[00:00:00] Musical Instruments Intro

Today we're going to talk about musical instruments that we have played or can play. C- can I play any? I don't know. But we'll talk about it. We play- ... with varying degrees of beauty. Not skill. Oh, skill, I guess . No, no. Beauty. Degrees of beauty.

[00:00:23] Learning Piano at Home

The first instrument I learned to play was the piano. Ah, typical. Yeah. This is very common in Canadian culture. This is a common instrument to have in the home.

Yeah. Also very common in my cultural background. Mm. People play a lot of piano. Did you have an actual piano, like a stand-up piano- Yeah that needed tuning? Yeah, yeah. Okay. Yeah. One of my uncles is a professional piano tuner. Whoa. That's his job. Yeah, so he would tune it when he'd come to visit us. Fun. But also, my mom was quite proficient on the piano.

Nice. Yeah, yeah. So we had a real piano made of wood- Mm ... with all the pieces inside it. Yeah.

[00:01:00] Piano Stories and Progress

Actually, thinking about that, once a bird got into our house and got stuck in the piano. Oh. He didn't know how to play it. What was he doing there? Anyway, we got him out. And he was okay, uninjured? Uninjured, yeah.

It's spacious in there. It is. Uh. As long as you don't play it. That, there's hammers- Oh, yeah ... and there's- No, we heard rustling... strings. Okay. And we were like, "What?" Anyway... Why is the piano making that sound? Yeah, yeah. How did he get in the house? I don't know. Oh. I'm not a bird, and I did learn to play it.

Which actually, I never was very good at it, um, but I learned how to read music. Great. Which I think is a nice basic skill that I- I think could transfer if I ever wanted to. So were you playing with two hands? Yeah, playing with two hands. Yeah. I, I went up a little ways... You know, m- maybe you're familiar with this, but there was a very popular series of learning books for the piano in the '80s, and in fact, I think the same books I don't know if the same books are produced now, but I know my cousin's kid is using the same books. Oh, it could be- They might be left over

retro, like their, their parents used them. Yeah. I'd be curious. Hmm. Anyway, the, the levels were colors. Oh. So I stopped when I got to blue. Blue, yes. And I... It started- Very respectable. Maybe. I'm a blue level piano player. I think it, it started at red, pink, purple, blue. Oh. So I wasn't a total beginner, but- Yeah

I wasn't excellent. Yeah. Do you have any? I also took piano lessons- Ooh ... as a kid. Yeah. And I didn't have the color books. What? How did you learn? Well, books. If not those books, it's impossible. I don't remember the series name. Oh, interesting. Um, but yeah, I took piano lessons. We had a piano too. I don't know where it came from or where it went.

Um, yeah. Pianos are really big and hard to move. Yeah. And actually, thrift stores don't really want them these days- True ... because they're so hard to move. Yeah.

[00:03:01] Lessons Then and Now

Lately, my son... So at home now we have an electronic keyboard. But like a full size one that has 88 keys, because he plays- Okay ... piano. He wants to learn.

Oh, does he? Nice. Um, but every now and then he says, "Mom, can we get a piano? Like a real piano?" Yeah. And I say, "Well, just keep your eyes out because I'm not gonna buy one- Yeah but sometimes you just see them for free." It, you just- People just want to get rid of a piano. It's too bad, 'cause just a few years ago my parents got rid of theirs- Oh

when they moved, and we didn't know where, I don't know where... I do think it ended up finding a home, but it was a bit- It's hard to find- Yeah ... a home for a piano. Not everybody wants one anymore. Yeah. Yeah. Well, I don't actually want one. I like the keyboard. I like that it's- Oh, yeah ... portable. Yeah. But I mean...

A piano takes up a lot of room. It does, but if your kid asks for a piano, that's a nice thing- Oh, yeah ... to be able to say yes to. If they wanna get off a screen- Yeah ... instead of an instrument, you wanna encourage that. Yeah. For sure. For sure. Yeah.

[00:03:56] Keeping Skills and Teachers

So I wouldn't say I'm very good on piano. I can... There's a few songs that I still have as muscle memory.

