Ear for Music

My mom plays the organ, can play the drums, and many other instruments. All of us were forced to take music lessons. My eldest brother was gifted with the most talent but the rest of us were decent. We all play piano, organ, drums, bongos, my sis played the sax and violin, my older brother and I played the trumpet. I can sorta work with the sax and my sis can sorta work with the trumpet. The only thing I know how to do with the violin is rub chalk on the bow.

My maternal grandfather played the electric guitar and piano and could play most any other intstrument he picked up. He taught me how to play the guitar. I even had my own as a kid.

My mother and eldest brother were blessed with great voices. The rest of us can sing but its not the type of singing where folks cheer, or close their eyes and focus when they hear you are about to do a solo or lead a song. I think some people have a vocal gift and others need some training. The only vocal lesson I ever got was my mother saying - quit singing from your throat, then she put her hand on my belly and said, it comes from here. My eldest brother probably had much better music teachers than we did, they had gospel albums out and part of their lessons required him to sing and play. They were the musicians that liked to throw their head back, and move all around as they played, as if they could make the music do more through the passion. Then there was the time he got a Billy Preston album listened to it for a week and could play every song, well. He played by ear and notes. I was probably 8 then and I didn't think I'd ever be that gifted.


My grandmother wanted a piano as a child but her parents couldn't afford it. When she got to be a teenager she saved up, got one and taught her younger sister how to play the basics. I guess my grams had an ear for music, she could also sing.

Her sister took what she learned built upon it and then taught my mother. My mother got a music teacher when she got older, so of course her own kids would have to take music lessons. My mom's a teacher but didn't have the patience to teach us piano so we had the music teachers that taught gospel by ear and a sprinkling of notes and classical teachers that were all notes. I think my mother was probably better than all but one of our music teachers. That man would sit on the couch the entire lesson watching t.v. and doing paper work. He never got up, but let me hit a wrong chord, he could tell me which finger did it. He knew when I hit the wrong pedal on the organ and would make faces.

Then he'd take my book and write a new and complicated (to me) song for me to learn in about 3 minutes, he'd write the chords, forcing me to learn the notes.

My father's side is very musical as well. His mother and her sisters used to have a singing group. His sisters used to travel with their singing and two sisters played. I've never known my father to sing a song or play an instrument but maybe the genes carried.

I'm wondering if TR has an ear. Mr A and I were at church last week and I asked him could he tell that the singer and the musician were in different keys, he said he didn't notice. I asked could he tell the musician didn't change chords at all, he didn't notice. I don't know if its training or just a natural thing.

The other night I was watching making the band and Day 26 started singing, it was terrible, my gosh it was awful. I would have turned the t.v. but TR started kicking so hard and just throwing a fit and I didn't know why. I told Mr A that it felt like TR was trying to exit and thought he could punch and kick his way out through my stomach.

Then the singing stopped and TR immediately stopped. I was wondering if TR thought it was horrible too. Today I read that at this stage you should start experimenting with music because babies can hear it. Could TR have a good ear? Could he already know when folks are singing off key and in no key at all? Did all that terrible singing distress him?