Adrienne, Amish Guitar, Handwork, and Odd-Fish

Here are a few items that I have gathered into one blog post. If I were clever all the time, I would have made them four separate blog-posts, but I am only clever on Tuesdays and alternate weekends.

1.
The wonderful Adrienne of What Adrienne Thinks About That came to visit me in Seattle after the Public Library Association conference in Portland, Oregon. She drove up with a friend on my birthday and we got to hang out for a day and a half before she had to fly back to New York. That visit was a wonderful birthday present. This was the first time my husband and daughter got to meet Adrienne, and my daughter was besotted. She would occasionally burst out with, "Adrienne? I loooooove you." I felt the same, but was less demonstrative.

2.
At PLA, Adrienne met up with Amish Guitar who gave her a handy Emergency Guitar Kit to deliver to me. This kit came in a zip-lock bag with a number of smaller zip-lock bags that included:
a. Emergency Guitar Strap with lock-clip (string with a bread-tie)
b. Emergency Capo (toothpick with rubber band)
c. Emergency Chord Charts (need a magnifying glass to read them)
d. An I.O.U. for an Emergency "Bad Gig" candy bar

Not included: Emergency Guitar Tuner


Emergency Guitar Kit

3.
Angela Mobley of The Artist the Mom wrote a guest post on The Magic Onions about handwork in the Waldorf curriculum. Here's the post: Discovering Waldorf- Handwork in a Waldorf School.

4.
A couple of months ago, James Kennedy, the author of The Order of the Odd-Fish, sent me an email to let me know about fan art inspired by his book. I was intrigued, but when I went to my library system's online catalog, the only copy of Odd-Fish was in electronic format. After the rigmarole of downloading the program required to read it, downloading the book, and attempting to open the file, I remembered why I had deleted the program the last time I tried to read an electronic book, and gave up in a short burst of temper. However, James Kennedy had the publishing house send me a copy of Odd-Fish newly released in paperback. Thank you, James Kennedy!

Guitars, Sequels and Nuns

Music:

This was my last week of French camp gigs. My last gig was a regular musical storytime akin to the ones I usually present. I didn't tell many stories as the children were in no mood to sit and listen-- in fact, two of the guys in the front started shooting each other with finger-pistols. At first I ignored it, but then thought I needed to say something. What came out of my mouth was, "Guns are resting during storytime." It didn't work, but I remembered that years ago when I worked in a daycare, we often told the kids that there were "No guns in daycare." Whether there's a piece of breakfast toast or a toy block, something can be made into a gun.

Afterward, one of the parents who stayed told me that her son always came home from camp talking about the "lady with the guitar". In my book, that is high praise indeed. I have dreamed of being the Lady with the Guitar.

I'm currently working on bass runs and barred chords with the plan of actually implementing them in songs for performance by the end of the year. I want to be able to do them with confidence.

Reading:

I waited for a year for Catching Fire, the sequel to The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. When I finally got my copy, I plowed through it. Even though I knew I would have to wait another year for the resolution, I just couldn't put it down. Ever since the final page, I've been listless and grouchy. I haven't been this grouchy about waiting for a sequel since I first read Philip Pullman's The Subtle Knife. I recognize this current need for escapist fiction from reading patterns in earlier years. It's because the real world just breaks me up. There is injustice, heartache, wrongful death and needless suffering in the world. I can write letters to congressfolk, vote, and pray, but I can't stop the things that are wrong. Within the parameters of fiction, there is hope for a new world order within the lifetimes of the characters.

Regarding Catching Fire, I know there's discussion in forums about whom Katniss, the main character, will end up with with romantically, if she ends up with anyone at all. I really don't care. That's not why I'm reading the books. I'm reading the books because I am hoping that Collins will deliver on a new world order in the country of Panem that eradicates the poverty, starvation and cruelty inflicted by the Capitol upon the rest of the Districts. I take the books personally. I want justice in Panem. In the real world, justice is having a hard time coming up for air.

Parenting:

Does anyone have any recommendations for children's books about nuns besides Demi's Mother Teresa? I can visualize a DK book a la "Eyewitness: Nun" but it doesn't actually exist. Ever since Lucia watched "The Sound of Music" she's been obsessed with nuns. She loves the habits and thinks they are fancy. Lucia wanted to be a nun when she grew up until I pointed out that nuns are obedient and take a vow of poverty, i.e. no tiaras. Lucia said, "I won't be a nun, then. I'll be an actress and play a nun in a movie." She's gone to bed now, and is listening to Taize music to soothe her to sleep.

