Sometimes, when I pick up my guitar, Lucia howls, "Don't play the guitar! Hold you! Hold you like a baby!" She tries to mute the strings with her hands. When it gets bad, I go to the bedroom, brace the door shut by sitting with my back against it, and practice guitar while Lucia howls and pounds to get in. I'm sure that'll crop up in therapy sessions someday.
Other times, Lucia pleasantly demands, "Mommy play the guitar." The chances of the latter scenario increase when I make up silly songs. One impromptu song that I came up with during Lucia's Superhero-fixation phase turned into a regularly requested piece:
Superhero Tea-Party
C
We’re going to a tea-party
We’re going to a tea-party
We’re going to a tea-party
G C
With Superman and Batman.
[Repeat]
[Slow, with drama]
Am E
Aquaman pours the tea
Am E
Spidergirl passes the jam
C D E
Wolverine spreads butter on the scones.
Am Em
Wonder Woman, Invisible Girl,
Am Em
Green Lantern nibble on crumpets
C
And everyone says,
D
“How delightfully scrumptious…
[Faster]
B7 E
And no one makes scones like Batman!
Like Batman! Like Batman!" Oh…
C
We’re going to a tea-party
We’re going to a tea-party
We’re going to a tea-party
G C
With Superman and Batman--
G C
Superman and Batman.
12 comments:
That song never gets old.
I have to admit to throwing similar temper tantrums when The Rock Star won't put down HIS guitar. :)
"No one makes scones like Batman"
That's great. The next time I watch 'Batman Begins' I'll be waiting for Christian Bale to whip up a bunch of scones and laughing all the while.
El Magnifico: It's good to see you! Feel free to sing along. Take liberties with the tune. I do.
Galetea: Well that's understandable, of course. You're a grown-up, and you need lots of attention. Seriously, though, I'm guessing that you're amenible to some negotiation, i.e. "Dear Galetea, if you would be so patient as to let me practice guitar for another 1/2 hour, I will take you out for tea and scones." It would work on me.
Limpy99: That reminds me of a discussion a bunch of us had after an earlier incarnation of "Superhero Tea-Party." There was some debate over whether or not Batman would actually be a good tea-party guest. I said, "Well, maybe he's not the most social of the lot, but we can't do without his scones." And thus, a new line of the song came about.
Dude - your superheroes are so totally from separate universes. That's just what Lone Star Pa, a marvel-maniac, would say. I love it!
Hey! Bob Dylan used to have the same problem with little Jacob when he was a boy - "Daddy! Daddy! Don't play 'The Chimes of Freedom' again, I want to dig up worms in the yard!"
LSM: Thanks! Let me know if you need a silly song for your zine. Hey everyone, Lone Star Ma has a zine! Check it out. Follow her link.
YP: Such is the fate of one who has to deal with brilliance AND parenthood. Slightly on-topic, but mostly off-topic, did you know that Dweezil Zappa's first word was "werp?" Frank Zappa said it was the sound that those large reel audio tapes made when rewound.
Hey i stumbled upon your blog and love the superhero song... until you threw in the B7... why?!
That chord has been tormenting for years! But i guess no superhero tea party would be complete without an archnemesis...
Minh Le: I empathize! I've thought that very same thing about other chords of songs I've been working on. As in, "That was going great until you threw in the B flat minor, dude."
I'm hoping to record an mp3 of "Superhero Teaparty." It's written in 2 different keys, and the B7 (played very briefly) marks the change from the Am key to the E key. Take a look for a moment at the 1st B7 chord here (and please forgive me if this is all old news to you): http://www.8notes.com/guitar_chord_chart/B7.asp
Notice that if you keep your first and 2nd fingers on the strings as noted, then lift up your 3rd finger and place it down on the D string (lifting up your 4th finger, of course), you've got an E chord. As long as you've got those 2 anchor fingers in place, you can switch back and forth from the E to the B7 and back again with relatively little difficulty.
Now, getting from the D to the B7 is another issue.:)
Thanks so much for stopping by. My chords of torment are B minor, F, and until recently, D.
P.S. Whoops-- I meant just the 2nd finger. I think. One finger, at any rate, stays on a string. One finger. Shoot. Maybe I need to rethink that whole B7 gig.
I think we should all rethink the B7 gig... in fact, I may boycott ALL B chords (and E7) until further notice.
and then there's always the tambourine, which doesn't require any chords... it barely even requires opposable thumbs.
Minh Le: The thing is, every now and again, that B chord (whether it's B7 or B minor) really sounds good. I'm working on the barred B minor chord. I get it about 1/2 the time. I'm just practicing it very, very slowly. I'm starting to get more comfortable with F, too. It's about time!
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