Totally. So I could sit down and I could impress you with, like, a song. The Entertainer. That's mine. Ooh, that's a good one. That one's locked in there. Yeah. Sing it.

I never took singing lessons- ... and it shows, so I'm not gonna fall into that trap. Sorry. Okay. But did you have a piano teacher as well as the books? Yes. Yes. Yeah. And you would go to someone's house? Yes. Yes. Me too. Uh-huh. Yeah, once a week, I think probably- Yeah ... for half an hour. Yeah. Okay. But I said my son plays piano.

He and my daughter both learned with an app. Oh, interesting. Yeah, it was during the pandemic. Modern days. It was amazing. Yeah. They got this app, and it was, it was gamified. Yes. So it was very fun, very motivating. And they both, like, learned, actually learned how to read music, and- Yeah ... my son has, um, a natural aptitude for music, and so he really just- I wish

went far with it. Good for him. Yeah. But it was, it was surprisingly effective. Yeah. Your daughter has lost interest. She hasn't kept it up? Well, now she's trying again. A little bit. Um, yeah. But she was also younger- Yeah ... and yeah, she did, she did great. Yeah, yeah. If you're watching, honey, you did great. I would always expect that from her.

Yeah. Interesting. But I did go to a piano teacher. And then- Yeah. So I, I agree You have- It's a nice skill to have, to be able to read music ... were you, did you get kind of intermediate? What would you say? Maybe. Yeah. Yeah, yeah. Do you do it anymore? Like, do you sit at the keyboard? No, not really. Oh. I did recently, um, my son left his music out, and I was like, "Oh, I wonder."

Yeah. So I sat down to try, and it was slow. It was a slog. Yeah. There's a word. It was a slog- That is a good word ... to get through it. Um, yeah. Yeah. Not, not my, not my strength. Same. We have that in common. Do you know, I also had a piano teacher, and when I went to school to do my teacher training- she was in my class. Oh. Isn't that a funny coincidence? Yes. And it was so strange, 'cause I knew her when I was a young child and she was an adult. Yeah. And then here we were peers. Wow. Yeah. It was nice to see her again. Yeah. Aw. Funny. Do I know her? I don't think so. I haven't worked with her. Okay. So I don't know, maybe she took it another direction.

I'm not sure. But yeah. Yeah. Small world. It is.

[00:06:30] Music and Language Connection

In a lot of ways, music and language are connected, I think. Yeah. Or they can be. Yeah. They can be considered similar, 'cause you're reading music the way you read words- A story, yeah ... or a story. So- It's a method of communication also, you could say.

Yeah. I wonder if, if a language brain and a music brain overlap in a lot of ways. Okay, but when you say your son has a natural aptitude, I feel like I've always loved the idea of making music- Mm ... and I'm just bad at it. Oh. I don't... Like, whatever it is that works for me with language- Okay ... is not working for me with music.

Okay. Yep. Very good example. Um. I am wrong. Well, maybe I'm the outlier. M- maybe.

[00:07:11] School Strings and Cello

Uh, so in school, did you learn any instruments? Yes. In middle school, which for me, this will shock you again- ... was grade six, seven, and eight. Every time. I'm so surprised. She's surprised because as we've mentioned in another episode, most schools here go kindergarten to grade six.

Yes. But, uh, mine was K to five. So in six, seven, and eight, I learned cello. What? Yeah, but I really don't... I learned it because we had a cello at home. Yes. Um, but I don't, I really have almost no memory. Like, it didn't really make an impression on me, to be honest. It made an impression on me just now. More than it did on me in three years.

So I have so much respect for that teacher Oh, yeah ... because who would, who would intentionally teach grade sixes how to play a cello? Well, also he didn't ... It was a room full of kids playing different stringed instruments. Okay. So I played the cello, and a number of others. Yeah. Some people were playing viola.

Yes. Some were playing violin. Amazing. I think that was it. I think it was all strings. Okay. I guess I shouldn't be so surprised, because in grade seven- No, who would have known? ... my son did learn strings also. Yeah. His school had a string, strings and band. Yeah. And some kids took strings, and some took band.

