Tag: music

Friday Funny: I am up a Creek

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Yes, I play the banjo. Ever since I opened my book and saw Cripple Creek, I couldn’t wait to get there.

I’m ready for slides, pull offs and hammers. I do not read music, I pick out songs – granted I have tabs but still…

I’ve been singing all week —

When I get off of this mountain
You know where I want to go
Straight down the Mississippi river
To the Gulf of Mexico

I just figured out that THIS is the song I thought I was learning:

and in reality, I am supposed to be learning THIS song”

Which leaves me here at the moment.

Friday Funny: The Next Time You are Asked to Play For Free

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Going around Face Book.

The Melody of Life

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“The banjo is such a happy instrument–you can’t play a sad song on the banjo – it always comes out so cheerful.” –Steve Martin

I can have a horrible week.

A heart breaking, nothing goes right, things break, family crisis, gut pulling kind of week.

A run away from home, lock myself in a cabin by the cove and play banjo for two days straight and question my sanity kind of week.

Then I walk into my banjo lesson and my instructor breaks down the songs, gets me laughing my butt off, reveals deeps secrets of the musical universe (Don’t force it. Don’t rush, you have all the time you need. Pay attention to the important things. Don’t forget to have fun.) and my soul is happy again because we’re playing a banjo and I can hear the melody.

A lot of us who do comedy for a living think we need a stage to help people feel better. That isn’t always the case. The day-to-day interactions we have with others can have a profound impact. He helped me remember that even with all its twangs, missed notes, thuds and buzzes, the melody of life can still be heard and that is a glorious thing.

Perfectionism is self hatred in disguise.

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I would rather be naked than let you see me learn the banjo. That says a lot. I don’t do naked well. (Think Bob the tomato). Learning something new while people watch is apparently worse.

I call it being an introvert.

My husband calls it being a perfectionist.

Either way, I don’t like people seeing me or hearing me try something new until I master it.

The problem with that?

Life isn’t meant to be lived in a vacuum.

Truth is, I’ll let my husband see me naked, but I won’t let him sit out on the porch while I practice my banjo. For some reason I feel more vulnerable playing the banjo than I do in the nude.

Refusing to let my husband (he’s a professional musician on weekends) hear me play robs him of the joy of music.

I knew my anxiety level had reached an all time high when not only did I not want my husband to hear me play the banjo, I couldn’t play for my teacher either.

When we first started out with lessons — in May, I’d get so nervous that I made my instructor nervous.

That’s rough.

My husband finally offered me his great wisdom.

“This isn’t the Opry, it’s our back porch. Now lighten up and have fun already.”

I’ve been having a lot of fun since he said that. When I get frustrated (like I am tonight) I remind myself that I started playing the banjo on May 25 2012 and I missed three lessons in June because of traveling. So really, I’ve only been playing for four weeks. In those four weeks, I have learned chords, how to tune a banjo, how to read tabs, four basic rolls and now I’m learning slides.

My husband does not think less of me because I haven’t mastered this yet.

My instructor (who has been playing guitar for 40 and banjo for 3 years) does not think less of me because I’m not as good as he is.

Fact: I sing in the chorus of the second longest running presentation of Handel’s Messiah in the US. Have since 2000. I cannot read a lick of music. I’ve memorized the entire piece. That takes talent.

Learning how to create music brings me joy and will help me become a better songwriter.

Hating myself because I have the unrealistic expectation of mastering something over night (like slides) is ridiculous.

This isn’t the Opry.

It’s my back porch.

I hereby give myself permission to not be great while I learn with the knowledge that every time I try, I will get better.

What new thing are you trying to learn right now?

Are you willing to be kind to yourself while you learn?

Just Me and My Banjo

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My first banjo lesson was last Friday. I learned how to hold it while sitting down which involved a brief lesson on the difference between boys and girls. I learned how to use the picks they gave me, and how to read a tabulature, a pick roll and three new chords (G, C, and D7). I’ve been playing until my fingers want to fall off. Seriously it hurts to type. I’m happy to report though that C no longer buzzes. yeah me!

