The Lost Chord....and more!

 

Tara-diddle tol lol lay!!

 

Those of you, who from time to time, have spent an idle moment or three, reading about young Bing, will I guess, have realized he has a habit of asking posers the old guv finds difficulty in answering.

 

Particularly, in a way that makes sense to the mind of a Grand Basset Griffen Vendeen! (I’m sure this may well apply to all other dogs as well!)

 

I naturally find all this pretty stimulating, and realize there are times when an answer is impossible! At which point I go -

‘um…er….well…..um.’ and Bing goes ‘M’mmm.’ Frankly, an ‘M’mmm’ from Bing is sufficient to make me search for a change of subject!

 

I’m sure I’m not the only person to be puzzled by the events that daily seem to trundle past our lives. I therefore have to own that, exasperation often turns to shakes of the head and shrugs and, I’ll resort to a keyboard (none qwerty!) to soothe the ‘fevered brow’, as the poets would have it!

 

I've long ago given up all thoughts of attaining any great proficiency regarding dexterity whilst ‘tickling the ivories’ so – Lipatti, Lee lewis, Tatum, Rubinstein, Waller and Peterson etc, are all quite safe - along with just about everyone else!

 

This said - the joy and release the piano can bring, is something I am continually thankful for. To paraphrase an old song......

 

'Seated one day at the keyboard I was weary and ill at ease, And my fingers wander'd idly over the noisy keys; I knew not what I was playing, or what I ........'

 

‘Got a problem guv?’

 

‘Ummmm.’

 

‘You seem to be having difficulty with that particular ‘tara-diddle.’

 

‘Possibly.’

 

‘Would a visit from Mr Kear’ (the piano tuner) ‘be of help?’

 

‘Oh, no Bing, I’m just trying to work out the key I should be playing and singing this in.’

 

‘Key?’

 

‘Yes….er let me see. It sometimes takes me a while to settle on whether a tune should be higher or lower.’

 

‘Higher or lower?’

 

‘Yes, I’ve been known to either end up singing in my boots.’

 

‘Or slippers guv.’

 

‘Right, or on the other hand, realizing I may stray too far up the other end of the scale!’

 

‘Is that when I shoot out the room?’

 

‘Probably.’

 

‘Funny old business, eh old poop?’

 

‘I suppose so, but when one gets it right, it’s rather a nice feeling.’

 

‘If you say so.’

 

‘I do Bing….I most definitely do!’

 

Bing peers at me, through shaggy brows.

 

 

 

‘M’mmmm.’

 

 

'Is that a new tara-diddle guv?'

 

 

'M'mmm......................How  many verses has it got?'

 

'You're having a laugh!!!!'