Musical Musings

January 12th marked the third anniversary of the day I took my first official dulcimer lesson. Thinking about this date made me look back and remember all those who led me and encouraged me on this journey.

My love for music really began at a young age. I remember Mom teaching me and my classmates hymns using her giant picture books that went along with each one. Singing time was always my favorite part of the school day in the small Christian school I attended where my mom taught 1st-3rd grades all in one classroom. She'd teach us the hymns during our Bible time in the morning and we'd all take turns getting to hold up the pictures for all the others to see. In the afternoons, we'd sing fun folk songs. We always loved it when she'd get out the rhythm instruments and let us keep time. Although she teaches in a much larger Christian school now in a much bigger city and the times have definitely changed, she still teaches these songs to her students.

Dad is the one who taught me how to just sit and listen without distractions to a song for pure enjoyment. I remember many evenings when Dad would put some of Granddad's old records on the turntable and turn the lights off, close his eyes, and just sit in his rocking chair and listen as the music filled the room. My sisters and I loved sitting and listening with him. Dad wasn't much of a singer, but every once in a while, we'd hear him humming along. We learned songs like the "Wabash Cannonball" and "Tennessee Waltz."  Dad especially liked the old gospel songs that spoke of heaven like "The Unclouded Day" and "By and By, When the Morning Comes." Sometimes I'd wonder what he was thinking about when he'd sit in his chair with his eyes closed listening to these songs. Probably heaven. Now, he's in heaven hearing music that is more beautiful than we could ever fathom! It was at this young age when I dreamed of someday taking violin lessons and learning to play "Dad's songs."

My parents knew of my desire to learn how to play the violin, but I grew up in a very small town in southern Iowa where the only music lessons available were piano lessons. Mom got me started taking piano lessons from a lady who would come to the school once a week, but I lasted only about three months. I just had no desire for the piano and we had no piano at home to practice on. I didn't miss it at all when I stopped lessons and I still don't regret quitting. My desire was to play the violin.

Well, the years went on and we eventually moved to Des Moines about a month before I turned 15. I started attending school, making friends, and I got my first job working at a grocery store. One summer day after work, my mom came to pick me up. (I was one of those uncool kids who didn't have her driver's license, let alone her own car.) I was just a couple months shy of turning 17. She said she needed to run an errand before we went home. As we were driving along, we passed a music store. The neon signs in the window advertised that they offer lessons. My mom, who is notorious for thinking out loud, wondered whether they offered violin lessons.

"Why?" I asked.

"Don't you still kind of wish that you could take violin lessons?"

"Oh, I've wanted to practically my whole life."

"Let's turn around and go see if they offer violin lessons."

"Aww, Mom. I'm too old now. I can't read music. I'd look like an idiot."

"No, you wouldn't." And she u-turned the car and pulled into the parking lot. The next thing I knew, we were walking out of the store with a rental violin and I was signed up for lessons. That was back in July of 2001. My first lesson was to be a few weeks later in August. I'm so glad my mom didn't let me convince her that I was too old to start learning the violin. And after meeting a couple in their eighties at Fiddler's Grove Old Time Music Festival in North Carolina who were both just starting on violin lessons, I'm convinced that you are never too old to learn an instrument.

My first violin teacher was Deb. She was a local university student who was working on her music degree. Deb taught me how to read music. I knew that the little dots on the lines represented notes, but other than that I had no clue. Lessons were only a half hour long, which wasn't long enough. I wanted to play for hours!! And that's what I'd do during the week. I'd practice for hours. I was in love with the violin. I flew through my first two and a half books within four months, thanks to all the practice. However, Deb graduated from the university in December and I was left without a teacher.

Lucky for me, a lady at my church was a phenomenal violinist. She worked full-time somewhere, so she had only one violin student. My mom talked to her and she agreed to take me on as a student, too. Mrs. Wahlstrom was the best violin teacher I ever could have asked for. She taught me how to properly hold the fiddle violin and bow. I can still hear her voice: "Relax!" She taught me that "vibrato covers a multitude of sins" (intonational sins, that is). I also learned how to tap my foot to help me keep time. (The metronome and I never got along. I had to use my feet.) Mrs. Wahlstrom also convinced me to play in front of the church for the prelude. "Our Great Savior" was the first song that I ever played in front of an audience, and I was scared out of my wits. But with her encouragement and guidance, I made it through. It also helped that it was just during the prelude when everybody's talking and finding their seats and paying no attention to the musicians. :-) I missed her immensely when I went off to South Carolina for college, and I was always glad to be able to resume my lessons when I came home for the summers. Even though I live out of state now and play a lot of old-time fiddle music, she still keeps me accountable to make sure I'm holding my fiddle violin correctly and play the role of the dignified violinist once in a while. :-) Thanks, Mrs. Wahlstrom, for the years you put into my musical journey. I really did learn most of what I know about playing the violin from you.

When I went off to college, I knew I didn't want to quit taking lessons. I was afraid that if I put the violin on hold for four years, I might never take it up again. The university offered a violin class that anyone could take, but if you wanted private lessons you had to audition. I decided I would audition for the private lessons, since the violin class consisted mostly of beginner basics. I made it through the auditions but failed the music theory written test. However, I was still allowed to take private lessons as long as I also took Introduction to Music Theory. I signed up for lessons and the theory class. The theory class met one day a week, but I struggled throughout. Fortunately the class wasn't for a credit so  we didn't get graded. :-) (Music theory has always given me trouble, but over the years I've been learning it little by little. I still feel very inadequate in this area, but when I look at what I know now that I didn't know then, I am comforted that maybe I am learning it after all.) I was very nervous about taking private lessons at a university. Lessons counted for a credit. That means there would be a final exam at the end of the semester. It also meant that it could doom my g.p.a. if I didn't do well.

