I’m sure sorry not to be going camping. 🙁 But this COVID thing is serious and it’s important to follow the rules and stay home. There are a few private campgrounds that are open, but I will continue to comply with the Governor’s wishes and simply stay home. As soon as the campgrounds open up again here in the State of Washington, I’ll be heading out. It might be crowded since everyone else will be heading out as well, but I’ll find a way. For now, however, it is wise to just stay home.
A few blog posts ago, one of the suggestions from one of you readers here about what to do when you’re stuck at home and don’t know what to do, or when you’re afraid because of this virus situation, or if your income has been reduced and you’re nervous about that, no matter what’s bothering you … the suggestion was to have music in your life. Doesn’t matter how you get it, whether you produce it yourself, or whether you listen to it via records, tapes, TV, radio, or internet. It doesn’t matter what source you use, it’s just so very important to soothe your soul with music.
I have a piano that was purchased by my parents in 1955 or 1956 in the Philippines, when we lived there, so that my brother and I could take piano lessons. I was about 7 years old at the time (ok, yes, go ahead, do the math). I still have that piano! The serial number indicates the piano was built in 1951. Today, as I write this, that piano is 69 years old. It still has the electric heating element in the back of it. You might say “HEAT? why heat in the Philippines?” The heat element wasn’t there for heat, it was used to keep moisture out of the wood, to keep the wood dry, because of high humidity in the Philippines. And believe me, over the years since then, it sure paid off to do that. I haven’t had that heat element plugged in since 1959 when the piano was moved back to the States with us, but the piano has stayed healthy as a result of having the wood kept dry while it was in the Philippines.
The photo sitting on the piano is of my brother (three years old) and of me (two years old).
Music has always been an important part of my life. It seems I have always used music to help me when I felt unhappy or troubled. And music is wonderful when I feel joyful! It’s not uncommon for lots of us to do that with music, use it to help our moods. For a long long time I didn’t understand why music affects us so strongly. I just knew that when I played the piano, the music took me away from everything else. And when I was done playing each time, I always felt better. Even just listening to other people’s music can do the same thing.
As an adult, while living in Portland, Oregon, I took a music appreciation class taught by professional musician Kay Gardner. That was so long ago that I’ve forgotten almost everything except how wonderful the class was, what a wonderful teacher she was. But one detail I have always remembered from that class was how music written in different keys can affect us differently … even the exact same piece of music, played in a different key, can have a different effect on us, especially when switching between major and minor keys.
Here is a website with more information about the effects of music written in different keys. Read the description for the key of D-sharp-minor … “the anxiety of the soul’s deepest distress, of brooding despair, of blackest depression, of the most gloomy condition of the soul. Every fear, every hesitation of the shuddering heart, breathes out of horrible D# minor.”
Ok then, let’s not listen to anything in D# minor!! How about lovely and tranquil G major instead?
I remember one other thing that Kay Gardner talked about … it’s something about using fifths (no, not a fifth of the liquid variety!). A fifth in music is an interval between two notes. It’s when two notes are seven half-steps apart, such as middle C and then above that the note G.
Now, that puzzled me, and still puzzles me. If the interval is a “fifth” then why isn’t it five half-steps? Why seven half-steps? I don’t know, but it probably has to do with a scale or chord progression or some other musical nomenclature that I’ve lost complete track of. More importantly, what I learned from Kay Gardner is that music with notes played in intervals of fifths tends to make us feel better and heal us.
And we all know that different types of music, different tempos or beats, feel differently to us, too.
Pay attention to what you listen to and how you feel. It may be gorgeous music, or the words may mean a great deal to you, but if the feeling you have as a result isn’t the best for you, if it makes you sad or angry or even just a bit lethargic or tired, then maybe it’s time to switch to a different type of music, or a piece of music in a different key.
Music can change your mood … lift your spirits. It can heal emotionally and even physically. There is medical proof of that. So whatever works for you, do it!
Here (below) is the first video of Kay Gardner’s teachings. Actually this “video” is audio only, but it is on YouTube so we call it a video. The “video” below is 35 minutes long, so you’ll want to find a space of time to listen to it. If it isn’t your cup of tea, that’s cool too. 🙂 The second teaching session of the series is on YouTube as well.
And now I invite you to listen to the following “dreamy” music in G major by Johann Sebastian Bach. Lovely, peaceful, tranquil G major. Make sure your sound is on, but turn the volume down a bit for this lovely, quiet, peaceful interlude. Relax and close your eyes and drift on downstream.
Music is the key. 🙂 Pun intended!
As reader Dawn says on her blog … “Play some music. It will make you smile. And that’s the first step to feeling better.”