Our Musical Repertoire's About to get Bigger!

Published on August 25, 2006 By Gideon MacLeish In Misc

So, yesterday, I was speaking with an older friend, and she asks me if I want an autoharp. Being an afficianado of all things folk music, I'm not about to turn it down. I haven't seen it yet, but knowing this woman, it's probably in well kept condition.

I don't know how to play one, but my philosophy is that life's all about learning. That's one reason I don't have a TV usually: there's too much to do, too much to explore, to make a TV a practical addition to the household.

I did have a cool moment last night, though. As I was telling my wifeabout the autoharp, my 11 year old asked what an autoharp was. My 8 year old said "I think I know". I asked her what it was, and she answered, "isn't it what June Carter played in "Walk the Line?"

Sharp as a whip, that one is!

Comments

Dr Guy

on Aug 25, 2006

She knows more than me!

Tova7

on Aug 25, 2006

Cool Gid. I'd love to learn to play one. I wonder if its hard. I love the way they sound, and in college lots of alternative groups used them too...in really cool sounding ways.

Good luck!

shadesofgrey

on Aug 25, 2006

and she answered, "isn't it what June Carter played in "Walk the Line?"

Forgive the awfully silly question about to follow, but, if you dont have a tv, how'd she see Walk the Line (If I know you at all you certainly didn't take the whole family to the cinema and get gouged by those prices!)

Gideon MacLeish

on Aug 25, 2006

but, if you dont have a tv, how'd she see Walk the Line

I said we usually don't have a TV. We do off and on, but for all intents and purposes, we don't, because all it really is is a video player (you need an outside antenna out here to even THINK about getting local channels, and that's $100 out of pocket, and dish and cable are too expansive to use as viable options). And some movies we've watched with neighbours and friends.

We're not total luddites here, we just don't have TV in the conventional sense at all, and rarely (had to hawk it for gas money, so it's been gone for four months now) even for movies).

Texas Wahine

on Aug 25, 2006

Gid, you should be able to get cable from a provider pretty cheaply. I asked mom how much they paid and she said $30-$60/mo. That wasn't dish, though, that was just regular cable (including local channels).

Very observant of your little one to pick up on that, BTW.

Gideon MacLeish

on Aug 25, 2006

I asked mom how much they paid and she said $30-$60/mo.

Yeah, but I really don't need it right now. Now if the cable company that services Lefors offered Internet, I'd probably be right on it, but they don't (at least not now).

Hopefully, when I get some of those network admin classes done I can figure out why the heck our wireless provider always says they can't get a signal at our house (though the antenna's right next to the water tank on Skyline drive...and not far from the house at all), and we can fix the 'net problem at least...but I digress.

Very observant of your little one to pick up on that, BTW.

I thought so, too. I was QUITE impressed. I'm going to have to do a little prodding to see if there's some interest there (let's face it, when kids pay attention to something, it's usually because it interests them).

shadesofgrey

on Aug 25, 2006

said we usually don't have a TV. We do off and on, but for all intents and purposes, we don't, because all it really is is a video player (you need an outside antenna out here to even THINK about getting local channels, and that's $100 out of pocket, and dish and cable are too expansive to use as viable options). And some movies we've watched with neighbours and friends.

We're not total luddites here, we just don't have TV in the conventional sense at all, and rarely (had to hawk it for gas money, so it's been gone for four months now) even for movies).

Thanks for the explanation. I was just being curious.

Gideon MacLeish

on Aug 26, 2006

Update: It's in pretty good shape. I'd guess it to be about thirty years old, none of the tuning pins stripped out or any of the other pains that can be associated with such equipment. In other words, it is as I suspected.

And as an added bonus, I got a good deal of sheet music with it...much of it with chord notations I can use on the geetar!

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