Tuesday, July 21, 2009

I Can't Name That Tune

While it hasn't reached ear worm proportions, I have a tune running around in my head this morning. I don't really know or play this tune, but I must have given it a good effort when it was called at the jam last night. I'm not very good with names. In fact, I'm very bad with names. Some of my students used to take this to mean that I didn't know them very well when, in fact, I did. It's just that their names might take a while to surface.

With fiddle tunes, it doesn't exactly help that I can't call on words to assist my recollection because there are no words for the overwhelming majority of tunes, or, if there are, I am not aware of them. Sometimes I'd like to know the name of a tune, like the one that is presently percolating right now, because I'd like to learn it. But when I'm in the presence of those who might know, I can't even hum it because it has gone to be replaced by another. Sigh.

The other day, I was humming a tune and decided that I did know it and that it was Bonaparte's March, but then I thought, "No, no: it's really Marie Jessie Gillis." However, I soon dismissed that notion and went back to Bonaparte before thinking, "Ah, now I know; it's really Foggy Dew." After another few moments, I decided that it really was Meeting of the Waters. The odd thing is that although I more or less play Meeting, it's not one of my tunes: not one that I play or call.

Now that it's gone from my head, I am wondering if it wasn't really Da Slockit Light. I really don't think so and think it was Meeting of the Waters, but there's no way to check now because it's long gone from my head. In fact, I can no longer hum the tune that was playing incessantly when I began this post. It's vanished: maybe to return and maybe not.

14 comments:

JunieRose2005 said...

:) You always bring a smile to this old face, AC!

Junie

Jinksy said...

With music being the food of love, maybe love got hungry and ate your mystery tune?

Ruth said...

I have had an ear worm for most of the past 2 weeks, and now it is back!

KGMom said...

Well, now. With the advent of Youtube, I just go out and type in said tune name, and voila.

When my kids were little, they would torment me by saying--Mom, hum the theme to Star Wars. Superman. Indiana Jones.
These tunes get inter-twined in my head and I can't pull them apart.

Off to enter your tune names in Youtube to see what's bothering you.

Donna said...

.....I can't remember what I was going to Say....!!!!Hahahaaa...hughugs

Barry said...

I think you may have just given the perfect definition of "frustration".

Unknown said...

How does music get stuck in your thought processes anyway? Someone must have research on this. I walk around unaware that I am singing sometimes. Then reality hits and I wonder what brought that tune into my stream of consciousness? Lyrics come into my brain more readily than spellings and meanings of words. I hate when only a partial memory is there and not the whole song. It is very frustrating.
And don't you hate television commericals that put songs in your brain forever? "For the finest taxi service in Buffalo, call Cleveland 4-000." Please!

Anonymous said...

THIS MADE ME LAUGH. i USUALLY START HUMMING ONE TUNE AND IT MAGICALLY TURNS INTO A TOTALLY DIFFERENT TUNE. yOU CAN'T EVEN SEE THE JOIN! SORRY THIS IS IN BLOCK CAPS... I HAVE JUST NOTICED IT AND I CAN'T BE BOTHERED TO GO AND DELETE AND START AGAIN! hAPPY TUNE HUNTING!

Anonymous said...

See, blogging cleared your head.
QMM

Lorna said...

tunes, words, images, names----they're all at risk, but we've earned the right to forget a few things. Have you seen the program called The Musical Brain? Music is magic. we're all in thrall.

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Mary said...

AC,

I am very good with names but once in a while a tune will run through my head that I can't identify. You're not alone. Odd the effect music has on us.

Have you ever heard the song, Red Sails in the Sunset> That one was running through my head the other day. Have no idea why. It was one that Grandma had sheet music for and I used to play it on her piano. However, I haven't done that in over 40 years. Go figure.

Have a great day, my friend and try to keep dry. We're getting rain for the next four days. Not sure if you will.

Blessings,
Mary

Tossing Pebbles in the Stream said...

It seems your brain is playing that game "In five notes, can you name that tune.?"

Unfortunately there is no host of the show who can tell you the name of the tune when you can't get it.

Garnetrose said...

I hate it when tunes get stuck in my head and I cannot think of the name of them. Is this it...http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=foggy+dew+dubliners&search_type=&aq=1&oq=foggy+dew
by the dubliners. I did notice you like celtic music and so do it.