Getting Better All The Time

Last night we had a preliminary practice for The Fawns (with members of SFTD) performing as Blondie for this year's Transperformance Concert. As we listened to the songs and then learned them and then played them, it became clear to me just how much we have all been improving as listeners and players over the years.

It's not that we practice much at all. We don't even play that much these days. My guess is that Tony and Max have been picking up their instruments even less than the rest of us. But, you never would know it by listening. I'm not saying that we are amazing musicians or anything, I just mean that I can see how we have grown.

I've been playing music with Tony and Brian for nearly ten years and with Max for about half that. In that time we really have all improved. It's sometimes hard to see, because it's so gradual, but last night, for some reason, it seemed very apparent.

Sometimes, I try to remember back over my history as a singer or guitar player. Certainly, I can listen to old records that I made and I can hear the difference. But when I'm looking back (something that I, as a nostalgist, am apt to do) I can recall a few point in my life when I couldn't do some of the things that I can do now.

For instance, I can remember not understanding how to sing harmony. This goes way way back. I remember riding in a car through Lawrence, Massachusetts and my brother, Norbert, was singing harmony along to something on the car radio. I asked him how he knew what notes to sing. He suggested one simple trick. You take the note that the person is singing and then you sing the Three Stooges', "Hello..Hello..Hello" starting with that note. You can sing a good harmony on either of the second "hellos" he explained.

It was a good suggestion. In fact, I used it for years when I was stuck. You see, the Hello theme song thing is a major chord. So if you sing on the second "hello", you are singing a major third up. The third "hello" is a perfect fifth.
Now singing harmony is second nature to me. The same as playing barre chords on a guitar. I can clearly remember struggling to play a B-Minor. I think it was so I could get through an entire Pink Floyd song.

But lately, the thing that I've noticed is improving within me is my ability to listen. I'm finding it much easier to learn how to play music just by listening. I'm finding that I can sometimes tune my guitar by just plucking the individual open strings (something I never thought I would be able to do).

Certainly, I don't have an ear like Ken or Brian. I can't identify a note from hearing it. I can't tell what key a song is just by hearing it. But, this is the thing, when I look back on all the stuff that I have learned over the years, I'm beginning to think that, maybe someday, I will be able to. Maybe it can be learned.

Maybe, someday, I will have relative or perfect pitch. That would be amazing. I'd be a super-hero, like Ken, Brian, Joe Boyle, Dave Trenholm and others. I've never before thought that it would be possible for me to learn that, but when I look back at the progress that I have made, and with very little intentional effort, the odds look pretty good.

I can't wait.