Guitars Break United Airlines (or at least bend them a bit)

I appreciate it when an artist shames a big big beaurocratic organization into realizing that they can't get away with bad policies. I don't know if United Airlines' policies will change, but David Carroll of the band Sons of Maxwell have certainly made the airline pay attention after baggage handlers broke his Taylor guitar. For almost a year, Carroll, tried to get some compensation, only to be put off repeatedly. Finally, he asked United to compensate him for the repair of his guitar with airline vouches. That offer was rejected. Carroll wrote,

At that moment it occurred to me that I had been fighting a losing battle all this time and that fighting over this at all was a waste of time. The system is designed to frustrate affected customers into giving up their claims and United is very good at it. However I realized then that as a songwriter and traveling musician I wasn’t without options. In my final reply to Ms. Irlweg I told her that I would be writing three songs about United Airlines and my experience in the whole matter. I would then make videos for these songs and share them on YouTube, inviting viewers to vote on their favourite United song. My goal: to get one million hits in one year.

Carroll did better. The first video went viral. You can read the first part of the story here and the continuation here. You can view the videos themselves here:

United Breaks Guitars Song 1

United Breaks Guitars Song 2

While Carroll would have preferred that his Taylor guitar had never been broken in the first place, I'm pleased that he was able to take the experience and turn it into something bigger than himself. I am tempted to start humming "United Breaks Guitars" the next time I deal with a difficult airline policy and mention casually, "By the way, I'm a songwriter."

"Dings are not the end of the world"

Like me, K.Jay of Amish Guitar began to learn to play guitar as an adult. Here's a post about some of the things he's learned along the way, things that could easily apply to other areas of life:

Guitar Learning

Music in Santa Fe

Greetings from Santa Fe, New Mexico! The time is passing quickly. I've had two jam sessions with the friend of my mom who lent me one of his guitars. My mom's friend used to play guitar for contre-dances, and as you can guess, he's quite good. He's given me some non-barre guitar chords to practice that venture above the fifth fret. They are challenging to remember but definitely stretch both my fingers and my brain. Last night, we went through the Rise Up Singing book. He introduced me to the Scottish folk ballad Mairi's Wedding, I introduced him to Arlo Guthrie's Ring Around A Rosy Rag, and then we played a version of Stephen Foster's Hard Times Come Again No More that was far merrier than its actual lyrics. We ended the evening with a few lullabies and waltzes, as it was hard to stop at just one.

I had such a good time! I keep hoping to have more music jam sessions in Seattle. My friends are keen on the idea, but once I actually throw out dates and times, it becomes more of a challenge to gather people together. I suspect that everyone's tired after all of the commitments they already have (and I can relate). It would be great if we could just get into the habit of bringing our instruments when we visit each other, and if a music jam session happens, it happens.

Pete Seeger's Flow Chart, the Urban Mennonite, and the Amish Guitar

This flowchart by MisterHippity, (courtesy of The Urban Mennonite) of how Pete Seeger would write songs if he had been a software engineer delights me:


Speaking of urban Mennonites, I'm also pleased to have been introduced to this guitar blog written by one of my fellow college alumni: Amish Guitar. As much as I enjoy reading blogs by musicians proficient in guitar, it's good to have forums for questions and discoveries among the rest of us. I had to laugh with recognition when I read the post where K.Jay's family clamored that he not play the guitar. It turned out, they just wanted him to watch the movie with them, but I was reminded of Lucia shrieking, "Mommy don't play! Hold you like a baby!" because she knew that once I picked up my guitar, I'd want not to be pestered. (Singing along and dancing is fine-- putting her foot over the sound-hole is not.)

Guitar torture

Your Roommate Plays the Indigo Girls, by Lore Sjöberg

For those of you who have requested a sound file of me singing and playing guitar, this may as well be it. Sure, it's a guy singing, and true, I'm more likely to struggle over the Beatles' "I Will" than the Indigo Girls' "Closer to Fine," but still, it's pretty close. A friend of mine sent me this flash clip a long time ago. I lost it, but now it's found.

A Quarter-Sized* Guitar

Yes, the quarter-sized* pink guitar was a partially an impulse purchase,** and no, I didn't wait for a special occasion to give it to Lucia. The guitar is made by a company called Luna Guitars, which specializes in electric, acoustic and bass guitars for women and girls.

