I
gather my gumption, like I’m at my first A.A. meeting, and confess it to all the
world, only deep down inside I know it’s not the real truth. Really, calling myself a “musician” is as
lame as calling myself a “scientist’ when I don’t know the Periodic Table of
Elements. I am not educated in the science of music. I’m a hack.
But I’m a hack with heart. The
part of music that is not transcribed on paper is the part I know well.
Because
of my musical illiteracy, I have handicaps that must be dealt with if I am to
have a career in music, which is sort of what I have, except nobody could exist
on what I make in this career. I am a
kept woman, thanks to Dave.
That
being said, I have nonetheless had some degree of musical success. I’ve had songs recorded by major label
artists. I have recorded ten albums, in
varying degrees of quality, and I receive regular royalty checks (though you
would find some of the amounts written on those royalty checks laughable). I teach songwriting classes, teach guitar
classes, and am called on to adjudicate competitions. I’ve performed for kings and presidents and
prophets, and received recognitions that might make anyone who doesn’t know me
think I know what I’m doing. But really,
I’m just a fraud who tickles her guitar and speaks her mind through songs.
Here’s
the trick, if…like me…you’re a fraud:
Surround yourself with the best musicians.
I
perform quite regularly, (for someone without a regular gig): Arts festivals,
house concerts, on assignment with Heart & Soul, corporate, private and
church gatherings, weddings and, (more and more lately) funerals. My favorite gigs each year, are my Christmas
concerts. They’ve become a real treasure
for me; so much so that I have tried to analyze why I love them so much. My conclusions include the feelings of warmth
and intimacy I exchange with the audience, the devotion of the people who pay a
good chunk of money to come, the fact that tall the shows have sold out every year, and
the intrinsic charm of the season of Christmas, with it’s good cheer, tender
reminiscence, and lovely decorations.
But the biggest factor in the warm fuzzy these concerts give me is the
fact that I surround myself with the best musicians.
People
like Mark Robinette, and Kelly DeHaan, Michael Huff, Melanie Shore, Merlyn
Schofield, and the marvelous Eskeltones.
Kate MacLeod, Nicole Pinnelle, Aaron Ashton and Michael Dowdle, not to
mention my brother John Hansen and his cronies, my son John and daughter Kate
Connors of the angel voice. Really, the
list is long…much longer than this. And
THAT is what makes the music sound delicious! In the famous words of Bob Dylan; "It ain't me, babe. No, no, no it ain't me babe...."
And
it’s not just about the making of music.
The best musicians are simply the best people who also play music really
well. I say that with all sincerity. The
thing about music is that the soul cannot be hidden. It seeps through, like blood on cloth.
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| Christmas Concert 2015 |
I
sound better than I am because I surround myself with the finest musicians I know, and I am blessed to call each of them friend. We row the boat together, and the joy is in
the journey, not the destination. I recall Christmas 2014, when Mark, Kelly, Merlyn and a young cellist named Emily Quigley were on stage with me. I introduced the song Flexible Flyer with
it’s sad preface of my father leaving our family. I play the first lines solo on guitar. One by
one the other instruments enter…Mark on bass…Kelly on piano…Emily on
cello. I noticed, as they entered, the
first note Mark played was in the wrong key, which really shocked me because
Mark is never wrong. He immediately corrected
himself. Then Kelly came in with the wrong chord as well. Unheard of! He
immediately jumped into the right key as well.
By the time Emily’s solo came up, she had noticed what was wrong and
transposed on the fly. I had begun the song in the wrong key, easy to do when
you’re a hack and put the capo on the wrong fret. There I was, playing along with my eyes
closed and my heart poured into the lyric, and seriously few people in the
audience would even have noticed anything was off. All three of those musicians transposed on the spot, making me shine where I could have fallen flat on my face. These are the Best…and I mean BEST musicians!
Off
stage, I surround myself with the best musicians as well. Every Thursday I teach 20 to 30 students how
to play guitar. The process of teaching
and learning has been profound for me, and I see the benefits of a
teaching. It improves my own abilities,
and it connects me with other good people who want music in their lives. I adore my students! Because I have taught a number of years I have been able to witness
the fruits of my labors and the fruits of their labors as well. It is a beautiful white fruit, with a thirst
quenching sweetness.
 |
| Farmington City Beginner 1 Guitar Class January 2016 |
Friday
mornings I spend with a group of ladies who decided, rather than forming a book
club, that they all wanted to learn guitar.
So I teach that marvelous group of women guitar each week. They are a joy and a delight to me, and their
skills are stellar! Really, how great is
it that they thought enough outside the box to create the Girls With Guitars
instead of book club.
 |
| Girls with Guitars Nov. 2015 |
And tonight the walls of this house were once again seasoned and refined with the acoustics of a circle of songwriters I have come to know and love like family. We have gathered in a circle for nearly three decades now, cheering and critiquing and weeping and laughing together as we have poured our lives out against the rhythm of our guitars. We have watched each other change with advancing years, and have stood in awe of the gifts and talents that are so abundant in singular human beings. It took years for me to feel like I belong with these people, whose talents surpass my own. But I feel their love, and their mutual respect, and so...finally...even though I'm a self-proclaimed fraud among them... I am one of them.
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| Saltwerks Song Circle Dec 2015 |
 |
| Saltwerks Song Circle March 2016 |
That
old adage – Fake it till you make it?
There’s some truth to it. Part of making it is being lifted by the
talent that surrounds you. In music, in spiritual matters, in life. My HOPE for today: Be conscious of the company you keep.
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