Um, but they didn't play for months. Like, they were only allowed- Oh ... to hold it for months. L- l- I can't imagine what's happening. It's just a room full of kids- ... holding instruments. They had to learn how to hold it properly, and take it in, like take it out and put it back in the case. For months? It felt like months.

Oh my gosh. It was months before they made a noise. But also, like- ... when you're learning a stringed instrument- Yeah ... it sounds terrible. Oh, yeah, yeah, I sounded awful. Probably for most of those three years. Yeah, but if you hit it wrong- Yeah ... yeah, it's not gonna go- It's really wrong. Oh, I can feel, I can feel that bow hitting wrong.

Yeah, it's not good. That's true. But, but just months of holding it. There's some sort of bond that forms. Yeah, I- You make an imprint on the instrument. I'm gonna have to ask more follow-up questions. Yeah. What did you do in that time? Maybe they were learning theory. Do you know, when I ... I studied art in university, and one day my teacher said I wasn't allowed to touch my paper anymore, and he made me sit in a chair and look at my drawing for like two hours.

Why? Um, yeah, good question. I mean, that's a whole other topic, I suppose. I think he wanted me to do more thinking. Okay. Like really think about it. Okay. Change your perspective. Really look at it critically. Got it. Yeah. He was actually an excellent teacher, so- ... I do think it was helpful, but, I mean, for months.

Well, I think, I think this teacher was teaching them respect for the instrument. Yeah, okay. Maybe.

[00:09:59] Middle School Guitar Bands

Okay, what about you in middle school? Middle school, my, my middle school had guitars. Oh, guitars. Nice. We had a class set of classical guitars. Um, and so we all learned to play, like, Yankee Doodle and Ode to Joy.

Dun, dun, dun, dun, dun, dun, dun, dun. Yeah. Dun, dun, dun. Nice. Yeah, it was, it was great. Um, I actually, I th- I took a real liking to it. And I was able to join a couple different groups of- Fun ... of instrumentalists or musicians. Yeah. One was, um, a small classical guitar ensemble. Cute. So we were all only playing one note at a time, but because there were, like, six of us- Yeah

we made beautiful harmony. I like it. So a real classical guitarist would play all those notes on his one guitar. You were like a group of people combined into one guitarist. Yes. I like it. Yes. But it was- Gotta start somewhere ... it was really, like, the, the music was beautiful. We were playing simple but classical, nice pieces- and I liked that. Yeah. We also had a rock band at school. Oh. Unexpected. I played electric rhythm guitar Wow. Right? Good for you. Isn't that a shock? Yeah, a- 100% a shock It's just not her style, you guys. Yeah. I mean, apparently it is. Apparently it is. Or it was. It was, yeah. And you had fun. I, I had fun. Um, we played mostly older classic rock- Yeah

because it, it was the teacher's, teacher's choice, I think. Oh, yeah. And it's kinda simple. Yeah. Um, and my job was really just, like, rhythm chords in the background.

[00:11:35] School Dance Memories

I like it. And I had to do a little shuffle, so I had to, like, move this way- Oh ... and this way, and this way. Like the beginnings of dance. The beginnings of dance, yeah.

This is about how much Canadians learn to dance as children. This is the top. It was great.

[00:11:48] Garage Band Days

Like, we had a drummer, and we had a keyboardist, and a few guitarists, couple lead guitarists who did solos. Oh. But they had talent. Yeah, yeah. Like, I just did the strumming. And you did it well, I'm sure. I'm sure. Some talent.

I'm sure I did. And some vocalists. It was- Cool ... yeah, it was pretty fun. Are there recordings of this? I don't know. Oh, I wish. You should ask your parents. I don't think they would have one. Oh. It was just at school. Yeah. But, um, yeah. But now whenever I hear one of those songs on the radio, I always think, "I used to play that."

Yeah. Can't do it now. I can't play the guitar anymore. I remember the G chord and the D chord. Therefore you can. I'm sure there's gotta be a song that's just G and D. So I did.