Sunday night, the House of Glee went over to some friends' house for dinner, and I brought my guitar along. I played a few songs and then let my friend's seven year old step-daughter (who is hoping to get a guitar of her own for Christmas) strum and sing a few of her original songs with the guitar. The girl's mother arrived to pick her up during this impromptu jam session, and afterward, she thanked me and said, "You have no idea how much this means to me. So far, all of the people in her life who play guitar are men."

Male readers, remember: while there are more female guitarists now than there used to be, the instrument is still predominantly played by men, and the guitars are built that way.

Female readers, remember: When you're looking for a guitar, the one you end up with should be comfortable to play. If you feel as if your back is strained while playing, you may need a guitar with a shallower body. Also, the sticker-price of the guitar should almost never be the actual buying price. Ask the dealer, "What's a good price can you give me for this guitar?" My Composite Acoustic guitar was a brand-new make when I bought it, but the dealer was able to knock off enough so that I wasn't settling for the sticker price.

*Is it really quarter-sized, or just smaller than the 1/2 size? I thought I knew, but now I realize I just assumed that was the next size down. Argh. 11/30/07
**While I was looking out for a 1/4 sized guitar for Lucia, I hadn't planned on it being pink or having steel strings.

Guitar Hero vs. Guitar Dilettante

Last night, we went over to some friends' house for dinner. The friends had a Wii set up, and when I found out that they had Guitar Hero, I admitted I'd been curious about the game. Bede is the gamer, not I, so I wasn't surprised that he did a lot better at the game than I did. After 10 minutes of hitting colored buttons to play "I Wanna Be Sedated" and "Smoke on the Water," a little nagging thought nudged me and said, "You know, this game isn't making you a better guitar player."

"I know," I replied to the little thought. "What I'd really like is an electric guitar, but there's no way I could ever justify the expense or find room in my house."

"But Blogapotamus Rex's husband, the Rock Star, managed to fit 15 guitars on a houseboat," the little thought reminded me.

"Yeah," I said, "but the Rock Star was in a band that played actual concerts, plus he's actually pretty good. Professional guitarists need lots of guitars!"

The little thought had no answer for that. After all, the little thought had no money to offer to fund my hobbies.

Next I'll Be Doing Jingles For the Company...

Pictured: the Farida A-22CE Electro-Acoustic Guitar

Someone came to my website looking for "Farida guitars home page." The top hit for that search is a guitar company in the UK: http://www.faridaguitars.co.uk/

This guitar has my name stamped on the headstock:


When I sent this photo to my mom, she thought I had photoshopped it.

Obviously, now I need to plan a trip to the UK in order to test it out. :)

Jam Footage

Photo by Eliza Truitt Photography

Scroll down to the videos labeled "Going to Boston" and "Leatherwing Bat," and you'll find me:
Spring 2007 Coffee Shop Jam Footage

Jam

Today, I played two songs in my guitar teacher's twice-yearly informal recital for students called the Coffee Shop Jam. I played two folk songs: "Going to Boston" and "Leatherwing Bat." My favorite parts of my performance were when the audience sang along with the choruses. By the time I started my set, most of the single-digit-aged crowd had left. Next time, I hope to play earlier so that children can dance to the songs before they've had their fill of the guitar-recital. Fortunately, Lucia was game to dance, and showed her enthusiasm throughout the entire Jam.


"Won't we look pretty in the ballroom?"


"Won't we look pretty when we're dancing?"


Doesn't this answer our questions?

Two Years of Blogging and One New Guitar

Today is Two days ago was the two year anniversary of this blog. To celebrate, I bought a new guitar. Of course, I was going to buy the guitar anyway. Lady K, you mentioned in the comments section that the guitar I admired had better be studded with diamonds to justify the price. Well, you've gotten your wish... in a way. My new guitar is a Composite Acoustic, and it's made out of graphite. I was skeptical at first of the CA, because I knew that the Rainsong graphite guitars were a bit iffy, but the guitar I bought sounded sweet and true. Not only does the CA look and sound good, but it is impervious to temperature fluctuations and casual violence. The guy who sold me the guitar assured me that I could jump up and down on the guitar and it wouldn't break. (He said he sometimes brought in one of his CAs from home in order to demonstrate this stunt to prospective buyers.) As much as I am tempted to share this tidbit with my preschool audiences, I shall refrain. I shall pretend that my new guitar is a delicate, sensitive instrument.

