THE DESIGNATED RAMBLER, #7
The thing about 'music' to me,
even after all those really basic
years of piano lessons, was that
everything was held to be too
'sacred' or sacrosanct, or unable
to be touched. I'd have to play
portions of all these hallowed
composers, all that Schubert,
Chopin, Liszt, Bach, Beethoven,
Grieg, and Mozart - an out-of-
sequence jumble of names, but
no matter - because people
revered them. They were part
of the classic 'canon' of music.
Ordinary people, of course, they
didn't care, and they'd just as
soon footsy-dance to 'Fly Me
To the Moon' or The Yellow
Rose of Texas,' than to anything
else. Yet, instead of 'Tennessee
Waltz' (Pres. Kennedy's favorite),
piano teachers would stuff a Strauss
'Vienna Waltz' down my throat.
Any of this - without any music
'theory' behind it, was just fluff,
I figured. And no one, back then,
ever approached it with theory.
A Bach Fugue can be approached
in any number of ways by both
theoretical and musical discussions
of number, relationships/progress,
and all the rest of the emplacement
that goes into their makings. But,
none of that was given; it was all
just more an endless exercise in
pleasure-music. Which is why
these teachers, all of them, that
I had, were always worried about
phrasing, tempo, and all the rest.
It was hard to determine how to
get across to them that none of
that really mattered to me. If some
eighteenth century guy wrote his
piece that way, fine. But I never
saw any rules, except at the piano-
teachers' places, that said it had
to be played exactly that way,
or - in any case - that I had to
play it as such. I took pleasure
in re-writing all that stuff and
doing it my own way, perhaps
while still leaving a recognition
of what it was supposed to be.
To put it another say, 'I never
danced a Minuet, and they
never saw a TV.'
-
The piano, as I learned it too,
was a 'percussion' instrument.
Hammers striking strings, just
like a drummer strikes a drumskin.
The only drawback it had - and
that was a large one - was that it
could not 'bend' notes, as a guitar
could. Stringed instruments,
strummed or bowed, they were
different, always. I was never able
to get the hang of any of that guitar
stuff - it seemed too much to have
to do, to look at - fingers, frets,
strikes, and the moving of those
hands and fingers. Yet, I'd see a
hundred people, capable and skilled,
just going right at it. For myself and
'piano' it was all just a basic violence.
Before amplification, before any
electrification of the piano or the
synthesizer. It was pure, like an
eighteenth century pure, yes, but,
again, who wanted that? I didn't.
So I made my own way along the
route of possible - fragments of
others' tunes, broken up meters
and timings and chords. Stops and
starts, even. I didn't much care.
They could stuff all their classical
repertoire stuff; I lashed out instead.
Of course, my piano teachers never
knew any of that - good old Mr.
Novack would start showing off
with a show tune or something, in
order to show the run-up from a
minor to a major - key, note,
chord, whatever. I'd listen, yes.
because I had to, but that was
all. I had my own ideas.
-
So, anyway, that's how it all went
with this piano stuff. I used to drive
past Mr. Novack's place, just for
the memory, until about 2018, when
I left that area, and then I just forgot
about it. The old garage and house
were still in place, both looking
very nice. I don't know who lives
there now, and it hardly matters.
I never did see any of those rock
throwing kids, as adults, I'd probably
have still ignored them.
-
On the whole, the piano part of my
life was pretty interesting, and the
cause of many an adventure. To say
the least. Once I got to the seminary,
as I mentioned, I mostly stayed away
from the music classes, bands, etc.
Once I got involved in the Drama
Department, I was used once or twice
as the organist/back-up for some of
the plays and things we performed on
stage, but it was merely as 'understudy'
and 'in case' to John Banko, the main
guy. He died in prison later, as a priest.
For 'vandalizing' young boys! Now
there's a tune you can hum!!
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