Tag: Music

3 cats and…

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What are 5 everyday things that bring you happiness?

Three cats, birdsong, books.

My family is my cats, they keep me company, amuse and irritate, sometimes in equal measure. They are loving but also bonkers. Chasing each other around the house, up and down stairs, jumping up and sleeping on my chair when I’m out of the room.

Today I heard birdsong from the garden, the sun was shining and the wind had settled down, suddenly a blackbird started singing loudly. The song was thrilling, musical, lyrical. Complex and melodic. Blackbirds songs increase in complexity as they get older. It was beautiful.

Finally I’ve included books. I bought back some lovely art books from my studio. One is about Women Surrealist Artists, another about The Faery Garden by someone called Beatrice Phillpotts. There are more, images from Nasa about space exploration, micrographic images of plants, and other books.

These five things are everyday things that bring me great happiness.

Guitar for sale?

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It’s probably not the right place to post this, but if you are local to me (Staffordshire /Cheshire) you might be interested?

Hi folks, I’m trying to sell hubbys guitar. A friend had a look at it for me. It’s an Oakman basic beginners acoustic guitar. New would be about £70, but second hand, I would be happy to sell it for £40. I’m never going to learn to play it, might make a good gift for someone who wants to learn. Comes with carrying bag and strap and a plectrum.

Now sold.

Phone alarm

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Somewhere downstairs my sisters phone alarm is going off. She must still be asleep, but the high pitched tinkling music woke me up and my cats too! I am quite a light sleeper and I have good hearing which doesn’t help. Then on this grey and tinkly morning one of my cats has decided to tunnel down the bed next to me and stick her claws in my knees in order to get a bit of love. Chin and belly rub over she leaps back out of bed. Now I’m awake so I decided to let you know. Perhaps your phone will tinkle or beep and wake you up? X Morning X

I didn’t know you could sing like that?

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What was the best compliment you’ve received?

I was with a friend on a training course once. We were in a hall with a piano and she decided to play. I started singing along, ‘Somewhere over the rainbow’.

Part way through another friend came in and complimented my friend for her singing, assuming that it had been her voice not mine. She pointed out it was me. He said something like, ‘oh I didn’t realise you could sing like that!’ and ‘you were very good!’. I wasn’t sure how to take it. Should singers look a certain way? But I think it was the best compliment because he judged it on my voice, not my appearance.

Singing cheers me up

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I was at choir practice yesterday and today. It cheered me up. I have to say I feel much better when I do go. I believe it helps to release endorphins in your brain? I know that when I’m feeling really down it helps so much. I would suggest if you can join a choir do it! A lot of choirs don’t have auditions, and are taught be repetition of the musical phrases rather than using sheet music. That’s how we are taught, the choir master sings a line and we repeat it. Gradually building up the song. We sometimes have the words printed off phonetically. We’ve learnt French, Zulu, Maori, Spanish, Bulgarian and many other languages learning that way.

I know this is a bit random, but I think its a great way af helping your mental health and also a good way of socialising.

Singing for health

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I went to choir this morning. It’s one for lung health but I go because my friend goes and more and more for my mental health too.

I’ve been through a lot of crisises lately and I feel like I’m in the middle of a crescendo of music at the moment, will the wall of sound collapse and calm down, or turn into a tsunami of torment? Awaiting test results to find out.

I finally got a long awaited hospital appointment through, I’m hoping something will be sorted out, but I’m nervous of the outcome.

Meantime? I will keep singing at choirs, trying  to keep my spirits and endorphins up. I will try and keep calm in the middle of a whirling cacophony of worry!

Trumpet playing

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Are there any activities or hobbies you’ve outgrown or lost interest in over time?

I lost interest in learning the trumpet because of lock down. I had to stop because I wasn’t allowed to visit the teacher for months. Then I got involved in other things. So my trumpet is in it’s case, with papers piled on top. I wonder if I will be able to take it up again? The trouble aswell is that I can’t really afford to do it anymore. I think I am fit enough and I can manage the breathing for it, but I need to find a cheaper tutor and work out if this fits in with my current finances.

I still enjoy choir practice and music making. I will have to see what happens. I might even try and join a brass band.

Memory and singing

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Five or six years ago our choir learnt ” I walk to Jo-berg” to sing at a choir festival. It’s a good song, full of different sounds, English and Afrikaans words. Someone in the choir requested that we learn it again.

Not all the old choir members are still with us, but within minutes we knew what bits to sing. WE WERE SINGING JAZZ TUNES we hadn’t sung in years. It was fascinating how we could recollect it. You scratch your head and think I’ll never remember that, and then it’s coming out of your mouth without you having to struggle! We were singing in four part harmony and building up sections. We had a great time and we really enjoyed it.

Recent studies have shown that learning a new musical instrument or learning to sing can improve mental acuity and memory. And it’s fun!

New choir

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I missed choir last night so I was pleased to go to a brand new one tonight! It’s monthly on the third Wednesday of the month in a local library. They have got funding to run a choir for at least a year. My friends from the Boat Band, who run other choirs in Stoke on Trent were leading it.

It was a cold and frosty night but 16 people turned up! Three of us were choir members but the rest were new to singing and wanted to see what it was like. We learnt by repeating phrases and didn’t use sheet music and it was…. Amazing,

We managed to sing in two parts, then three, we managed to sing low and high harmonies. By the end of the evening everyone was buzzing, we even thought of giving the group a name! Me? I loved it. I hope it gathers force and keeps going X

Wassail!

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Imagine 500 villagers with flaming torches. Domesday Morris dance group amongst them wearing ‘tatters’ (white shirts and black trousers and boots with waistcoats with strips of cloth hanging loose, topped with hats covered in ivy and bird feathers.

Plus Penkhull brass band, and us, the Mystery Singers choir regaling the crowd with various Wassail songs.

We walked around the boundary of Penkhull and sang in front of the ancient ‘bloody’ apple tree halfway down Trent Valley road, then around to local pubs to sing a wassail to all of them. For the first time in ages I felt happy.