Here is the studio picture of the Composite Acoustic GX:



I'll post actual home photos soon, complete with dramatic poses. In the meantime, follow the link to check out the specifications on the GX, admire how the body is molded so that I can actually play it comfortably, or shake your head in skepicism that an acoustic guitar could be created from anything besides a tree. Ulric was the one who alerted me to the existence of graphite guitars. If you have to blame anyone, blame Ulric.

Update 11:30 a.m. PST: I just took a proper photo of my guitar. I now open the comments section to any and all references to This is Spinal Tap:

The Mongoose That Played Sitar

Ulric plays an original composition on the guitar that is heavily inspired by "The Devil Went Down to Georgia."* In the song, a mongoose** travels throughout India carrying a sitar. He encounters different animals (a tiger, a jackal, etc.) who want to eat him. The mongoose challenges each animal to a sitar-playing contest. If the other animal wins the contest, that animal gets to eat the mongoose, but if the mongoose wins, he gets to continue on his journey. Fortunately, the mongoose is a virtuoso sitar-player and escapes each time with his life. As far as I know, there is no golden sitar for the grand prize. Ulric prefers to keep the story realistic, after all.

Addendum: Ulric says, "The Mongoose also pulls out other instruments (fiddle, Ud, ukulele, Japanese stringed instrument, etc), but those are kind of random."

By the way, here is a clip of Stephen Colbert and Paul Dinello playing "The Devil Went Down to Georgia" with bassoons. (Fuse#8 and Goddess of Clarity should be pleased.) The sound quality is low, and I recommend you use headphones in order to appreciate the nuances of Colbert's and Dinello's bassoon performances. Urgh.

Notes:
*This is a McSweeny's link. Cheers to Nonny!
**The plural of mongoose is "mongooses," not mongeese, in case you were curious. I was.

Silver Boots and Broken Hearts

I know these ballet slippers are not silver boots. They're still on my wish-list. I wouldn't turn down silver boots, either.



Lucia was grouchy all day today. "You don't play guitar! You don't sing!" she said in her most imperious toddler voice. I asked, "Do I have to sequester myself in my room in order to practice guitar?" and she said, "You don't sequester!"

Today was Lucia's first day of group speech therapy, and tomorrow, her new schedule with Plum Creek School begins. I am glad for it. It's lovely to miss my daughter for a few hours and then see her. It's much more pleasant than wishing fervently that everyone in the world would leave me alone for five lousy minutes. If I don't make sure to get little pockets of time to myself, my brains addle like runny scrambled eggs.

Tonight, Lucia requested I sing, "sad songs about the big silver boots and broken hearts."* I started out with "I Know Where I'm Going" and "I Am A Maid of Constant Sorrow." Then, I started ad-libbing about the woes and tribulations of brushing teeth and donning pajamas for bed. I ended with a full-throated lament about how no one understands the hard times of children under 5. The sad songs cheered her up. Bede said, "Oh no! Our daughter is going to become a country-western singer." I just hope Lucia takes after Diana Jones more than Shania Twain.**





*For the literary context of this request, read Mr. Putter and Tabby Toot the Horn, by Cynthia Rylant.

**Okay, okay, "Man! I Feel Like a Woman!" is one of my guilty pleasures. You can take that piece of information and use it for extortion purposes later on, after I become famous for my pithy ditties about superheroes and tricycle races. I still don't want my daughter parading around in sequinned brassieres and stiletto heels, thanks.

Sing Along with Bud and Don

Bud Luckey and Don Hadley were one of my favorite song-writing duos* from my single-digit years.** Hadley wrote the lyrics, and Luckey wrote the music and animated a number of classic songs from Sesame Street, including Alligator King, Ladybugs' Picnic, and Ten Tiny Turtles. I've been playing "Ladybugs' Picnic" in the style of Elizabeth Mitchell and practicing basic Travis picking at the same time (A, E7, D).

Music Videos:
Alligator King
Ladybugs' Picnic
Ten Tiny Turtles (Sorry about the furry red guy who appears at the beginning.)

*The Lennon/McCartney songwriters were particular favorites, too.
**No, I did not know who Luckey and Hadley actually were back then.

