moving on 2

Music

This has been the latest moving on phase in my life. In fact, it has been the hardest.

From the age of about 20ish I always played music. I had piano lessons as a child and although I learned to read music notation I didn't practise. In my 20's I took up the fiddle. This happened because my older son wanted lessons but soon gave up and I took his place. One week I remember that I had to learn a Scottish reel. I practised really hard and played it for my teacher who unkindly said, "Very good. Now play it again and make it sound like music."

My younger son wanted guitar lessons and a similar story evolved. He gave up and I took over the lessons. Then in one lesson my teacher said you can sing to this tune. "I can't sing", I said. "Of course, you can," she said. So, I warbled along, and she said, "Oh dear no you can't."  

I am not sure why, but I fell in love with the clarinet. I had lessons and practised and made progress. One of my fondest memories is of the first time I made music in a group. My teacher invited me to join a clarinet choir which he conducted and rehearsed every Saturday morning. If you have never experienced playing an instrument in a group, I am not sure how to convey the excitement I felt. I suppose it is the same feeling I used to get when Breton dancing in a circle with 200 people.

I even took exams. After Grade 4 my teacher said, " Now for Grade 5 you have to do an oral." I laughed and said, "I am sorry, but you must know that I am tone deaf."  "No, no Mrs Bateman there is no such thing," and he preceded to test me. "Oh dear, I don't know what we can do."

I had a friend at the time who sang in the Ceramic City Choir, and she said that she would help me.  So, she sits at the piano and says, "Sing this note, and now this note." I warble the notes. She doesn't comment but as her back is to me, I see her shoulders shaking with laughter. 

Fortunately, I had another friend who was having clarinet lessons too and needed to pass the oral exam. She had found a way of learning the intervals. For example, when asked to sing a fifth, you sing in your head Twinkle, Twinkle little star.  "My Bonnie lies over the ocean" for the 6th, "Take on me" for the 7th, and "Somewhere over the rainbow" for the octave. She knew beginning chords for all the seven that we needed. I astounded my teacher who at first poopooed the idea and then as I demonstrated agreed that it worked. Now I can proudly say that I am Grade 5 on the clarinet.

I stopped taking exams but began playing in bands. I played in the Crewe West End Wind Band and the Nantwich Concert Band. Then a group of friends formed a Ceilidh band and invited me to join. We even got paid. 

At one staged of my life I earned a living, leading music sessions in three centres for people with learning difficulties.

When I retired, I spent my lump sum on a piano. It was an old school piano and I loved it.

When I moved to Brittany, I took all my instruments. By then I had two clarinets (a b flat and a c) a fiddle, a cello, a bag of percussion instruments and a keyboard. Oh yes and a piano.

I played with a friend for the Breton dance class. I continue to practise my fiddle and I played the piano for my own amusement.

When I moved back to Kidsgrove I left my lovely piano in Brittany. I gave it to a very good friend who had been a professional pianist and singer. She loved my piano too.  I did bring back all my other instruments back. After emptying all the bags and installing the furniture I took out my instruments to begin what had always been my usual practice each morning. Unfortunately, I discovered that my body refused to perform. Arthritis in fingers, lingering pains from a frozen left shoulder and from bursitis in my right shoulder meant that clarinet and violin were a no, no. All I can do now is to thump out Old MacDonald and Twinkle, Twinkle on the piano for the great grandchildren. 

I long ago gave up trying to encourage children, grandchildren and recently great grandchildren to play a musical instrument. I blame technology. First of all, they are all addicted to laptops and other fancy things of which I do not know the names and if they get their hands on an electronic keyboard, they quickly learn that by pressing a button the thing plays itself.

So, I have had to move on from what has been an important part of my life. I have replaced it with more writing and painting which also suffer from worsened physical prowess. My arthritic fingers struggle to write and back ache prevents long hours of painting. So, what I am saying is that creativity is at risk, but I refuse to live a life without creativity.