Learn to Play Piano!

For Christmas I asked for some sheet music because I love to sing and I wanted more sheet music to sing and play.

One problem: I don't know how to play piano.  Not even a little bit.  Or, at least, I didn't.

I found this site, Zebra Keys.  It's a free site that teaches you how to play piano, read the clefs, etc.  As a person who has no idea how to read bass clef or play the piano, I can't tell you that it's the best thing ever, but it has helped me a lot already!

It starts out talking about the layout of the piano and musical notations and then has five lessons in each Beginner, Intermediate and Advanced.  The lessons are 1) Learn Songs, 2) Chords, 3) Music Theory, 4) Improvisation and 5) Technique.

I'm enjoying myself and I am slowly, very slowly, learning to read bass clef.  I feel like I am in sixth grade again, just starting to learn to play flute and read treble clef.  Oy vey!  But I am hoping with time and LOTS of practice, I will be able to play the music I sing all the time!

I just got, courtesy of my wonderful husband, the following sheet muzak:































I also have had this one for awhile.  I lost it for about a month, and I was sad.  But I found it again! YAY!















I need to get some easier music to practice on, but for now I will practice my ass off with what I have.  If any of my wonderful friends have some beginner sheet music that I can borrow, I would love you forever!

P.S. Has anyone seen my Vocal Techniques book?  I haven't seen it since our music day in Senior Capstone....  It's Foundations in Singing by John Glenn Paton and looks like this:















I miss it and I need it!  I still have the CD set, but I can't find the actual book.  Sad Panda! :'(

Music and Obsession

I love music.  I want to have all the music in the world.  I am also an incredibly indecisive person at times.  Which can be a bad thing.  Because in the case of indecisiveness about music means I NEVER KNOW WHAT I WILL WANT TO LISTEN TO.  Which also means that I have to predict what I want to listen to before I leave the apartment every day.  HA!  Not likely.  And I have waaaaay too much music to fit on my phone, or even my phone and the nano I've had for like 8 years.

So, I began looking at iPod touches because those are pretty sweet looking and have some pretty cool apps.  I first looked at Amazon because we all know, I LOVE Amazon....  then at B&H Photography and then I went to the beast itself: apple.com  DUN DUN DUN!!!  And this is what I found:



I didn't even know they were still making the classic iPod!  It makes me happy though, because a 160GB classic iPod costs about the same as an 8GB iPod Touch.  Same price, 20x the memory!  Weird thing to be excited about, I know.  But! This means, to my indecisive mind, that I can put any and all music I could ever possibly want to listen to any given day on it!  And probably any music I would ever want to listen to in an entire year too.....

Unfortunately, I won't be able to afford such an awesome use of space for a little while.  So, SANTA!  If you happen to stumble across this and decide to get this for me, I'd really appreciate it! It's on my wish list on Amazon and everything!

I believe in Santa Claus, I DO I DO!

And if Santa fails me, hopefully I can win the Wish and Win Sweepstakes that Amazon is having right now.  $100,000 shopping spree is the prize.  But I highly doubt that will happen, Amazon has what, 80 billion customers world wide?  Although, to win a contest of that size would be pretty cool, not going to lie!  If I won, I would buy my iPod, then I would buy some coats and toys for kids.  Probably more coats than toys, since it is hard to enjoy toys if you are cold. 

Right, well, because of my own internet-induced ADD this post has taken forever to write.  So, I'm done now.  Those of you who aren't quite done with the semester yet, you got this, good luck on your exams!!

30 Days of Truth - Day 24: Make a Playlist to Someone, and Explain Why You Chose All the Songs

Five years and about four months ago, I met a boy.  His name was Adam.  He was cute, funny, smart and older.  About one month after we were officially dating, it was Sweetest Day.