Coventry Carol

Giotto's Flight into Egypt

Robert Croo receives attribution for the lyrics to "The Coventry Carol," written in 1534. The song was performed in Coventry, England, as part of a play called The Pageant of the Shearmen and Tailors. The play depicts the Massacre of the Innocents, in which Herod the Great orders his soldiers to kill all male children under two years of age born in Bethlehem. This is why Mary and Joseph flee to Egypt with their newborn son, Jesus. Herod's executive order to kill the prophesised rival to the title "King of the Jews" is evocative of the passages in Exodus in which Pharoah orders the deaths of all baby boys born to Israelite families, and then later, when the Angel of Death takes the firstborn child of each Egyptian family.

December 28 marks the martyrs’ feast day of the Holy Innocents, also known as Childermas. This day is a reminder to me that all children are holy innocents, no matter where or when they were born.

Coventry Carol

Am                     G       E7
Lullay, Thou little  tiny  Child,
Am             Dm       Am
By,   by, lul-ly,  lul-lay.

Am               G        E7
O sisters too, how may we do,
Am          Dm        Am*
For to preserve this day.
       G                         E7
This poor youngling for whom we sing
Am           Dm         Am
By, by, lul-ly,    lul-lay.

Am                 G      E7
Herod the king, in his raging,
Am          Dm        Am
Charged he hath this day.
    G                           E7
His men of might, in his own sight,
Am                 Dm       Am
All young children to slay.

Am                    G         E7
That woe is me, poor Child for Thee!
Am        Dm       Am
And every morn and day,
     G                            E7
For thy parting neither say nor sing,
Am            Dm     Am
By, by, lul-ly, lul-lay.

*According to the MIDI sound samples I've heard, this chord is actually a major chord. However, Loreena McKennitt sings it as a minor chord on her album, A Winter Garden, and that's the version I play on my guitar. You may find the MIDI link here and McKennitt's version here.

Jam

I have not forgotten about the word bank that is funding my latest puppet-show. I keep adding your words to the list. They're just lovely. More, more, more (please).

In the meantime, here is a photo taken of my performance at this past Fall's Coffee Shop Jam:



The Coffee Shop Jam took place right before Halloween. Bede and Lucia were the only audience members who knew I was actually wearing a costume. I was Lucy Cousins' Maisy mouse.

"Where'd you get that cold, cold heart?"

Seattle schools closed last Tuesday and Wednesday because of the icy conditions after the snowfall, and I spent both days inside the house with Lucia. I had a lot of time to practice the guitar while Lucia played highlights from the “Nutcracker” non-stop. At some point without my noticing the exact transition, my fingers finally stopped hurting when I practiced guitar. For a good while, I’ve had proper fingertip callouses that provide extra padding when I accidentally jab myself with sewing needles. Still, the pain was ever-present until this week. Cheers to snow-days.

Here’s what I’ve been working on:

1) On the second side of the “White Album” by the Beatles, right after the ending of “Helter Skelter” when John Lennon yells, “I’ve got blisters on my fingers!” the song “Long, Long, Long” by George Harrison slinks quietly into my speakers. If I want to hear the nuances of the song, I have to turn up the volume on my music player, and remember to turn it down again quickly before “Revolution 1” starts. I’ve simplified and tweaked the chords I found online: A, G, E minor, and D. (Do I really need to struggle with the F sharp minor chord? No, I do not.)

2) Another “White Album” song, “I Will,” written by Paul McCartney, follows “Why Don’t We Do it in the Road?” (which John Lennon sarcastically claimed was McCartney’s best song ever). “I Will” is one of my favorite acoustic Beatles songs, and I often sing it to Lucia as a lullaby. My personal interpretation of the song is that of a person who’s looked forward to her future baby for a good part of his or her life.

3) I didn’t really believe that a lot of rock and roll only needed three chords until I started tentatively plucking out some of the songs. “When it Comes to You” by Dire Straits only needs a G, a C and a D minor chord at the minimum.* “When it Comes to You” is a good “You’ve done me wrong too many times and there’s nothing else we can do to salvage this relationship, so just let it go already” song. If strumming sad songs puts me in a good mood, “When it Comes to You” makes me jubilant.**

*I throw in a G7 chord too, but that’s extra. If you think of the chords as colors, then the number after the chord indicates a slightly different shade of that color. For example, “G” would be your basic orange in a simple seven color drawing of a rainbow, but “G7” would be that stunning hue of red-orange that you find in roses or sunsets.
**My guitar teacher says my chords are all wrong. Crivens! I'd argue, but I'm the one paying him to turn me into a folk-rock rhythm guitar hero.

Superhero Tea-Party

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.