Tag Archives: music

Simon Wrote Music

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Simon was hard at work at his table a few nights ago, banging out repeated notes on an old musical instrument from when he was a baby, a xylophone/celeste combo thing (with a really out of tune sixth scale degree that has always bothered me, but let’s move on.)

He was also scribbling on his paper with some markers, which I thought was an odd combination. He usually focuses a bit more when at his table, so I had a closer look.

He was making up a tune, and writing it down in his own simple notation system. All by himself. He saw me reading an old 1970’s music copying handbook the other night (let’s move on), but this was all him.

He’s five, he is awesome, and I am a super proud dad.

I Wanna Watch The Man Paint The Girl

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“I wanna watch the man paint the girl!”

This is what Simon, age two years and eight months, is saying as he sits in my lap. He means that he wants to watch this for the third fourth time:

I promise that I’m a good parent. He just loves watching music videos on YouTube, because the man sings and maybe plays drums. Last session, it was a few Stevie Wonder live videos. We used to sit and make fun noises with GarageBand, but these days, it’s “watch the man sing!”

Update: We have transitioned effortlessly to this:

…which features what must be the best telephone-based song intro of all time.

Update 2: At the end of the Marvin Gaye video, he said, “That was cool!” See, I am a good parent.

Oldies but Goodies

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Today at the grocery store, I heard “Hot Hot Hot!!!” by The Cure playing on the store music pipe. The Cure. At Kroger.

This song is from the 1987 record Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me, one of my all-time #1 no doubt desert island favorites. I remember buying this CD at a mall somewhere in northwest Arkansas during a high-school band trip.

The odd thing is, I just listened to most of this record two days ago as background music while driving and walking around at work. iTunes tells me the last time that happened was March 2007. Almost six years ago.

I am officially an old man. And the cadre of store music pipe sociologists at Kroger HQ knows what they’re doing, demographically speaking.