I feel a little blah about my song today. It qualifies as a minor violation of rule #1. I don't dislike the song, but I don't exactly love it, either. ...but it's kind of a standard, and I admire Dolly Parton. It's a fine song... but you know me and sentimentality. This song is basically a long, drawn-out goodbye, and in order to get into it, you have to have a thing for long, drawn-out goodbyes. So sometimes I bend rule #2; today, I bend rule #1 a little bit. I have three versions of this song: Whitney, a dance mix of Whitney, and Dolly. Last week I saw the very talented performer and celebrity impersonator Jason Cozmo do this song as Dolly, and it reminded me I should learn it. I learned it this morning before my lobby gig, and opened with it.
I-vi-IV-V pop songs notwithstanding, I did decide to mix in a little classical for the benefit of the non-condescending classical music lovers who walk by me every Monday, and was rewarded for my efforts by a woman who was very appreciative of Fur Elise (don't judge, people like hearing things they recognize). Mr. Condescending P. Dude walked past me today just as I was finishing a Mozart slow movement. I could have proceeded to the rondo, like any well-behaved sonata player would do. But the triumphant smile he shot me upon hearing that final, intrinsically baroque/classical delayed cadence inspired me... to play a few schmaltzy-twinkly ii-Vs in the key of Eb (not the key of the sonata). It was an instant, one-time standard I made up on the spot, called "That's What a Piano's For".
A piano is for hitting. A piano is for hits - hits that are centuries old, hits that no one except the composer has heard yet. Everything that stands the test of time has to be new at some point.
And did you get a reaction from Mr. That's-what-a-piano's-for?
ReplyDeleteDustino