Bluegrass Living

Monday night is now music night! For the past couple of years, I've been a "sailing widow" on Monday nights. While Trent is off winning beer glass trophies in the Ballard Cup to add to the fireplace mantle, I dine or knit with friends. This year I'm throwing something different into the mix. My choir takes a break during the summer months - it's just too hard to get a consistent group together - and every summer, I feel a sense of loss. So this year, as choir wrapped up, I decided to look into voice lessons and came across a Bluegrass Harmonies class at Dusty Strings. Now I'm no bluegrass expert - in fact, my knowledge is limited mainly to Alison Krauss, the O Brother, Where Art Thou sound track, and a couple of c.d.s purchased from buskers at the University District Farmer's Market. But I do love to sing along to the soulful tunes - and the price, time and location were right, so Monday after arriving home from our Orcas adventure, I set off to Fremont for the first class in the six-week series.

There were two other students in the class - a mom who played piano in college that wants to sing with her kids and a returning student who is taking the class so he can harmonize with his wife (who will be attending some of the future classes as well). Jason, our earnest instructor, has a long country beard and a bluegrass accent. He started the class by asking if we wanted to work on any particular songs, which we met with doe-in-the-headlights silence. Undeterred, he pulled out three songs for us to work on: In the Pines (which I recognized from Nirvana's cover, Where Did You Sleep Last Night?), Bury Me Beneath the Willow and Love Me Darlin' Just Tonight. I enjoyed singing with others, especially for the few lines where we actually were able to belt out a harmony, rather than quietly mumbling and hoping that one or two of the notes would actually work with the melody. Part of the challenge is trying to harmonize in a song whose melody is unfamiliar, which should be less of a problem this week, since I've been practicing these songs at home, in the car, on my bike and walking down the street. By the end of the class, each of us chose songs to work on in future weeks (mine is I'll Fly Away).

What excites me most about taking this class is that it really is just for me. I tend to be open to trying on the passions of friends and family - sailing, climbing, trapeze - things that enrich my life and give me an opportunity to connect with others, but this is an opportunity to follow my own heart, whether it leads to a bluegrass career, or (more likely) better technical skills and a new group to sing with.