Join Diane, Delores and me in our labours as we write the heck out of this topic. Or, in my case, some lesser degree of writing. That's okay, too. This is not a punishment, it's a fun exercise.
You can join us! Drop a poem in the comments on any of our blogs, or post it on your blog and leave us a note in the comments so we can find you.
*****
Music.
Such a small word. Such a broad topic.
So much to say.
So little I'm going to say . . .
. . . partly because I spent so much time listening to YouTube videos like this one, which was a delightful auditory experience and also an excellent reminder of the diversity of birds and the amount of effort that has been put into identifying, recording, cataloguing and publishing their songs.
Anyhow, after a lot of thought, my feelings on music boil down to this.
Good Fortune
I would trade all the orchestras
And all the voices in the world
For the sound of birds on a summer evening --
But I'm glad the choice
Is not either/or.
*****
In birdy news, I've identified a bird chirp that I've been hearing for the past two months. It sounds like a little laser gun: "PEW! Pew pew pew pew pew pew pew pew!"
So finally I Googled "birdsong pew pew pew pew pew" and found this:
We saw a cardinal and his mate in our yard for the first time this spring, but any time I was able to clap eyes on them, they were singing a different tune ("hoo-whittt! hoo-whittt! hoo-whittt!"). So I didn't associate the laser "pews" with them. I'm pretty excited to have found out they are responsible for the mystery song.
Then I looked a little further into cardinal songs, and found out just how many others they also have. How does anybody ever keep any of this stuff straight???
*huge sigh*
*****
That's it for this Poetry Monday! Tell me, if you're so inclined, what's your favourite kind of music?
It would not be much of an overstatement for me to say that I have dedicated my life to music. For every major decision of my adult (and adolescent) life, there was a musical reason somewhere near the bottom of the process of making it.
ReplyDeleteWe moved from our hometown of Eureka to Oakland in '84 to be closer to the music we loved and to get a shot at making our own.
And here I am 34 years later writing a comment about music on your blog while listening to a concert I attended in 1977 on my earphones.
Damn, Jenny, I need to play my guitars more often...
I will listen to the birdsong video as soon as this concert is through.
-Doug in Oakland
You may have already discovered that while the cardinal video is short, the other one may put you to sleep; it was just to show a few examples of North American birds for those who live elsewhere . . .
DeleteSo how did things go after '84 with your music? And yes, make time for what you love. Life is short.
I was never concerned with getting famous or any of that, what I wanted was to play the music I loved with musicians I admired, and I did that a lot.
DeleteAlso, I wanted to be recognized as a musician by those other musicians I thought highly of, and that happened also.
And there were a few times when regular people paid American dollars to see me play, and that felt like success to me.
These days I'm more likely to make music with my computer than with other musicians, but as I taught myself to use the software (that I mostly got for free in the 2000s) even that has a certain kind of satisfaction mixed in with it.
The hardest part has always been obtaining a place to do it, and there were times when that was out of my reach, but I feel like the times when I did really made up for the times when I didn't.
-Doug in Oakland
Sounds like you did all right, Doug. That must be a great feeling to know you accomplished so much of what you set out to do. Many people don't get that far.
DeleteJust to be clear, many of my non-musical pursuits could have gone much better...
Delete-Doug in Oakland
But that doesn't have to negate the accomplishments :)
DeleteBirdsong is high on my list too. And silence.
ReplyDeleteOn the birdsong theme, I was given a CD identifying birds local to (or common in) my area and their call. The work involved boggles my mind.
I think recording bird calls and doing the work to log them properly would have to be at least partly a labour of love.
DeleteSilence is one of my favourite sounds, too. And a ticking clock. Where were you when I needed inspiration for this poem? ha ha
I clicked on the first link and decided in no time at all I couldn't possibly listen to 15 minutes of that. but I do like the cardinal pew pew pew.
ReplyDeleteI like some of the music I grew up with, some of the music my kids grew up with and even some that my brother remembers that I didn't. Some of the songs my grandkids listen to gets my toes tapping also and that's what I like. Music that makes me want to move.
