Apparently, the piano lessons are working

Our friend Steven is really going to love this one. Yesterday, he wrote this in response to Bud’s good news:

Great, now this blog is becoming the birth announcement blog.

What next, ” Doug Ross motored over to Kathryn Fenner’s residence Wednesday afternoon where they ate peach cobbler and discussed Brad’s blog.”

That REALLY cracked me up (although I didn’t approve it, because I don’t approve his stuff that is intended to belittle and bring people down), was that as he was typing it, I actually was dropping by Kathryn’s house — for the first time ever — because she had told me that our own Phillip Bush was giving her a piano lesson.

Phillip, in case you don’t know it, is a gifted classical pianist. No, I don’t just mean he tickles the ivories; I mean that’s what he does, and he’s really good at it. Here’s his blog, and for more, here’s the Wikipedia page about him.

Anyway, I was going to snap a picture or two and leave, but then I decided to give Kathryn a test. Occasionally, she is asked at the last minute to play the National Anthem at the start of Rotary meetings. She has been known to hit a false note. Whenever this happens, being the well-bred Southern gentleman that I am, I kid her about it unmercifully. (Guess I’ve been exposed to Steven too long.)

Well, with her teacher watching, she did a lot better. To my ear, anyway.

I thought y’all (well, everyone but Steven) might enjoy seeing a couple of our regular contributors at the keyboard.

37 thoughts on “Apparently, the piano lessons are working”

  1. `Kathryn Fenner

    You should have posted the excellent Brahms Intermezzo Phillip played right afterwards. Much better.

    You have actually been to my house before, once to drop of warm clothes for the homeless and once b/c we were going to a friend’s mother’s visitation together…

    Note to Phillip– Yes, I see just how much I need to move my fingers more to the white keys. [cringe]

  2. Doug Ross

    Bravo!

    I’m surprised Phillip wasn’t doing a crossword puzzle with his right hand while playing with his left. I hate showoffs – especially when they are SO damn talented in areas where I have zero skill. To use a familiar refrain: “It’s not FAIR!”

  3. Brad

    Those were BY your house, not TO your house. Dropping off clothes at the service entrance (the garage) doesn’t count.

    You remarked on it yesterday. You said, “You’ve never been in here before, have you?” That’s why I wrote that.

  4. Doug Ross

    Oh, and I think Steven would be quite shocked at how some of us get along outside this little fantasy world. Ms. Fenner and Mark Stewart were very helpful to me recently in providing information I need for a personal matter.

  5. Brad

    And I might post the Intermezzo later. But it was longer, and only had half as many blog readers in it.

    It was, of course, very good.

  6. Steven Davis

    I played the piano from the 2nd grade up until the 7th grade… because my parents made me. I credit it to my ability to type a gazillion words a minute when I need to.

    And I had no intentions of belittling anyone when I wrote that, in fact I don’t see anything demeaning about it. I wrote them into it because they were the first two regulars to pop into my head. I wrote it in the style of the gossip column of a small town newspaper… which is what I took the birth/graduation announcement to be.

  7. Mark Stewart

    Steven forgets the real world is where stuff actually happens. I would hope that reading this blog and joining in on the “conversations” in this forum would encourage people to actually engage more in the real world.

    That’s the point, right?

  8. `Kathryn Fenner

    @ Doug Ross– Whenever I feel like the ultimate piano playing loser, I try to think of the other skills I have. Now, in Phillip’s case, he is also an excellent writer, a great dad, and a person of exceptional political discernment. Okay, I figure, I’m learning from the best…..plus, Phillip is so humble, the only way I know he’s far too excellent to be teaching the likes of me, is by doing research. I certainly would never have asked him to be my teacher had I realized how extraordinary he is.

    I’m thinking his skills with database software are hardly equal to yours, Doug.

  9. Mab

    That’s awesome, Kathryn!

    Laissez les bon temps roulet! [lay zay lay bon tom roo lay]

    Let the good times roll!

  10. SusanG

    Thanks, Kathryn and Phil — I enjoyed that. It would be interesting to know how many of those on the blog are musicians of one sort or another — professional or at least fairly serious amateurs (which is what I’d probably call myself). And if there’s any correlation between that and our political persuasions.

  11. SusanG

    Oops, sorry Phillip — didn’t mean to give you a nickname you don’t seem to go by….

  13. `Kathryn Fenner

    @ Mab– j’adore Treme–vous?

    For the record, folks, I can play many other pieces with far more panache….

  15. Mab

    @ Kathryn — did you just ask me if I adored that? If so, yes I did!

    There is a campaign afoot, you know, to replace “The Star-Spangled Banner” with “America the Beautiful” as our national anthem. Too violent or something.