[00:12:28] Relearning Guitar Chords

We recently borrowed a, a guitar from the library- Yeah ... because the library's amazing, and if you don't believe me, we have a whole episode about it.

And so I thought, "Well, let's see. Let's see what I can do." And it's surprising how many things I forgot and how many things I really can't... Like, I can't make an F. I can't. I remember nothing from the cello, so- ... you're doing well from my perspective. An F, no. No, I can't do it. So then I was looking for songs that only use the chords that I could play well.

Yes. And they are very limited. Two chords does it. Yeah. Maybe if you threw in... I mean, is F the one that would tip you over into- Maybe. Hmm. I could do an A. I could do an E minor. Oh. Yeah, there's, there's- Look, the more we talk- ... the more she tells us what skill remains. I'm actually really amazing. No, no. I've just l- literally, in how ever many years of knowing you, have never heard about it, but a secret guitarist.

Secret. Um, I got some secret talents. Yep. Fun. Eepers.

[00:13:28] Harp Appears On Set

If you are watching our video on YouTube- A harp just appeared. A harp appeared. Magic. The other instrument I once pl- I mean, I can't even really say I once played it. I own an instrument currently. This is where we're going, and it is a harp. It's called a, a lap harp or a Celtic harp.

It only has, I think, 26 strings, and if you are watching us, you might be able to see that one of those strings is currently broken. So it has 25. Uh, also I'm pretty sure my child has put some DUPLO blocks in here. Of course, yeah. Hear something? It's not the sound of a harp. No, it's not. Anyway, I'm not gonna bother taking them out.

They're in there. Also, it's not in tune. But it's beautiful. It is gorgeous. Yes.

[00:14:14] Gifted Celtic Harp Story

And the story of how this harp came to be is that my, when I graduated from university, my parents gifted me a harp. Hmm. Why? Not entirely clear. You say a harp. You mean this particular harp? This harp, yes. Yes. Uh-huh. And it's a handmade harp.

Hmm. And my, the man who made it, who's, like, a craftsperson, that's what he does, and we had seen his work, actually. That's why, uh, they had this idea, because I had seen his booth at a music festival and shown interest. Um, anyway, he made the pieces, and then my dad assembled it- Oh ... solely for the purpose of, like, giving it a little more sentimental value, meaning- Hmm

you know. Um, and it's beautiful, so I love it even just as a decorative object- Yes ... in my home. Yeah. But I did learn when I first got it, a little bit... I'm gonna set it down. You're not gonna play us a little song? Oh, no. I don't remember any songs. But I keep meaning to get back to it. But oh- Hmm ... first I have to find a place I can buy harp strings- Oh, yeah

to replace that one. Well, you could play with 25. Could I? I could. Anyway, when I first got it, I did- It's gonna be... It's like me without the F chord. Exactly. I'll Google what songs can I play missing the bottom D.

What harp songs exist? I'll get AI to write me a song. There you go. Hmm. Anyway, when I first got it, I did get some songs. Hmm. And luckily, I could read music from my earlier piano education. Yes. So I learned, I mean, it's obviously very different, but the music looks the same. And my harp, you probably can't see, but it has some red strings and blue.

Okay. And the rest are white. So the red is C, and the blue is F. Yep. So it helps you locate your hands on the strings.

[00:16:03] Border Guard Serenade

Mm. So I learned a couple of very, very basic songs, but the funny thing is we went to visit my family in the United States. Yes. Larissa and I are Canadian, so we were crossing the border.

And for some reason, long, complicated story, we got pulled to the side- Mm ... for them to look through our car. But when they opened the trunk, the first thing on top of all the luggage in the trunk was my harp. So the border guard asked me to come out and pick up the harp so they wouldn't damage it, which was very nice.

