Guest Post: Claire on Music

Music

Yesterday I got the best thing ever in the mail: a ukulele. I was frustrated at first because I couldn’t seem to hit the right notes and form a coherent song, but after an hour or so, I learned a dozen chords or so and could stumble through “Somewhere over the Rainbow.” And, yes. I realized how cliché that is. But there was something about the music, the kind of pureness of the sound that made me stop worrying and just listen. The next time I looked at the clock, it was one o’clock in the morning.

Not that I’m saying it’s good to stay up late and play ukulele, but there is something about music, that even if you aren’t naturally musical, transfixes us and makes us forget our troubles. Maybe it’s just me ( I AM the only person I know of who walks down the hall at school singing show tunes in her head, and pretending she’s the heroine of her own personal musical,) but there is still something about music that brings us all together.

My dad owns an acoustic guitar, and has become pretty good at playing it in the past few years. He likes to sit in his office on the second floor of our house and play his guitar and sing along. There is a comforting tone in his voice that makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. When I was just a little girl, my dad would come into my room every night and sing to me. And now, it breaks my heart when I realize that I can’t remember the name of the song he would sing, or the words to go along with it. I just have a faint recollection of a tune that tugs on my heartstrings whenever I hear it being played. And I know that one day, I won’t hear him serenading the household anymore, and I can’t begin to imagine how empty and lonely it will be without him and his music around to comfort me.

Maybe that is one of the reasons that I want to learn how to play ukulele. Or maybe it is just so that I can find a way to deal with the stress or anger or depression that builds up inside of me. Because, when I start to think of the music, it makes my heart feel less heavy and things seem calm and peaceful for just a little while.

For those of you who play Ukulele, here are the chords.

"Somewhere Over the Rainbow" by E.V. Harburg and Harold Arlen

Verse 1:

[C]Somewhere [Em]over the rainbow
[F]Way up [C]high
[F]There's a [C]land that I heard of
[G7]Once in a lulla[C]by

Verse 2:

[C]Somewhere [Em]over the rainbow
[F]Skies are [C]blue
[F]And the [C]dreams that you dare to
[G7]Dream really do come [C]true

Chorus:

Some [C]day I'll wish upon a star
And [G7]wake up where the clouds are far be[F]hind me
Where [C]troubles melt like lemondrops
A[G7]way above the chimney tops
That's [Am]where you'll [F]find me

Verse 3:

[C]Somewhere [Em]over the rainbow
[F]Bluebirds [C]fly
[F]Birds fly [C]over the rainbow
[G7]Why then, oh why can't [C]I?

Ending:

[C]If happy little bluebirds fly
Be[G7]yond the rainbow
Why, oh [F]why [G7]can't [C]I?

******

Okay, so that was by the lovely Claire! Go check her out on youtube, since her blog is neglected.

Thanks, Claire, for saving my crappy post today with one of much higher quality. She may be coming back on Thursdays this month :)