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Thank you Ido. You are very kind.

Thanks for the comments, lilypad! I think you are in the majority here on PW in terms of Country music not being your favorite genre of music. Due to my musical background and upbringing, it is among my favorite genres of music, for better or worse; but I also like many genres of music. And, I think it is true that music is indeed a universal language, regardless of genre.


Thank you for the kind words, Bill, and I enjoyed your rendition of Elvis' "Are you lonesome tonight". I too am a big Elvis fan, and, I'm also a BillM fan!!

Rick

Thank you, Lilypad. I made a mistake in naming it "The Crawdad Song". That was a different tune that Andy Griffith often performed in the series. This one was "The Fishin' Hole", the theme song for the series. I corrected the video title.

@BillM - I really enjoyed "Are You Lonesome Tonight". Thank you for treating us!

@Rick - I wasn't much of a country fan in my younger days, but now it's one of my favorite genres. Funny how that goes.

I hear you, Jim!

I was a teenager during the late 1960s and early 1970s, so I do like other genres of music besides Country, as you can imagine. There were some great music groups, and bands during that time, which certainly influenced my musical taste.

Also, my dad was a big Country Music fan, and when I was a kid that is the music I heard mostly around our house; and, that too helped to influence my musical taste.

Most of the members of the Piano Buddies group I participate in focuses primarily on Classical music, and I've gained an appreciation and respect for Classical music. By the same token, I think some of them have gained a certain appreciation for boogie and blues, and some of them are now learning some boogie and blues pieces/arraignments. Hope I'm not a bad influence on them...

I suppose we all have certain genres of music we like best, which can ebb and flow, as you mentioned.

Rick

I was a teenager in the '70s too, Rick. Born and raised in New England, where country music was scarce and usually derided. Like your dad, my dad was a big country fan, being raised in the West (where I am now). I got to hear his favorites, like Patsy Cline, Loretta Lynn, Roy Clark, Hank Williams, and a few others - but I didn't know anyone else who listened to that stuff. It's kind of silly, but I guess when we're young, we listen to the music that our friends listen to. For me that was mostly classic rock.

I was always drawn to the blues, though. Of all the genres, that one has been a constant my entire life. Never got into classical until the last decade or so. I still have a very limited appreciation for it - however what I *do* like sounds amazing to me.

Bluegrass, country, rock, boogie-woogie, stride, ragtime, blues, classical, jazz, gospel, hymns - it's all good. About the only thing I won't put up with is rap/hip-hop/heavy metal. That's just me.

Seems like we have a lot in common, Jim! At least when it comes to music, and our musical backgrounds (and our age?:-).

Speaking of the Blues, here is a song I wrote a couple of years ago entitled "I want to be a Blues Man". However, I do play it on an old Hohner acoustic guitar.

Also, I do some talking at the beginning of the video, which is a bad habit, but I always like to give some background info on my songs/arraignments. Some like the talking, and some don't; either way, I think I talk too much.

I know this is the Piano Bar and not the Guitar Bar, but there is a piano in the background and I mention the piano in my monologue. Of all the original songs I've written, this is among my favorites.

"I want to be a Blues Man" via YouTube

Rick

Something I just came up with while noodling on the piano. The first phrase seemed to say Something Calls Me so that's what I called it.

Rick, I think you may have a few years on me, but not many.

You're a natural with the blues. I really enjoyed that (even with the talking!).


Larry, that melody sounds familiar, but I can't quite place it. In any case, your title fits the piece well.

@LarryShone: I enjoyed listening to "Something Calls Me", Larry! A nice improvision for sure!


Hey, thanks for the kind words, Jim! And, I was just guessing about our age being similar, and didn't mean to imply that we were the same age. But when it comes to music, I forget just how old I am. I figure that is a good thing!

Reminds me of another one of my original songs, "Every time I think about you, it makes me feel so young". But I'll hold off on posting that one for a while.

Rick

LOL Rick. No worries. I'm guessing we're within 10 years of each other. Close enough for horseshoes and hand grenades.

Another one here about the same age. I started to become aware of country music in the early 1970's when introduced to it by my wife to be. Grew to like it and also admire the artists.

I was playing In the Bleak Midwinter by Holst prior to coming up with this

I played this piece over 2 years ago... in winter of course and made a recording in December. Now we're in spring heading into summer. A lovely song but unseasonal.

...unless you live in the southern hemisphere!

Catching up on comments for the fine performances...

BillM - That was a stirring rendition of Elvis' classic ballad "Are You Lonesome Tonight".

Rickster - "I want to be a Blues Man" was some great blues. You da man!

LarryShone - "Something Calls Me" was very nice. I also somehow missed commenting on "Drink to Me Only" which was also nice. It's great to see and hear what you're up to on the piano. I notice you had a different piano 'mascot' for the performances - a frog and then what looks like a seal. It's nice to have a friendly face nearby when recording.

Here are my "emotional support" mascots that I got to help me with recording anxiety. They also come in handy for counting and keeping track of repetitions when I want to see if I can play a passage perfectly 5 times.

Thanks Lilypad, it is an Otter from the gift shop at Chester Zoo

Here he is having a play at piano

chester the otter

LarryShone - Pretty cool Otter. My cat has played piano once or twice, but mostly she taps me on the leg to play with her instead of the piano.

I have a few turtles here. They are more in line with the pace of my playing.

My cat just jumped from the floor to the keys on my grand piano. HE HAS NEVER DONE THIS BEFORE!!