Color Each Phrase
My mother and father were both professional musicians when they met in the early 1930’s. My mother played the trumpet, my father the French horn. This meant:
- I was required to learn how to play both the piano and the French horn.
- I had to be “quiet” at home when my dad was conducting French horn lessons.
- I was severely discouraged from becoming a professional musician. “That’s not the best way for you to earn a living,” Dad said many times.
When Dad walked by as I practiced the piano, he often tapped me on the shoulder to remind me to color each phrase. “Each phrase is like a sentence. Each note, like each word, has to carry its own weight. It has to be interesting. Pay attention to each note,” he said.
And here I am, more than seventy years later, still applying that lesson. I pay attention to every word–a habit that was first a cobweb, then a cord, and finally a cable.
Actually, I think Dad was talking about variety. I would be bored listening to a newscaster delivering word after word in a monotone. At the grocery store I fill my cart with many different foods. And while I might be interested in a sequel, I seldom watch the same movie more than once.
We all need structure in our lives. At home I like the reassurance of having everything in its place (provided I can remember where that place is). But I also enjoy the thrill of discovery, which is why I choose a different topic for my blog each week.
The known vs. the unknown. We all seemed to bounce between the security of the familiar and the excitement of the fresh, something like a two-year-old running out to discover something new, then returning to the security of Mom’s arms.
I think that we can all live a fuller life when we “color each phrase,” paying attention to each moment, and making it interesting.
I wish you a day filled with color.
Alan