yes yes yes!!

Keep talking....

What makes this so wonderful, maddening as it is, is that these songs stick in our minds... I can hear them over and over again, each time hearing something new, and each time it ends, saying, "Huh! Wow... Now.... what wazzat again... Oh well! Hafta play it again... again..."

But although these may be best suited for duet or group singing, I still want to pass them on to our people as best I can... and I think it means figuring out that central line I can take so the people can hear the harmonies in the chords and then choose for themselves what to sing... this is a thing humans have invented, so why not assume it can be re-invented fresh with new people?

I think the melodies (or what I sing as the lead line) are made for harmony such that the people will sing harmonies whether they mean to or not.

Maybe all I need to do is follow that instinct that poor Emmylou and Ricky have been waiting since 1980 for someone to catch the melody they heard and implied and pass it on. If I sing it like mine is the missing melody line, and "hear" them harmonizing to me, and if I encourage the people to harmonize... maybe that is the whole trick.

So I drove home from the wedding rehearsal dinner (and a lovely time it was, very romantic) singing with those two as loud as I could, and they didn't mind a bit. And I think I know how I will do it tomorrow.

Now to the autoharp.

Keep talking about these shadow melodies. I need to know more.

And thanks for putting up with me, guys. I get all lit over a piece and I just GOTTA DO IT. Every week it's a new adventure!

~Susan