    Hey – learn from the best if you are going to learn! My (childhood) piano teacher was the preacher’s wife and Englebert Humperdink was too risque for her. I got bored…

    BTW, I actually don’t know much French outside of trying to understand a few lines in Emmylou Harris and Mary Chapin Carpenter songs.

  16. `Kathryn Fenner

    @Mab– The Star-Spangled Banner is difficult to sing, the words are glorifying an obscure battle in the War of 1812, and the music is a drinking song.

    America the Beautiful celebrates our beautiful country, and is a lot easier to sing.

    Down in the Treme/Just me and my baby/ We’re all goin’ crazy/Jumpin’ and havin’ fun!

  18. Brad

    Kathryn, thanks for helping me with the reasons why we need to keep our National Anthem. I especially like the part about battle. Of course, you realize that my current very favorite literature is built around obscure battles during the Napoleonic Wars (of which the War of 1812 was a sideshow). That we’d have an anthem based on such is just beyond cool. Thanks for reminding me.

    “America the Beautiful” sounds like a Coke commercial by comparison. Of the “I’d Like to Teach the World to Sing” variety…

  19. Phillip

    Yes, I’d hate to change the national anthem, though I do think that some of those who perform it at sporting events should possibly be arrested for debasing a symbol of our nation with their excessive vocal ornamentation (parodied so beautifully by Maya Rudolph on SNL or (biggest sin in my eyes, and why I never liked the Whitney Houston version everybody else seemed to) changing the meter from 3-to-the-bar to four instead.

    As for the political leanings of musicians…in the classical “business” most people do lean leftward, for various reasons I suppose. But not uniformly. You find more conservatives among brass players, string players (violinists, cellists, etc.) usually liberal, winds split down the middle. In the 80’s when I was starting my professional activity as a musician, especially in NYC there were many emigres from the USSR and other Eastern European countries, and when a bunch of us lefty musicians would start bashing Reagan, these Russians et al would often leap to Reagan’s defense, so that was an interesting split in the music world at that time.

    Anyway, Kathryn can already play quite well and we’re just trying to work together to get her to the next level of fluency, which is really no different whether one is a professional or amateur (same for golf and many other endeavors).

  21. `Kathryn Fenner

    I wonder if the political leanings of musicians have anything to do with the military music programs? Many of my high school bandmates went on to finance further education by enlisting–I should think that might trend folks rightward.

    Also self-selection: I certainly noticed in band that personality types clustered in different instruments….flute-players (flautists) tended to be girly, clarinetists–moderate, middle-of-the road, trombone players solid citizens, trumpet players more fly-boy types, double reeds–fussy introverts, etc.

  22. `Kathryn Fenner

    and the national anthem should be sung, not “performed”–a “soloist” should just lead the group in singing.

    No melismatic extravanganzas! (Whoa ho ho hoooo, say can you see hee hee hee hee?)

  23. Brad

    Personally, I like the Marine Band version. To me that’s basic, essential.

    I saw the Marine Band once. When I was in the 4th grade in Kensington, MD, we went on a field trip to hear them, in an auditorium. Made quite an impression. I’ve had a fondness for Sousa ever since.

    Speaking of which, I saw “A Few Good Men” again recently. Great opening.

  24. Brad

    Tried to watch the Marvin Gaye version. Couldn’t. Hated it before he opened his mouth. That rhythm was abominable.

  26. Bart

    My few talents consist of a few culinary specialties enjoyed by family and business associates and an appreciation of an eclectic collection of musical genres.

    When it comes to the Star Spangled Banner vs. America the Beautiful, there is no contest. For once, we should leave the traditional alone. We do not need to replace our national anthem.

    However, there are some who should be forbidden and/or prohibited from singing it in public.

    Agree with Brad on this one, the Marine Band did an excellent rendition and the Boston Pops Orchestra does a great one as well.

    When song “stylists” and untalented pop/comedy artists try to put their unique or individual brand on the anthem, the “mute” button is hit immediately.

  28. SusanG

    I was in piano class with Keith Lockhart my freshman year of college (his senior). Hearing him play was my first indication that I needed to make piano a hobby, not a vocation.

    I agree with Kathryn that the anthem is for singing, not performing.

    (I played bassoon in the band — because I thought it was the coolest instrument ever and I could play cartoon music with it. I must have been the only person who thought that because no one ever challenged me for it…)

  29. Brad

    I don’t care how long it’s been the anthem.

    By the way, you know how I’m really into reading about obscure battles during that period? Well, of course that’s a reference to the Aubrey-Maturin series by Patrick O’Brian. And as fans of the series will know, the ship with which our heroes are most closely identified is the HMS Surprise.

