the joy of music

I was asked to play music for the church service last Sunday. I don't really have a long list of repertoire that is suitable for church; my guitar/vocal list includes songs more along the line of Greg Brown's "Lord I Have Made You A Place" so usually when I'm asked to play something I take the opportunity to learn something new to me; I'll pick a gospel tune off a bluegrass album or find an old-timey sounding hymn. For someone who practices as seldom as I have lately this is living on the edge; I have literally worked out chords and arrangements the hour before the service. This time I chose "Morning Has Broken" and worked out a Cat Stevens style arrangement for guitar minus the pretty key changes (I don't know enough chords to do that! )

While I was sitting outside on the back step practicing on Sunday morning, I heard the sound of music coming from the cook shed. A Celtic music program was on the radio (KUMD-Duluth) and Vincent had turned it up loud. Without too much prodding from me, he has taken an interest in Celtic and bluegrass music. He kept yelling to me "Mom! Come listen to this great music!" I think it was Seamus Egan on flute, doing a fantastic set of jigs and reels. We couldn't help but dance to it. Vincent brought out his Indonesian drum and started pounding out a beat. I took over, drumming and dancing. We laughed, we danced, we whooped under the tall pines. Now that is LIVING.

I need to get my son started playing an instrument, now while he has this sense of the true joy of music. And I want to be able to make music with him, and with the whole family. I have this vision of us sitting around the woodstove on a cold winter night, picking and singing, the music echoing up into the rafters.