It was delivered to my office. It’s a Soprano D Rover with a copper fipple plug from David O’Brien. I only played one quick tune in a field by my office at lunch, but it seems like a lovely whistle. I’ve only been playing for about a year, so I’m an amateur for sure. Why would I start playing an instrument? Because I Love Music!
I mean, I really love music. It doesn’t really matter where it comes from, what style it is, what language the words are, or what instrument is used. If the artist is talented, the music is in tune, and the rhythm is right - I love it!
But most important to me is the heart the performers put into their effort. When it’s right it makes me cry - not bawling like a baby mind you, but tears shining in my eyes. And not happy or sad crying - it’s something I actually feel in my chest, like ghosts and angels of emotion tugging on my heart. I can name a few compositions that do this to me:
Beethoven, Symphony No. 6 in F Major, Op. 68 “Pastoral”
Marcus Hernon’s Air as performed by Joanie Madden (Irish Traditional)
Little Wing as performed by Stevie Ray Vaughan (Texas Blues)
No Pretendo by Gloria Estefan (Latin)
I guess I’m a sucker for music with lots of emotion, or anyone who makes music with all their soul and a naked heart. Even a grandma motoring down the highway in an old beat up car, no air conditioner, windows down, singing out some song at the top of her lungs over the roaring wind-noise - well, she gets me misty eyed.
I love music and I love to see people loving music. So tonight I take my new whistle home and practice. Maybe, someday, I’ll play well enough to make ghosts and angels dance with someone’s heart. Wouldn’t that be precious?
It wasn’t a whistle review. I read the description “The Chiff and Fipple Poststructural Pub, Socializing and general posts on wide-ranging topics.”
I thought, “Hmmm, a post about music and emotional response in general is pretty wide ranging.”
Ok, so the style is journal-ish. But I thought people might discuss what music really touched them somehow. Or about some simple everyday thing that makes the smile, like a grandma singing in her car.
After I posted it I saw Dale’s post about “What better music is there…” and thought, “I wonder why we both posted about some of our favorite music at nearly the same time.”
Maybe it’s my odd writing style. Maybe it was my use of the word “ghosts” in an unusual way (I mean something more like kind spirits). I guess I’m ignorant about what would be read into what I wrote. I honestly don’t get why it’s OT except that it’s unusual.
Well put. I have the same relationship with music, D.
I may joke about “Magical Thinking” but its tangible in the world of music. And the older I get, the stronger that feeling is.
My son attends Cazadero Music Camp in the summer, where kids go and get intensive musical training for 10 days plus have the usual summer-camp fun. They have two performances for parents, who drive up to the redwoods to hear the outdoor concerts.
I am basically in tears through the whole thing because it means so much to me to hear the kids playing with such enthusiasm and skill (because the intensive nature of the place really advances their playing). i have pursued music all of my life and even though its not currently my primary profession, a musician is what I am and I relate exactly to your words.
The Poststructural Pub was created in response to complaints about so few whistle related posts on the whistle board in proportion to the off topic posts there. So the off topic (for the whistle board) posts were transplanted here, which would make a whistle topic on the pub board open for some good natured kidding.