Ha ha! I only intended that link to be an example for those who don't live in North America. Probably should have mentioned that :) Was running late :D
DeleteI love music that makes me move, too. That's pretty much the definitiion of what I listen to, the rare times I listen.
Cardinals have some pretty interesting calls...we have a pair or two in the cedars in our back yard and they are noisy little guys especially first thing in the morning. The sounds of nature are my favourite music as well.
ReplyDeleteNature sounds never seem to get on my nerves the way some man-made music does :)
DeleteI just played the video and it woke up my cat. I closed my iPad with the Cardinal kept singing and Daisy started pawing at it. This will probably be the most action that I see out of her today.
ReplyDeleteHa ha! My cat just looked at me with that accusing stare cats are so good at. My apologies to Daisy :)
DeleteNice comparison of bird song to orchestras.
ReplyDeleteDo I have to ask if you like bird song, Red? :D
DeleteI love birds too and spend lots of time watching and listening. I recogize certian birds now but few songs. Your poem is perfect!
ReplyDeleteThere are so many to learn! I think the only way is to learn slowly. So many of the examples in the link sound so similar. And yet they are very distinctive when listened to on their own.
DeleteFrom the birds or from the speakers, it's definitely music!
ReplyDeleteSomething for everybody, right?!
DeleteI've very eclectic tastes in music though lately I've been listening to stuff from earliest childhood when the radio in the apartment or the car was always on. I'm glad not to choose between nature and music, too. Birds make their own music and it is lovely.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad for all of it, although if I had to choose one, it would be birdsong! (now I'm just repeating myself - hah)
DeleteAs a dj and a life long fan of music, I couldn't live without it. Birds singing is a nice noise but one I could live without it. :)
ReplyDeleteYeah, I pretty much knew where you would land on this topic, Joey!! Actually, that's a lot like our son. He couldn't live without it either.
DeleteI love music... too much. When I'm listening to music, I can't think of anything else; and if I do try to concentrate on something else at the same time I get exhausted and stressed. So music time is limited until I get my work done every day; but if I'm painting or working out or doing some other physical thing that doesn't require a lot of thought, let the tunes roll! :-)
ReplyDeleteThat's a great point about the concentration aspect. It's the same for me, which is probably why I don't like other people's music to be on if I am working. I can't seem to tune it out.
DeleteI LOVE the sounds cardinals make. In all my years living in the big city of Montreal, not only did I never see a cardinal but I'd never heard one. It's only when we moved to Kingston in Ontario that I finally saw these lovely birds and heard them sing. They are a joy to listen to!
ReplyDeleteWe have so many lovely songbirds! I'll have to brush up on the cardinals' other songs. The "pew pew pew" just cracks me up :) And even the lowly robin has a wonderful song. I'd never associated the song with the bird. Anytime I've watched them, they've been hunting/eating, not singing.
DeleteI get super annoyed with people who complain about birds waking them up with their singing. Then again, I can sleep through anything so maybe I'm getting annoyed when I have no right to be.
ReplyDeleteJazz is the only kind of music I have paid money to hear but I like lots of different genres.
Birds don't usually wake me up either, with the exception of crows. When they get really excited, they can wake the dead :)
DeleteHello Jenny, I like classical music. I remember hearing it in hospital. One of the inmates played it on his radio.
DeleteFrom reading about the various bands on your blog, it surprises me a little that you like classical music, too, Terry!
DeleteMUSIC
ReplyDeleteOnce there was music
Often the sources were unknown
Especially in jungle or forest
You would walk along
With accompaniment
From the green canopy above
From shady branches
Or from shrubs close by
Mellifluous and practised
Rising or falling
Woven patterns in the air
Or single note staccato
Sweet as honey
It was the soundtrack of our lives
Now
All is quiet
So very
Quiet…
This has already come to pass in some places. I hope it doesn't happen everywhere. Thanks for contributing this week, YP.
Deletewould you believe i love broadway show tunes? Rent, Phantom of the Opera, Evita are some of my favorites.
ReplyDeleteThey're generally quite catchy and singable, aren't they?
Delete