Houston, we have music.

Video: Arise My Love by Newsong

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Friendship, Hope, Music and Talent. Jonathan Antoine and Charlotte Jaconelli WOW

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Move over Pavarotti and Susan Boyle — what an amazing story of friendship, self-esteem, and hope. Watch this to the end. This young duo brought the Britain’s Got Talent audience to their feet and it moved me to tears.

Video: Skillet, You Are My Hope

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Happy Ash Wednesday Y’all

Ode To Steve Martin

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One of my favorite comics of all time, Steve Martin, has been traveling the country with a blue grass band called the Steep Canyon Rangers. My Lutheran pals might have heard them on  A Prairie Home Companion with Garrison Keillor.

Steve Martin and the Steep Canyon Rangers are coming to Tulsa on August 24 to perform at the Tulsa Performing Arts Center. My more astute friends purchased tickets on time.

I apparently live under a rock and did not.

It’s probably just as well because just saying his name makes my vocal chords seize up and I squeak. It’s not pretty.

Being a writer, I thought it might be a good idea to process my grief through song. Not being able to play a banjo, which this song requires, is merely a small blip in the grand scheme of life. I’m sure everyone knows the melody to Oh Susanna, right? That is the melody for this song. And so for your reading amusement I offer:

Oh Steve Martin

(Written by Deana O’Hara)

I’ve searched high

and I’ve searched low

and every place in between

I’ve searched where normal people go

and places best unseen.

Oh Steve Martin

Is coming to the PAC

Tickets sold in just one day.

And there’s none left for me.

I’ve asked once

and I’ve asked twice.

I’ve even thrown some fits.

I said please

and shed some tears

and even flashed my……

Cash.

Oh Steve Martin

Is coming here with song.

That’s one show that I can’t see

and I think that is wrong.

I’ve held my breath till I’ve turned blue

I’ve sniveled, begged, and sobbed.

I even bought an old banjo

but my husband thinks I was robbed.

Oh Steve Martin

is coming to our town.

Ticket holders are happy now,

while I just have a frown.

————————————————————————————-

And now for you listening and viewing enjoyment, below is a video of Mr Martin and the Steep Canyon Rangers. Enjoy.

This post written by Deana O’Hara for Redemption’s Heart. All rights reserved.

Pathetic whining pays off! — I get to go see them after all. It seems a friend’s daughter and son-on-law are unable to attend and I get to go in their stead. AWESOME!

Remind Me Who I am, by Jason Gray

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I’ll be honest, I’ve never heard of this guy before. I really like him, and I love this song. It’s Spirit filled, uplifting, and I like the musical arrangement. This is the first single from Jason’s Album, A Way To See In The Dark, slated for release on September 13, 2011.

I discovered Jason on a page called Under the radar on Facebook.  A friend turned me on to  Under the Radar several months ago and I’ve been enjoying their clips of newer artists who fall into their under appreciated status.  I love contemporary Christian music and this page has proven to be a wonderful resource. Considering how whiny I got about the hot weather, I thought I’d share something positive with you guys today.

Per their Facebook Page:

Founded
2008
About
Under The Radar is a weekly radio show of under-appreciated music.
Company Overview

Offering gourmet music, Under the Radar highlights some of the best undiscovered and under-appreciated tunes from Christian artists.

What is gourmet music? Well, a lot of music out there is like fast food but the stuff on Under the Radar is the gourmet variety. It’s the fine steak, not the mass-produced cheeseburger.
Description
In this one-hour weekly program, host Dave Trout shares stories, spiritual insight, and exclusive artist interviews to discover the depth of faith and creativity found in the music. Listeners participate by suggesting some of the best hidden gems in their own music collections that the world needs to hear.
Products
Under the Radar is a ministry of ReFrame Media (reframemedia.com) and Back to God Ministries International.
Website
This post written by Deana O’Hara for Redemption’s Heart. August 5, 2011. All rights reserved. No goods or services were given in exchange for this endorsement. I only share resources that I found beneficial and believe my readers will enjoy as well.
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