This was the only time that I have truly celebrated Sweetest Day.  It was a week after Adam told me he loved me, but I had been planning this longer than that.  I love to plot and plan surprises, and at the time I had the money to spend to be able to surprise him.  So, at the time Adam was renting from his parents and I borrowed the extra key from his Dad, and on Saturday morning of Sweetest Day I got up really early and snuck in to the house and made him a surprise breakfast.  Pancakes, bacon, sausage and eggs.  I brought juice and made him a mixed CD for us to listen to while we ate.  I was trying to be really quiet, but the smells of yum and light scrapings woke him up; he's a light sleeper.  So, he came down before breakfast was ready, but he was still surprised.  I also gave him my class ring to wear that day (he had lost his but found it two years later.)  It's one of my favorite memories of us from early in our relationship.

But in line with today's topic, here is the list of the songs from the CD I made him for Sweetest Day.  Needless to say, they are all sappy romantic songs...

Adam's Sweetest Day Mix

1. I'll Be - Edwin McCain (which eventually became our song and was our first dance at our wedding)
2. I Swear - the country version, not the All4One version because I couldn't remember who did it first
3. Don't Wanna Miss A Thing - Aerosmith
4. Long, Slow Kisses - Jeff Bates
5. Can't Take My Eyes Off Of You - Frankie Valli
6. That's What She Gets For Loving Me - Brooks and Dunn
7. Because You Loved Me - Celine Dion
8. I Will Always Love You - Whitney Houston
9. God Blessed the Broken Road - Rascal Flatts
10. Have I Told You Lately - Rod Stewart
11. I'll Go On Loving You - Alan Jackson
12. Brown Eyed Girl - Van Morrison
13. I'll Be There For You - Bon Jovi
14. Amazing Grace - Celine Dion

Of course, it was after this that I found out that Adam doesn't really like country.  But, he still loved the CD and the surprise. :-D

30 Days of Truth - Day 13: A Band or Artist That Has Gotten You Through Some Tough Days (write a letter.)

Dear Music,

This letter is supposed to be about a particular band or artist that helped me through a difficult time. Fortunately, or unfortunately, there are several songs either got me through a time or were just a soundtrack to a certain time in my life.

For example, in 2001-2002 I went on vacation with my family to Florida over Christmas Break and listened to Britney Spears' self-titled Album: Britney on repeat all the entire way down and back, in the van. I also read the very first Princess Diaries book by Meg Cabot over and over and over and over again. Not a hard time, but a good soundtrack at the time!

There was a mixed CD when I was in 8th grade I think, that I listened to during hockey tournaments for Matthew the whole year. I don't remember what was on it, other than a lot of rock music - there was one Rob Zombie song that I remember. Living Dead Girl, I believe it was. Excellent soundtrack!

When I dislocated my left knee cap the first time I watched Bring It On a lot of times, and Air Bud. And one time when I had strep throat I listened to Aaron Carter's CD on repeat for like four days.

Girl Scout Camp always had a lot of fun weird songs that we sang while we were there and those were fun too...

But the most recent time in my life that music has helped me was the big change I went through about a year ago, deciding to leave ATEP and athletic training and change my major to theatre. It will sound silly but Defying Gravity by Stephen Schwartz from Wicked helped me through a lot of what I was struggling with at that time. I heard the song before Glee did the song, but Glee helped me a lot in that it made me realize exactly how much I missed singing - and performing in general. It didn't make me decide to pursue theatre, there were other factors involved in that decision. I know that I always want to have theatre be a part of my life, whether I do community theatre or regional theatre forever - I don't care. Life sucks without the arts, I know that now.

[SIDE NOTE: Go vote for The Williamston Theatre at the Pepsi Refresh Project!!]

Defying Gravity's lyrics spoke to me and gave me courage to do what I should have done long ago. Realize exactly how unhappy I was in athletic training, and that I needed a change. I am so glad I made that change! I know I say that a lot, but it is still fresh for me and every day something reminds me about how awesome my life is now because I left ATEP and changed to theatre.

Music, you have been a wonderful companion to me, and I love you very much! Please continue to love me and support me all the time...


Love,
Jenny


P.S. I am sick, so if you could come up with a good get better song, I'd really appreciate it! kthxbai!