    And guess where Francis Scott Key was during the battle that inspired the anthem? He was being detained by the British aboard the HMS Surprise.

    OK, so it’s wasn’t the same Surprise (the actual ship that inspired O’Brian, a 28-gun frigate, was sold out of the service in 1802 — he puts Aubrey and Maturin in the ship AFTER that date, which freed him up as a writer of fiction), but a later, much heavier ship of the same name. But still. Also, Key’s Surprise had earlier been commanded, on the North American station, by Lord Cochrane, the historical figure upon which Jack Aubrey is most closely based.

    So there. I’m going to the mat on this one. We’re keeping “The Star-Spangled Banner.”

  30. Scout

    I had piano lessons in 4th and 5th grade, played flute in middle school, became a french horn/mellophone (marching band) in HS and took classical guitar in college. I don’t know what that means about my personality, but I tend to be moderate politically pretty much I think. My Dad is a double bassist and a composer and is a pull the lever for D kind of guy.

    I think music is really good for promoting having both sides of the brain talk to each other well – the rhythm is a left brain kind of thing and melody/lyricism is a right brain kind of thing. Instruments that require the two hands to do very different things probably accentuate the effect – strings, guitar, and piano. So musicians are probably more whole brain thinkers, which I think just makes for a more discerning intellect in general – but I don’t know if it predisposes one to the right or left politically.

  31. Brad

    I had:

    — Guitar lessons in the 5th grade, when I lived in Ecuador. I wanted to learn to play melodies and bass lines; he wanted me to learn chords. He said I didn’t pay attention well enough and that he wouldn’t try to teach me any more. I’ve always suspected there was more to it than that. I think maybe HE lost interest because he realized my Dad wasn’t going to employ him as anything more than a guitar teacher (this, at least, is my fantasy, to excuse myself for being a bad pupil). My Dad’s predecessor in that job was a Naval Intelligence guy. The guitar teacher was one of his agents. But my Dad, being a line officer, wasn’t interested in maintaining the network. I am not making this up.
    — Drum lessons in the 7th grade, in New Orleans. The ultimate standard at the time was to play “Wipeout.”
    — Trumpet lessons in the 9th grade, in Bennettsville. The high school band teacher did his best (in lessons after school), but to no avail.
    — Piano lessons, also in the 9th grade, from the organist at Thomas Memorial Baptist Church. She wanted me to play standards; I wanted rock ‘n’ roll.
    — Piano lessons again, in Wichita in my early 30s. I was having a really unpleasant time working at the paper there, and learning something new seemed a good way to relieve stress. I also took up racquetball.

    All of that, and I never learned to PLAY any of these instruments. Actually, latent guilt over the guitar lessons fiasco caused me to take it up again, on my own, while in college in Memphis. (Everybody plays something in Memphis, or at least that’s the image.) I bought songbooks and taught myself 100 or so chords. Got good enough to play and sing songs like “Yellow Submarine” to my kids at bedtime years later. Never got to the point anyone would urge me to turn pro.

    That’s me and music. Oh, except for a time in high school in Tampa when I was in the youth choir at the base chapel at MacDill AFB. We wanted to do “Let It Be,” because after all it sounded sort of religious (and it was my favorite song). We rehearsed it, but one of the Protestant chaplains thought it sounded “Catholic.” Really. Because of “Mother Mary.” Our choir director also believed it was a reference to dope, so it wasn’t just a sectarian objection.

  33. Nick Nielsen

    My high school band director told us “The melody is from a drinking song. It would not have been sung like a dirge, and we won’t play it like a dirge.”

    We played essentially the same arrangement as the Marines, at about the same (or slightly faster) meter. I enjoyed playing trumpet, but always wanted to play tuba or trombone on this because of the rolling bass line in the final phrase of the song.

    Whitney has a great voice, but in the case of the National Anthem, her arranger should be shot.

  34. `Kathryn Fenner

    @Nick– Is it not the baritone/euphonium line of which you speak–my brother (who plays trombone and baritone but only owns a trombone) was just carrying on about how the trombone lines are usually very boring compared to the baritone lines. It’s kind of like the trumpet/cornet divide in marches–there are three parts of one, meant for the bulk of the section to play–a fairly straightforward deal with lots of off beats, and then two parts of the other, meant for just one on a part, that are often these really cool counter melodies, but the tessitura is lower. I was a specialist in these parts–I wore braces in high school and never developed my high range, but had started out playing baritone, so was more familiar with the counter melodies. “On Wisconsin” has a kickin’ baritone part…..

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