When we designed our house, we included a piano niche. So literally from the ground up, we designed music into the house. The piano in the niche is a 1973 Rhodes 88 suitcase piano. I bought it on eBay after wanting one for 15 years.
Austin is a music city. The kind of place where a Saturday afternoon gig at a book store has a warm-up act. I’m as likely to have a guitar pick in my pocket as spare change. And my suspicion that this is common was confirmed during a show at the Continental Club. The lead had misplaced his last pick and asked if anyone in the audience had one. Three arms were out stretched to the stage before I could grab mine. He might as well have asked if anyone had a Fender Medium.
Last weekend I got myself out on a stage. Something I hadn’t done in a long time. And I did something I had not done before. I sang lead. I sing in the house all the time (and even more in the car (I stopped caring if I look silly a long time ago)). First, I know how to sing into the air, not into a microphone. Second, I can sing and play piano, and sing and play guitar, but in this band I was on drums. Singing while playing drums is a whole other thing. Third, I’m a Texan who slicks his hair and wears chunky glasses, and this was a Buddy Holly song. I don’t know about other parts of the country, but in Texas you don’t mess with Willie, or Buddy. So, if you’re going around looking like him and you sing his song, you gotta do right by Buddy. Anyway, I did my durndest. Video below. You be the judge.
Meanwhile, I’ve got a boy learning piano. He’s got his mom’s perfect pitch and he’s new enough to not know what’s difficult. This is from about 18 months ago. Key changes, crunchy chords at the end, it’s great.
As of this posting the video has had over 117 thousand views, and 300 comments. The kid’s a superstar. I’m looking forward to the elementary talent show in two weeks where he’s going to blow them away.
Christiane has an amazing voice. On the rare occasion that I get to hear her sing, I squirm and tear with giddy delight. I have no recording of her. You’ll just have to believe me.
That leaves us with the littlest bits. I gave Baby Erwin some light pitch training very early and at 6 months she could sing a note if I played it on the piano. For now, she just likes to dance, clown, and scream when Dad plays.
6yo has his own thing going on. He’s brimming with talent, but cannot be coached. He chants and beat-boxes and can lay down an authoritative groove on our drum set. At six his voice is rich and full of character. It’s truly unique. Tonight he played a song on our old Rhodes that would break your heart. A little later he and his li’l sister rocked out. And I have the video to prove it. Check out his eyebrows on the chord change.
So this makes me wonder. Am I setting my kids up for the rotten life of a musician? No money, no health insurance. My parents were probably wise to steer me away from music as a profession. I chose electrical engineering over percussion as a major in college (and graduated with an art degree). On the one hand I want to encourage my kids to go for it, whatever it is. The philosophy that you can do anything, just promise me you’ll be damned good at it. On the other hand, there are professions where only a tiny fraction can make a decent living.
Eh, probably over thinking the whole thing. In a few years I’d love to take all of them to the Kerrville Folk Festival and set them loose on the world.
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