Mrs. Hutton was assigned to be my private teacher. Being a non-music major taking lessons in the same building with all the musical prodigies, I was very nervous. But Mrs. Hutton made me feel very comfortable and I learned a lot from her. The most important thing I learned from her was how to "play nicely with others" or at least play nicely with unruly piano accompanists. (Well, they seemed unruly to me, but I'm sure it was I who was the unruly one.) It was during these four years where I learned how to play under pressure, although I know I haven't mastered that yet. We'd spend the entire semester working on two pieces, a classical and a sacred piece. The classical piece would always involve shifting into extremely high finger positions. It would take me just about the whole semester to get those songs learned! And let me tell you, playing a solo in front of a panel of judges and knowing you are being graded is traumatizing! Nevertheless, I managed to get through seven of those final exams during my four years there without ever passing out.

Well, after  I graduated from college I got a teaching job offer here in Memphis. I was afraid that I would lose what I had learned over the past five years of violin lessons if I didn't find someone here who taught lessons. Finding an affordable teacher was one of the first things on my to-do list once I got settled in to my new job and my apartment. Well, it wasn't too long after I moved here that I met Mr. Barley, the man responsible for my conversion to old time music.

On my first Sunday at my new church, the pastor's wife asked if I would be willing to serve punch at a reception that the church was having after the evening service. She figured it would be a good way for me to get involved and meet people. I willingly obliged. (Everybody knows it's less intimidating to stand behind a punch bowl serving punch than to stand around awkwardly in a room full of strangers, hoping for some kind soul to pull you into his conversation.) I hadn't been serving punch for too long when a very exuberant man walked up to get his punch.

"Hi! You wouldn't happen to be a violinist, would you? You just look like the type of girl who would play a violin."

"Um, actually, I do play the violin." I was a little leery of him.

"Have you ever fiddled?" he asked me in a very peppy, hopeful voice.

"Not really. My roommate in college taught me one fiddle song."

"Well, my name's Mr. Barley and I'm the minister of old time music here at Central, and I need a fiddler for my string band. You interested?"

I was slightly taken aback by his offer. I mean, I'd never heard of a church that had a music minister AND a minister of old time music. And a string band?? Huh?

"Well, I really don't know how to fiddle."

"Eh, it doesn't matter. We'll fix that."

"Um, okay, then sure."

The next Saturday I was at the Memphis Area Bluegrass Association's weekly jam, where Mr. Barley had arranged for a fiddler to give me some tips on how to play a song fiddle-style. The very next day I was up on stage at church with the Cement Pond String Band playing "By and By, When the Morning Comes." And that was the beginning of my love for old time fiddling.

Mr. Barley also took me further in my musical journey by persuading me to join the church choir and later, the Promised Land Sacred Harp Singers. He is also a source of great encouragement whenever I'm extremely nervous before playing an offertory in church. And when I totally botch a song, he always tries to make me feel better. One of the most significant things he did for me was to introduce me to Larkin Bryant.

Originally, I was to take old time fiddle lessons from Larkin. Mr. and Mrs. Barley agreed to let us meet at their house for our first lesson. After my lesson, Mr. Barley insisted that Larkin play a song for me on his dulcimer. Before moving to Tennessee, I had never heard of a dulcimer. Larkin graciously obliged and played "Song for Polly," her own composition, and "What'll I Do with the Baby-O?" I loved it. For the next six months I would go to Larkin's house once a week where she'd teach me a new fiddle tune or show me how to "fiddle-ize" one of the tunes I was going to play with the Cement Pond String Band, but all that time I couldn't get that dulcimer out of my mind. I just knew I had to learn how to play one. Somehow, the topic came up once with Mr. Barley. He told me that "Desire is nine-tenths of everything" and that I should go out and get a dulcimer. A couple months later, I was the proud owner of a McSpadden Walnut dulcimer. I began taking dulcimer lessons from Larkin, with a fiddle lesson thrown in here and there.

One of the most important things Larkin has taught me is how to play music from the heart. (I find that hard, though, sometimes when my nerves get the best of me.) Her beautiful and graceful way of playing the dulcimer absolutely mesmerizes me. I don't think I could ever find a dulcimer player in all the world who can play like she does. I'm so privileged that she's my teacher! Larkin has also helped me begin to arrange my own songs for the dulcimer, something I thought I would never be able to do!

Not only do I have the people already mentioned to thank, but I also must thank the many people I've met at dulcimer jams who've shown me little tips and given me encouraging words. And, of course, the Memphis Dulcimer Gathering has played a huge part in my learning of the dulcimer. There's always a line-up of superb instructors. I've had the privilege of learning from some of the greatest mountain dulcimer players such as Janita Baker, Lee Cagle, Stephen Seifert, Lorinda Jones, Joe Collins, Molly McCormack, and several others.

All of these people in this post really stand out to me as those who have charted my course throughout my musical journey. Their dedication, patience, and encouragement have made this musical journey the journey of a lifetime. And I'm glad to say it's not over yet!