I saw a video clip recently of a game show where the producers poll the audience asking silly questions, and then the contestants guess what the most popular answers were (in the USA this a game show called Family Feud.) The question was what musical instruments do they hand out in hell. The number one answer was Bagpipes, the second most popular answer was Accordions. And the video clip ended there in laughter.
I had a weird dream a few weeks ago where I was trying to decide if I should buy one accordion or two accordions. The ultimate answer is I should buy none. I have no desire to drive my Sweet Bear to commit murder, and our neighbors are rather nice. Besides I have visual spatial issues and can't read music. I would spend months making noise with it, finding my own kind of music, while driving those around me out of their minds.
My oldest brother took lessons on the accordion. It was the 1960's and what he really wanted to learn to play was the guitar, so he could find a rock and roll band that needed a helping hand. But my parents didn't approve, and Uncle Dick had an accordian that my dear Aunt Edith was very glad to offer up on a long term loan - anything to get it out of the house. He practiced, and he was actually pretty good, well as good as you can be on lucifers instrument of choice.
I played the Tuba in the middle school band for a couple of years. I never did find an OOmPah band.
I believe that the expression is "A gentleman knows how to play the accordion, but doesn't. "
ReplyDeleteWill Jay
Well said
DeleteSG at one point wanted to learn the accordion. Remember Myron Floren from the Lawrence Welk show? He was an idol of his growing up. He even played at his Sunday School. Dear god! Our friend’s brother from Bilbao plays the bagpipes (and used to play professionally). Brilliantly, I’m told. He lives alone.
ReplyDeleteA little bagpipe playing goes a long way.
DeleteThere's a joke which I rearrange to suit your post. An accordion falls off a shelf and shatters as it hits and splinters a banjo, with one of the banjo splinters puncturing the bellows of a set of bagpipes. The world had just become a better place. I wish I could have worked a tuba into what I just wrote.
ReplyDeleteVery good,
DeleteI like Will Jay's response!
ReplyDeleteI'd go nuts if Carlos played the accordion or bagpipes; luckily, he's just a trumpetist, though he gets bothered when I call him a Trumper.
Trumper has become an insult these days.
DeleteI played the fool when I was in what you Yanks call "high school" and proved to be pretty good at it.
ReplyDeleteAre you still good at it?
DeleteA couple of bagpipe memories: Standing a block away from St. Patrick's Cathedral in NYC for the St. Patrick's Day parade and watching/listening to the bagpipe and drum corps. Such pageantry and an impressive sight and sound. At my father-in-law's funeral a bagpiper, who had been a former student of dad's many years ago, played "Amazing Grace." That was a tear jerker.
ReplyDeleteA little bagpipe goes a long way for me.
DeleteThe accordion always reminds me of the polka! Which made me wonder if people still do the polka at weddings like they used to in the "old" days of my youth?!?
ReplyDeleteProbably at the right wedding.
DeleteI have much knowledge and talents on all kinds of flutes.
ReplyDeleteMeanwhile the last couple of years there used to be a guy at the Woods Campground that would play the bagpipes. Thank heavens he's not there anymore
I could make flute jokes, but this is a family friendly blog.
DeleteI played the clarinet but it wasn't what I wanted. I wanted either a flute or a violin but they were all taken.
ReplyDeleteMy father refused to buy anything.
DeleteIt's difficult some times for some people to find their niche. I too played clarinet for awhile but I could never make it sound like Benny Goodman. I also played piano for quite a few years but I discovered a couple of years ago that I could no longer read music or play the songs I used to from memory. So it goes.
ReplyDeleteOne of my grandmothers had dementia, and one of the few things she remembered was how to play keyboards, the piano or organ.
DeleteI cannot see an accordion without thinking of Judy Tenuta
ReplyDelete