the orchestra… What? You mean you didn’t know any of that? Then you clearly don’t play viola! 🙂
Well, neither do I, at least not in the traditional sense. I hold the viola upright on my lap, more like a baby cello, and sometimes with a strap for support. Because of neck, shoulder, and back pain, I can’t hold it in shoulder playing position. I even removed the chin rest.
I also have more than normal trouble with the bow, especially in this position. So, I ditched the traditional long bow for a tiny–literally 4 inches long at most–bow meant to be used on acoustic guitar. It works. But it’s so short. This means that right now I can only play short notes, until I can purchase a different bow that’s easier on my right hand and arm. In addition, I’m playing with a rubber practice mute installed, to save my husband and neighbors from the full volume. So, no, I’m not traditional in this case. But dog gone it, I still want to play, and play I do!
I don’t have access to a multi-track device or software, so I recorded the zither, viola, and recorder separately, then mixed them. This takes a lot of time and is frustrating, but for now it will have to do.
One more thing… I know that at least one of my blog followers has perfect pitch. You know who you are. 🙂 Please accept my apology. I’ve had the viola less than a week, and I’m still working on intonation. A viola, like violin, cello, some banjos, etc, has no frets. So, you must learn, by a combination of sound and feel, where the musical intervals are on each string. Of course, there was a sticker on the fingerboard showing pretty colored lines for each note! But not being able to see made this a hindrance rather than a help, and I removed that as well. Correct intonation/pitch is the bane of every violinist’s, violist’s, and cellist’s beginning days. I’m not a total beginner, but it’s been years since I picked up a violin or viola. My intonation will improve, and thanks for bearing with me in the meantime!
If one is all and all are one,
Then why such trouble on this earth?
And why, beginning at our birth,
Do struggles keep us from the sun?
When night arrives and day is done,
We make our choice: To light the spark
Or wander stumbling through the dark…
We may not see, but we can hear
The inner voice of faith or fear.
And which we follow leaves a mark!
Mystical Strings 
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