Yes, I like that. So then while they're digging through our belongings- I'm holding my harp and he says... No, another border guard comes over and says, "Hey, do you play that thing?" And I said, "Well, I know a song." So this is the story of how I ended up serenading the border guards who were rifling through our, our belongings-

with a rudimentary, very basic, poorly played harp song. And when they were all done, they put it back in the trunk and I got in the car, and they said, "Have a good day," and I said, "You too," 'cause I just had this nice... And my mom said, "Don't

tell them to have a good day." 'Cause they'd taken some of our things, and she was annoyed about it. They're my audience, my first audience, Mom. First and only. So my, my only ever harp concert- Aw ... played at the border under duress. Not really. I think it looks lovely in the background. Maybe it should be part of the decor.

Oh, maybe it should. What do you think, Keepers? Magic. There's so much magic in this house today. We'll make another episode about that. the magic. Um, that's, that's all my instruments. I'm out. My very non-impressive musical career. No, listen. You pull out a fl- a harp, that is impressive. I mean, the visual I've got.

Yeah. The actual music. I think it would be not a bad idea to just re- practice that one song again. I should learn one song. And keep it in your back pocket. Like, that's a, that's a party trick. Also, listen, here's the thing with a harp. If it's in tune, you don't even have to sing a song. You just bloop up those strings.

Hey. It sounds gorgeous. All right.

[00:18:11] Tuning Mishaps

Does your friend the piano tuner also tune harps? My uncle. No. Your uncle, yeah. Uncle. He doesn't. No? Oh. I know how to tune it. It's not hard. Oh, okay. I broke that string because I had my tuner on the string above it, but I thought I had it on that string. And it wasn't changing.

So I wasn't changing. I kept tightening it, and then it snapped. Oh, god. Classic. I think it's a common experience for anyone with a stringed instrument. But, ooh. Anyway, you, besides your, uh, rock star career- Oh, yes ... did you play any other instruments?

[00:18:41] Flute In High School

In high school I learned the flute. Oh. The flute, the long, thin, silver, this one-

instrument that goes like that. Uh, I played it all through high school. I took music lessons- Oh ... music class. A long time. Yeah, 'cause I enjoyed it. Epres, you know, this podcast is really helping me learn about my friend. Things I've never heard about, four years of your life. Yeah. Continue. Um, so my son actually, son who is adept at music- Yes

he started learning the flute as well in grade 10. Nice. And so he brought one home from school, and I still had one from high school. Mm. And I was like, "Let's do a duet." That's too cute. Can I still play a duet? Can I still do this? And I can. I love that. I'm not... It's, like, it's not beautiful, right? I- Well, but if you played for four years.

Yeah. I can still- Yeah ... again, it's still muscle memory. Like, I can find the, my starting note, and then I just go from there. I have a hard time, I would have a hard time identifying notes. Sure. Like, I have to count up Every Good Boy Deserves Fudge. Yep. That's how we learn the, the notes on the scale.

And, um, what are the spaces? Face. Oh. I think the spaces are face, and the, the lines are Every Good Boy Deserves Fudge. Anyway, I can't... So, so can I read music? I guess, if you give me the starting point. Hmm. But- I have to count. I can place a couple of them- Mm ... and then I count the others from there. I hear you.

Yeah. We're not sight readers. We're not. No. No. But you got to play a harp, a flute- A flute, yeah ... with your son. That's so sweet. We had fun. He had fun.

[00:20:09] Son Tries Every Instrument

And he- He just blows me away. He also learned, he's like, "You know, I think I wanna play the trombone." So he asked the teacher, "Can I take a trombone home?" Wow.

So he did, and he learned how to play that, 'cause- Amazing ... 'cause brass is very different from woodwind, the way you- Yeah, I would imagine ... you make the sound is very different, so he wanted to give that a shot. Um, and then he's like, "You know, there aren't any oboes. I think that's a pretty hard one. I'm gonna try it."

So he took home an oboe. What's an oboe even ... It has a piece that moves? That's the trombone. Thought maybe an oboe- ... it's like the cousin, trombone cousin. No. No. They're not related? Not at all. O- oboe looks like a clarinet. It's, it g- Oh ... it goes down like this, but it has a double reed. It's a skinny little reed.

