Skip to main content

Music Magic

Podcast - Music Magic . . . 

It was the Danish author Hans Christian Anderson that said, “Where Words Fail Music Speaks.”

This reminded me that music is all around us and easily accessible in this digital age we’ve stumbled into. At 63 I’m finding new ways to experience the joy of guitar.

It's Magic . . . 

Well, not really, its persistent effort and practiced fingers dancing daily across the fretboard.

Lately, I’ve been listening to some new young artists on YouTube that is simply terrific. Josh Turner Guitar and Reina Del Cid. These artists play a wide variety of covers from Country, Rock, Folk, Pop, and Bluegrass. Not to mention they both write and produce their own original music.

While listening I’ll try to play along, in-time with the video. I’ve “graduated” from just listening to YouTube guitar lessons to strumming the harmony. Frankly, I’m amazed at how much strumming the Ukulele has helped me with the guitar.

It’s a lot of fun to “get into” an old familiar tune with a new take on the musical arrangement. For example, one of my favorites is a Bluegrass tune, Dooley, originally written and performed by the Dillards.

How many of you remember seeing the Dillards on The Andy Griffith Show back in the 1960s?

If you're a Bob Dylan fan, the Other Favorites cover of The Times They Are a-Changin’ is definitely worth a listen.

And of course, they present original music that’s arranged and performed with harmony, skill, and precision. Here’s just one example of a winner it’s titled - Number One in America by, The Other Favorites.

But let’s not forget the two young ladies Reina del Cid and Toni Lindgren. This talented duo also covers a vast arrangement of musicals venues with their own special touch. Here’s one of their originals you will enjoy, it’s titled 1970.

Toni's recent arrangement for guitar, and one of my all-time favorites, is Your Song, by Elton John.

If you’re interested in listening I’ve linked the song titles to the YouTube videos in my blog post.

Its Music Magic, enjoy!

This is Patrick Ball, thanks for listening. See you in the next episode.

Comments

Most Popular of All Time

The Compass of Cuba: Mom

🎄  Preview of this week's  On the Fly  blog: A Holiday Tribute to Mom. As the holidays hustle with pixels and beeps, the world scrolls along in a smartphone-y sleep. I log off for a moment—just one little minute— To breathe in the past and to sit myself in it. My mind doesn’t wander to faraway places, Or trips full of tickets and new airport faces. Instead, it drifts backward, as memories do, to Cuba, Illinois, where the best moments grew. To a home full of warmth, in the wintry Midwest, Where my mother—dear “Marcie”—put love to the test. With a smile that could melt the most frigid of dawns, and hugs that hung on you like shivering fawns. She came from La Rochelle in France, brave and bright, Across oceans and war shadows, into new light. A town full of strangers soon felt like her own, And her courage built up the foundation of home. “Oh yes, we know Marcie!” the locals would say— “It's Doc Ball’s French lady! She brightens the day!” She cleaned, and she cooked, and sh...

Feeling Human Again

In this episode, The Unexpected Thankfulness of Feeling Human Again I’ll be honest with you: My triumphant return from France was not the glamorous homecoming I had imagined. No graceful glide back into routine. No cinematic jet-setter moment where I lift my suitcase off the carousel and wink at life like we’re old pals. Instead? I came home and immediately launched into a two-week performance piece titled The Great American Couch Collapse. My days blurred together in a haze of soup, hot tea, tissues, and desperate negotiations with the universe for just one nostril—one!—to function properly. The living room sofa became my emotional support furniture. And any creative idea that dared tiptoe into my congested brain was gently shown the exit with a firm but courteous, “Not today, friend. Try again later.” When life hits the pause button like that—when you’re exhausted, sick, and mentally unplugged—how do you find your spark again? Somehow, today, I felt it. A tiny shift. A clearing of th...

A Holiday Reflection–Mother's Love

In this episode,  How a Mother’s Love Built My Memories– A Holiday Reflection As this holiday season approaches and the world buzzes with shopping, planning, and busy schedules, I find myself embracing something wonderfully simple: taking a moment to pause. Not to check off a list or recharge devices, but to breathe deeply, remember fondly, and honor the person and place that have shaped my sense of home long before I had the words for it. This year, after regaining my strength from a lingering post-travel fog, my mind didn’t wander to exotic destinations or future adventures. It drifted backward—across oceans and time—to Cuba, Illinois, in the early 1960s, and to the woman whose love built the foundation of my world: Mauricette Elaine (Bontemps) Ball. My Mom . We came to Cuba after leaving La Rochelle, France, in 1959—a transition so dramatic I only appreciate its enormity now. My mother, barely in her mid-twenties, stepped off that plane and into the Midwest with a courage that s...

Believing Is Seeing

🎄 In this episode, Believing Is Seeing . . . It's December, we bustle, we wrap, and we dash. We sort life into boxes— myths  here,  to-dos  in a stash. We whisper of Santa (adult code: “Not Real”), but hold on one minute—let’s rethink this whole deal. For the stories we cherish, the movies we stream, hold more truth in their sparkle than we grown-ups may deem. So hop in this sleigh and hold on real tight— We’re chasing down Santa by the glow of his light! Scott Calvin once landed in the North Pole’s cold air, with elves, cocoa, and snow everywhere. He squinted and frowned—“This just  cannot  be so!” (Like thinking tangled lights will detangle if we  blow .) Then Judy the Elf gave a cocoa so steaming,  and said something simple . . . yet surprisingly gleaming: Seeing’s not believing—no, that’s not the key. "Believing is seeing!"   Just trust, and  you’ll  see!” Kids don’t need a map or a satellite screen to know Santa’s workshop is her...