When you belong to a subset
Somewhere along the way in my mathematics education, a teacher explained the definition of a subset, and I so totally got it! You see, we live in a very musical world, where a hint of melody is somewhere close by all day long. Yes, especially in our heads. Ever suffer from the earworm? I thought so. Back to the subset. Think of the whole world as a set. Now step back and picture those who actually perform. Instant example.
I proudly belong to the performing section of the world, as do my three sons. And we all have the same tendency. We avoid practice. Since this is not supposed to be a genetic trait, I took the time to ask the youngest member of my someday band why he never seemed to want to practice the euphonium, and his answer was short and to the point. The sheet music he has on load from his school band is boring when played without the accompaniment of the rest of the group. Having played the wonderful euphonium myself, I concur. Think baby tuba. Think harmony instead of melody. Then repeat.
For those who wonder why he doesn’t change to a different instrument, well, it doesn’t work that way. Besides, the baby tuba is a great way to meet girls. I knew that when I was in my teens, and he knows it too. I jest.
So today I found and visited a very special store. One that only sells sheet music. Rooms full of the stuff. Every level of difficulty, most instruments, and best of all, with a CD to perform with you, when it’s time to hide out in the basement and buzz the old lips. No more waiting for thirty other people to tune up, sit down and play. The technological edge that was only beginning in my time (thirty-five years ago and counting). Dropping the needle on the LP over and over again didn’t work well. Too much scrambling to sit down before the downbeat. Now with a CD player that has a remote control, the game is simple.
We now have two new music books in the house (as yet undiscovered). I would love to sit down and play, but he deserves the chance to unwrap the CD, at least. Canadian Brass, watch out, ‘cuz we’ve got that covered. The classics will take on a whole new air this weekend (I hope; the discovery part in a bedroom of a teenage boy is never evident).
