Take 5

Grade 1

Hows This Picture? One of my favourites, I managed to catch this little girl grabbing a drink at the Fujinomiya Temple. I wonder if shes old enough to be in Grade 1? Now, on to the story.


How 'bout this Grade 5 book sir? It might suit you better. The young Yamaha lady said.

Maybe I'll just look around. She nodded, and left me to my own devices.

I recently paid a visit the Yamaha music shop. I've got to work on my music theory lah. Don't think I have the time to go for proper classical lessons. The missus agreed, it was time I got my act together.

Indeed, I guess it must surprise many of you that I have zero experience with music theory. I can recall some earlier anecdotes of childhood of course. Watching the music teacher shade and fill up her quaver note with finess and wondering whether the stem or the shaded oval came first. Yes, quirky, even in my childhood.

But I never did get a chance to try to fill up the gaps in my music knowledge. A form of bliss perhaps, knowing that I could always rely on tabs for the guitar, and I could identify notes decently. But I realised I had to, if I wanted to continue playing.

It was getting to be too much of a pain (for me and others) to draw pencilled circles and sloppy slashes on my scores. And for Mel, JQ, Alex and countless others to keep a pencil and tired palms on their laps ready for counting time. (No Moh, I have not forgotten your efforts with Liu guang Fei wu)

So I decided to get a book on music theory. Slowly combing through the shelves, I found several. An advanced ABRSM one which was small handy and as easy to read as an engineering manual. And a more simplified one (there were several like these) for children. With a colourful cover, and a large assement book-like format. The missus thought it was cute. I thought I would be living my second childhood.

I thought otherwise. What would the counterstaff think? A grown man, picking a book where squirrels held on to crochet notes like they were having a lovely game of crochet. And where turtles were to be colour-penciled in various shades to identify the summation of the notes on their shells. What more it was a Grade 1 book. Should pragmatism win out? Should I get the manly book?

Fortunately I didn't. I bought the books and got a wry half smile from the counterstaff.

Yup, colouring turtles can be fun.

posted by leo @ 10:35 PM