Instruments I Regretfully Didn't Play

Music for Teachers was the college class that was a complete joke but I secretly loved. I loved the auto-harp unit perhaps most of all. It brought back warm memories of Wednesday morning chapel in elementary school when the principal would lead us in singing "This is My Father's World" while strumming her magical instrument. Such a lovely, full, string-y sound, slightly out of tune twang just enough to be charming, and all with the simple push of a button. I had high ambitions to sneak into that Music for Teachers classroom some Friday night and record some hymns with the auto-harps. Never happened. Still upset about it. (0:56)

Rewind a few years. The saxophones sat behind the two people that played the big, low clarinets. Always jealous. Still am. So wood-y with its low buzz. Clarinets are making a huge comeback lately, so much so that I'm collecting songs for a clarinet tribute post, making me think again I picked the wrong woodwind. (4:49)

Then there was the season when our orchestra director recruited seniors to learn how to play a stringed instrument. Always ready to learn a new instrument, I chose cello. He gave us a lesson once a week. I didn't practice because it was too hard to take the thing home. After several lessons and no practicing, we were informed that we would join the 3rd graders for their concert. Here we were, the big kids sitting next to the little kids, trying to play Hot Cross Buns or something equally as simple with them, and failing miserably. And I wish I were in the audience instead, sure to save myself the humiliation, but moreso because this scene had to be so hilarious to observe. I had a dream the other day about being able to sit down and play something fancy on the cello. It didn't come true. Such a relaxing and sophisticated instrument. (5:16)

These are the reasons, among others, I like this video.

My Brightest Diamond & yMusic | A Take Away Show | Part 01 from La Blogotheque