Singing
I have been doing musical stuff ever since I was a kid. In fact, my memories of music go back almost as far as my conscious memory does. As a little boy I was always listening to tapes and records and things of that sort. Then, when I was 9 I started with the trumpet. I kept playing the trumpet until college, sometimes with more commitment than on other occasions. My main problem was (and is) that I am terrible at sight reading music or any other aspect of musical theory. At first it was just "one of those things" but as I have gotten older I have become fairly certain that my brain simply cannot process that kind of information; the mathematical, rhythmical, quick thinking calculatory ways of thinking. I can understand the theories behind much of math and music, but as to the execution of such theories I am hopeless. In terms of mathematical IQ I am probably retarded.
However, I have what most people refer to as a "good ear." A very good ear in fact, which is the only thing that saves me in the crazy world of time signatures and musical computation. I actually think that calling it "good ear" is a bit of a misnomer, I prefer to think of it as "musical intuition"; something you cannot really explain, but have a good feel for. Now, growing up the conflict between musical intuition and musical intelligence caused some frustrating and yet exhilarating experiences. I could easily jam on the trumpet with any band that came along. I had a good tone and a knack for improvisation (though I didn't know what I was playing most of the time). That was the fun part, the frustrating part was that people assumed that I knew what I was doing and that I could play whatever they wanted me to play; resulting in me spending long moments in my room trying to decipher the mysteries that were hidden between the lines of the musical pentagram. In the end, my frustration won out over my other talents and the trumpet slowly fell more and more into disuse.
When I hit college I tried out for two musical ensembles: the jazz band and the choir. My tryout of the jazz band was basically a confirmation of what I just explained, with me breezing through the improvisation bit and crashing and burning in the sight reading test. So I didn't make it. The test to get into the choir was only an ear test though, so I got in without a problem. My time in the choir was made up of me trying to learn the music by ear as quickly as possible (yeah, I was "one of those people" that dragged the choir down until the music was learned). However, I had fun once I learned the pieces and I learned quite a bit about music and singing.
It wasn't until I left Gordon that I really realized that I could sing though. I mean, in high school I was one of the better singers but I didn't think much of it for three reasons: 1) being a good singer in a crappy high school choir doesn't mean much. 2) High Schoolers are notorious for not giving themselves credit for their talents. 3) Most of my best friends in high school were also musically talented (Especially Daniel who far outshined me in musical intelligence). College, though it taught me a lot about music, did little to boost my singing confidence because I was in a classical setting surrounded by vocal performance majors who sang the classical stuff much better than I did. Oxford really changed things in that aspect because I joined an Acappella group that really put me more in my element (stylistically speaking). Even so, it took me almost the full year with my merry group of doo wapping buddies to fully come out of my shell.
This year I have really been missing music though. It is the first real year since I was 9 that I haven't been immersed in the stuff. I didn't realize how much I missed it until recently though, when I started going to jam sessions at jazz clubs. I've only been a couple of times so far, but I really have been enjoying it. I need to get more music in my life soon or I am going to die. Of a dismal existence.
However, I have what most people refer to as a "good ear." A very good ear in fact, which is the only thing that saves me in the crazy world of time signatures and musical computation. I actually think that calling it "good ear" is a bit of a misnomer, I prefer to think of it as "musical intuition"; something you cannot really explain, but have a good feel for. Now, growing up the conflict between musical intuition and musical intelligence caused some frustrating and yet exhilarating experiences. I could easily jam on the trumpet with any band that came along. I had a good tone and a knack for improvisation (though I didn't know what I was playing most of the time). That was the fun part, the frustrating part was that people assumed that I knew what I was doing and that I could play whatever they wanted me to play; resulting in me spending long moments in my room trying to decipher the mysteries that were hidden between the lines of the musical pentagram. In the end, my frustration won out over my other talents and the trumpet slowly fell more and more into disuse.
When I hit college I tried out for two musical ensembles: the jazz band and the choir. My tryout of the jazz band was basically a confirmation of what I just explained, with me breezing through the improvisation bit and crashing and burning in the sight reading test. So I didn't make it. The test to get into the choir was only an ear test though, so I got in without a problem. My time in the choir was made up of me trying to learn the music by ear as quickly as possible (yeah, I was "one of those people" that dragged the choir down until the music was learned). However, I had fun once I learned the pieces and I learned quite a bit about music and singing.
It wasn't until I left Gordon that I really realized that I could sing though. I mean, in high school I was one of the better singers but I didn't think much of it for three reasons: 1) being a good singer in a crappy high school choir doesn't mean much. 2) High Schoolers are notorious for not giving themselves credit for their talents. 3) Most of my best friends in high school were also musically talented (Especially Daniel who far outshined me in musical intelligence). College, though it taught me a lot about music, did little to boost my singing confidence because I was in a classical setting surrounded by vocal performance majors who sang the classical stuff much better than I did. Oxford really changed things in that aspect because I joined an Acappella group that really put me more in my element (stylistically speaking). Even so, it took me almost the full year with my merry group of doo wapping buddies to fully come out of my shell.
This year I have really been missing music though. It is the first real year since I was 9 that I haven't been immersed in the stuff. I didn't realize how much I missed it until recently though, when I started going to jam sessions at jazz clubs. I've only been a couple of times so far, but I really have been enjoying it. I need to get more music in my life soon or I am going to die. Of a dismal existence.
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