Okay. So that's what makes it challenging, it's that- It's skinny ... the double reeded instruments are harder to make a sound with. Yeah. We're learning- We are ... together.

[00:21:08] Library Cello Experiment

Um, and if we can just go back for a moment- Yes ... to my favorite public building, the library. The beloved library. Um, I d- so I said that, um, my son learned to hold and then play- Yes ... stringed instruments. He played the viola in grade seven and eight. Um, I really wanted him to play cello. Oh, did you? Why?

I think the cello is the most beautiful instrument on the face of the earth, the sound of it. Yeah. I think it's gorgeous. I just love it. And so I was like, "Play the cello. Play the cello." "No, Mom, I wanna play the viola." Hmm. "Oh, come on." The viola is arguably the hardest string instrument, I would say, 'cause it has its own clef.

It has an alto clef. It doesn't play on like- Yes ... like the piano has a treble and a bass clef- Uh-huh ... like the lines, it has its own. A viola just, 'cause I think that one's not super popular. Hmm. My understanding, correct me if I'm wrong, it's a violin tuned differently. Well, it's bigger also. Oh, it's its own shape.

Yeah. Eepers. I know very little about music. The trombone and the oboe are not related. They are not. And the violin and the viola are not the same body. But, but here we go. Carry on. Anyways, good to know. So it's similar to a violin. It is very similar, but a little bit harder. Its own clef, yeah. Anyway, great, fine.

Hmm. Learn the viola. Do your thing, but you're breaking your mama's heart- ... because all I want is to hear the cello being played. Uh-huh. And at one point he says, "You could just learn the cello, Mom." Very logical response. I'm like- Take notes ... oh, yeah, I guess I could. Yeah. So I got a, I got a cello from the library- Yeah

because you can do that at the library. Um, and I got it home, and oh, I can make the most beautiful open notes. Yeah. And open notes means, like, when the strings are just... Like, you're not, you're not touching with your left hand. You're not making any chords. Nope. You're just moving the bow across, and I can make a beautiful low C.

Oh. That sound is just so lovely. That's all you needed. Mm. You know? She doesn't even wanna hear a song. She just wants to hear a boing. 'Cause as soon as I started using fingers, and he, he was in the class for two years, so he heard what the teacher was saying- to the cellists, so he could give me a bit of instruction.

I, I couldn't reach that far. I couldn't do it. It really hurt my hand to make- Interesting ... like, I was no good, and I didn't love it. I didn't like- No ... the process of it.

[00:23:32] Low C And Wrap Up

So I decided, first of all, if you ever need a low C, I'm your girl. Next time I'm living life and thinking, "This scene needs a low C on the cello," I'm gonna ring you up.

You should. You better answer the phone. No promises. I'll message beforehand, "Cello emergency." Yeah. Pick up. So I learned that, and I also learned I can hear cello music. I don't have to play it. Yeah, you don't. I can hear it on- You could even go to a concert if you wanted. Yes. Mm. Yes, and, and I can just appre- I can still appreciate it just as much if it's coming from someone else.

Maybe more, because it's coming from someone who plays it expertly. More than you enjoy your own low C probably. Probably. Although that was a beautiful C. Yo-Yo Ma would be jealous.

Eepers, as always, we love to learn about you also. Yeah. I learned so many things about instruments today, and about this person I thought I knew well- ... but apparently I don't. So tell us a little bit about your musical journey, if you have one. Have you played instruments? What do you want to learn to play?

Do you wanna hear Larissa's low C? Let us know. Take care. No, we should say- Find us on Facebook- Oh ... Instagram, or YouTube to join the conversation. Yeah. I wish I had said- Can you say that? ... during the thing about the app. We don't wanna- Yeah ... add anything now. No. Okay. Yeah. Yeah? Okay. You say join us on those three- to join the conversation. Instagram, Facebook, or- YouTube. Yeah. And then I'll say, "Check out our website." Yeah. You can join the conversation on Instagram, or Facebook, or YouTube. Wherever you, whichever one makes you happy. And check out our website for transcripts, vocabulary lists, and extra information about each episode.