Monday, June 23, 2008

Hello from somewhere over Missouri

Looks like Missouri, I guess. Come to think of it, if I asked you to describe Missouri, from 32,000 feet, what would you say? Sure, it's got that big muddy river on it's eastern border (and boy howdy, it is ever bloated these days). But let's say, like me, you passed that 20 minutes ago. Is there a single identifying characteristic you could use to decide whether you're over Missouri? Illinois has miles upon miles of cornfields. Missouri has those, too. Arkansas has all sorts of lakes and hills... (you could even call them mountains, unless you're a Mountain Snob because you hail from a place like Colorado or Alaska or Tibet that has real mountains.) Missouri has those, too. Texas has a couple of very large cities. Missouri, too. It's like Missouri is a mash of all central time zone states.

Eh. Probably none of this will make sense when the airplane lands and my brain begins consuming oxygen at standard atmospheric levels.

Anyway, I'm flying right now, and will spend this week in Dallas, for work-related reasons. Next week will be our annual mid-summer trip to visit my dad in Montgomery, Alabama. Could be some seriously light posting in these parts for the next couple of weeks. Unless I find a piano in my hotel, in which all bets are off; you might even see daily updates.

I did, after all, bring both Alfred's Book One AND (gasp!) Book Two. Why Book Two? I have now made it far enough in The Entertainer that I actually turned the page before I left, and began the RH parts of Amazing Grace. Having done so, I actually feel better about Amazing Grace, after day one, than I did day one of The Entertainer.

Speaking of The Entertainer, I have two questions. (This has to be the worst post ever... I'm all over the place. I apologize to new visitors, it gets better, I promise.) The music in Alfred's isn't the whole thing, of course, just the first part. There are three, IIRC, with the first part repeated in between. So my first question is, how hard is the rest of it? I figure I may as well give it a try.

Second question... I feel like swinging the 8th notes when I play it. Is this an acceptable thing to do when playing ragtime?

I'll let you know tomorrow whether or not the Crown Plaza in Addison has a piano I can practice on. Won't that be fun?

7 comments:

AnthonyB said...

Have fun in the heat. :)

I'm not sure if you've got a car while there or not but a quick search on google reveals that there's a place called "Grand Staff Pianos" that's on Belt Line Road just east of the Tollway. Seems like it might be less than 3 miles from where you're staying. Looks like a Yamaha dealer.

Angela Thompson said...

You never told me you had a blog. And that you were such a regular!! Just skip shopping around for pianos and go to "Taco Cabana". Best tacos ever. And you can't spend more then like three bucks. Can't get that in Chicago! (or Missouri!)

AnthonyB said...

Sure, all we can do is hope aw2pp doesn't get a craving for good pizza. :)

Always Wanted to Play Piano said...

Oh, I know all about Taco Cabana. You forget, I used to live in Houston. I have strict orders to visit a Whataburger at some point, too, and score a breakfast burrito.

Sawtooth, I will take a look at Grand Staff. Belt Line sounds familiar...

Always Wanted to Play Piano said...

"Sure, all we can do is hope aw2pp doesn't get a craving for good pizza. :)"

... because I am not going to find any here, right?

Unknown said...

Jim's gonna turn into a hotel lounge pianist by the end of this trip!

Always Wanted to Play Piano said...

Discopalace, we all have to aspire to something, no?