I wonder if learning that new skill thing would work on one’s vocal cords nearing ossification. I always dreamt of singing like Dame Joan Sutherland or in my wildest, singing at the La Scala. Now back to my garbanzo frittata.
I was dancing with my daughter while watching this video :)
Footloose and ConnieC, at 40, I bought a cello and found a teacher. My goal was just to learn how to play three songs, well. :) I gave up after 6 lessons. Mostly because the teacher seemed to think there was absolutely no hope. :( Donated the cello to a school. But with Footloose’s New Yorker article, hmmmm, maybe I will try something else…
time to upload the video of the guy in yellow with the blonde wig!
talking about learning new skills, my dad hired an IT person to teach him to use the excel spreadsheet and other basic programs….at 75! prior to that he had used the typewriter only. after a few lessons, he was very adept at excel. i’m seriously thinking of getting somebody to teach me to play the piano oido-style, since i have totally forgotten how to read notes. there is hope for us yet.
Tsk, a real pity because teachers such as those are going the way of martinets who whacked at lefties with rulers. We could have been looking at a secret Yoyo Ma at this time. The founder of Esquire magazine wrote about his experience learning the violin late in life and being able to play it well enough to give a formal recital. It was also in Esquire that I read of a grown man who tried learning cello by joining a string ensemble. One day, on the train to his weekly jam session, he took a peep at his sheet music and it played back the music to his mental ear. He was visibly overtaken by the experience that the other passengers sitting opposite looked at him as though his hair was on fire.
And then there are the prodigious learners. Our own Antonio Molina, the composer of “Hating-gabi”, reputedly learned the cello for an orchestra performance in two weeks time. He had only taken desultory lessons on the violin before that.
I hope Psy doesn’t go the Hammer way (aka bankrupt!).
Footloose: Now Mrs. Miller has really inspired me. If I don’t sink a submarine, I might stir up Dame Sutherland from her grave. Ha, ha, ha!
Never too late, MM. Your Psy Gang Nam debut was already a starter.
Psy must have been a fan of Mr. Hammer in the early 90’s.
I was there!! So much fun dancing Gangnam style in Times Square with the two inches of space we had in the crowd. When the crowd heard the MC Hammer twist it went wild. Worth 10 hours of standing in the freezing cold…? I think so. One thing off that bucket list! :)
Age is just a number. Even Dan Inosanto, in his 70s, got his black belt in Brazillian Jiu Jitsu a few years back. Old folks in Silicon Valley pass the time with their tablets and e-readers while the kids fight over the newspaper. Happy New Year!
millet, I’m also thinking of going back to playing the piano. It’s just amazing that even if we find it difficult after a long time to read notes, once you start playing, your fingers seem to remember!
Thanks for the video clip, MM. It’s the first time I saw Psy sing and dance in full. I only saw snippets in the past. His dance is that of a guy who doesn’t know how to dance and makes funny moves, those you typically see in movies. It’s amazing how Psy took the world to his song and dance. World peace definitely has a chance! Happy new year to all!
For those of us who may have a hidden talent/s in some corner of our brains waiting to be discovered or revealed, here’s something to remain optimistic about:
17 Responses
I should say Hammer and PSY works well ;) . . .
Yes you did! nuff said. :)
https://ph.news.yahoo.com/psy-hints-gangnam-end-063000844.html
That should have been you in the yellow, you have better hair…haha!
In any case, still wanting to see a clip of your performance.
And in no way related: Resolved this new year to start learning music (or any other skill) in middle age and discouraged by the widespread belief that you cannot learn certain skills unless you learn it early in life? Think again and read this:
https://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/newsdesk/2013/01/new-skills-for-a-new-year.html
I wonder if learning that new skill thing would work on one’s vocal cords nearing ossification. I always dreamt of singing like Dame Joan Sutherland or in my wildest, singing at the La Scala. Now back to my garbanzo frittata.
Thanks for the link, Footloose.
@ConnieC, sure you can as witness Mrs. Miller’s singing career trajectory. Here she is sinking the Yellow Submarine: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TQlI2gxvF-g
I was dancing with my daughter while watching this video :)
Footloose and ConnieC, at 40, I bought a cello and found a teacher. My goal was just to learn how to play three songs, well. :) I gave up after 6 lessons. Mostly because the teacher seemed to think there was absolutely no hope. :( Donated the cello to a school. But with Footloose’s New Yorker article, hmmmm, maybe I will try something else…
time to upload the video of the guy in yellow with the blonde wig!
talking about learning new skills, my dad hired an IT person to teach him to use the excel spreadsheet and other basic programs….at 75! prior to that he had used the typewriter only. after a few lessons, he was very adept at excel. i’m seriously thinking of getting somebody to teach me to play the piano oido-style, since i have totally forgotten how to read notes. there is hope for us yet.
Tsk, a real pity because teachers such as those are going the way of martinets who whacked at lefties with rulers. We could have been looking at a secret Yoyo Ma at this time. The founder of Esquire magazine wrote about his experience learning the violin late in life and being able to play it well enough to give a formal recital. It was also in Esquire that I read of a grown man who tried learning cello by joining a string ensemble. One day, on the train to his weekly jam session, he took a peep at his sheet music and it played back the music to his mental ear. He was visibly overtaken by the experience that the other passengers sitting opposite looked at him as though his hair was on fire.
And then there are the prodigious learners. Our own Antonio Molina, the composer of “Hating-gabi”, reputedly learned the cello for an orchestra performance in two weeks time. He had only taken desultory lessons on the violin before that.
I hope Psy doesn’t go the Hammer way (aka bankrupt!).
Footloose: Now Mrs. Miller has really inspired me. If I don’t sink a submarine, I might stir up Dame Sutherland from her grave. Ha, ha, ha!
Never too late, MM. Your Psy Gang Nam debut was already a starter.
Psy must have been a fan of Mr. Hammer in the early 90’s.
I was there!! So much fun dancing Gangnam style in Times Square with the two inches of space we had in the crowd. When the crowd heard the MC Hammer twist it went wild. Worth 10 hours of standing in the freezing cold…? I think so. One thing off that bucket list! :)
Age is just a number. Even Dan Inosanto, in his 70s, got his black belt in Brazillian Jiu Jitsu a few years back. Old folks in Silicon Valley pass the time with their tablets and e-readers while the kids fight over the newspaper. Happy New Year!
millet, I’m also thinking of going back to playing the piano. It’s just amazing that even if we find it difficult after a long time to read notes, once you start playing, your fingers seem to remember!
Thanks for the video clip, MM. It’s the first time I saw Psy sing and dance in full. I only saw snippets in the past. His dance is that of a guy who doesn’t know how to dance and makes funny moves, those you typically see in movies. It’s amazing how Psy took the world to his song and dance. World peace definitely has a chance! Happy new year to all!
For those of us who may have a hidden talent/s in some corner of our brains waiting to be discovered or revealed, here’s something to remain optimistic about:
https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2013/01/creative-aging-the-emergence-of-artistic-talents/266799/