La basse
Si je pourrais seulement trouvé une basse ou un mandolin, tout serait bien.
I’ve been blessed to have access to a guitar, part-time. It’s a bit like sharing custody, or renting. S——, the music teacher, has lent me a guitar from time to time from her personal class collection. Usually it’s for a day or two, but this past time I had it all weekend. I’ve been learning how to play the bassline for “Birds”, by Imagine Dragons, to be played at the next midi musical, as well as “Thoughts and Prayers”, by Grandson.
This certainly isn’t my first time performing for large audiences, nor my first public performance during my time in France. However, I am somewhat reticent to put myself on stage like I’ve been asked to do.
The fifth instrument
The bass will be fifth on the list of instruments that I have been learning for the purpose of public performance. Follows a list of the instruments I’ve performed with or practice for a cancelled performance:
- Voice
- from a young age we’ve been singing in my family.
- Drums
- in high school I was a founding member of Billy and the Animals a group that lasted for a few months. Each of the members has spent some portion of the intervening years working on their solo careers. One has found local fame and is pursuing a country music career playing in bars and at events in Nashville and Southern Kentucky. I was originally supposed to be the drummer for the group, since we didn’t have a portable set of keys at the time. This is also why the organ is not on this list. I have a terribly sense of absolute time.
- Guitar
- Played while working a volunteer summer position at a green grocery and coöp. Played for an international church in Pékin for several weeks.
- Piano
- I took a single semester of Piano I, which has helped a lot with the rhythm issue.