Joy for Christmas Music

Guess what?! My cousin Nathanael is going to take over my promised series of Christmas music posts! He's going to type out a list of all my favorites, then tell what I like about them, and... oh, wait... these are his favorites. Well never mind then... ;)

It is that time of year again, where any radio station you go on is playing the happy tunes from the season! There are really too many different songs to count that have been written for the holiday. There is a song for everyone's taste, some are happy, some are melancholy, while others are just calm and peaceful. The number really grows when someone would include advent hymns. I am going to conjure up a list of the top fifteen Christmas songs (in my opinion) for you, and you go on the comment page and post your top fifteen! (NOTE: I am not just talking about hymns, "Jingle bells" or "Santa's coming to town" definitely count)

 1. Deck the Halls (celebrating the festivities of the season)

 2. O Christmas Tree (Celebrating a sentimental possession)

 3. What Child is This? (A song pondering Baby Jesus)

 4. Joy to the World (Even though this is technically not a Christmas song)

5. Hark! the Herald Angels Sing (A true classic)

6. Mary Did You Know? (My cousin John plays this song really well on the piano)

7. Angels we have heard on high (Only people with more than two lungs can sing this chorus)

8. Good Christian Men Rejoice (...With heart and soul and voice!)

9. Silent Night (Another Classic)

10. Grandma got run over by a reindeer (They made a movie out of this song)

11. Away in a Manger (Easy tune, good choice of words, great song)

12. Let it Snow (A song NOT sung by Elsa)

13. Jingle Bells (One of the most simplest Christmas melodies)

14. Santa Clause is Coming to Town (You better not cry...)

15. Frosty the Snowman (What an original name...)

Instrument Jokes

A piano... the key to success

An expensive harp... a big lyre

Violin... the instrument to fiddle around on

Drum... you cannot beat them!

Cello... the universal musical greeting (Cello! how are you doing?)

The bass... a really high-stringed instrument

I will not tell any marching-band jokes, they are too plain and horny.

All different kinds of banjos... pic(k) your choice

The kazoo... Bless you!

- Nathanael

The Last Goodbye ~ Part 2

Guess what? There's a music video of this song already on YouTube!

Apparently it's been there since the twenty-first of November. I had no idea!

I saw the light fade from the sky

On the wind I heard the sigh

As the snowflakes cover my fallen brothers

I will say this last goodbye

Night is now falling, so ends this day

The road is now calling and I must away

Over hill and under tree

Through lands where never light has shone

By silver streams that run down to the sea

Under cloud beneath the stars

Over snow and winter’s morn

I turn at last to paths that lead home

And though where the road then takes me

I cannot tell

We came all this way, but now comes the day

To bid you farewell

Many places I have been

Many sorrows I have seen

But I don’t regret, nor will I forget

All who took that road with me

Night is now falling, so ends this day

The road is now calling and I must away

Over hill and under tree

Through lands where never light has shone

By silver streams that run down to the sea

To these memories I will hold

With your blessing I will go

To turn at last to paths that lead home

And though where the road then takes me

I cannot tell

We came all this way, but now comes the day

To bid you farewell

I bid you all

a very fond

farewell

The Last Goodbye ~ Part 1

A brief word of advice to all Tolkien enthusiasts, LotR-lovers, Elf friends, Hobbit fans, Middle-earth-maniacs, etc., etc.:
purchase this song and bask in its beauty.
Then go see The Battle of the Five Armies at a theater near you so that you may be fully immersed in its magnificence.
Then wait six months for my extended thoughts on the song. :)

The Last Goodbye is melodically reminiscent of Into the West from the end of The Return of the King - definitely a point in its favor! This song is performed beautifully by Billy Boyd, and is a fully fitting finish to the Hobbit trilogy.

Sevenths, Songs, Strings, & Strums

Below is a somewhat mish-mash compilation of music tidbits, cool advice, and a list of some noteworthy songs. Enjoy!

First, about Ukuleles, have any of you listening right now has ever had the chance to hear the pleasant strums off the uke? They are perfectly delightful little instruments, I myself know about 20 chords and like thrumming out folk tunes. One of the most agreeable reasons to consider picking up one and playing it immediately, there really is no wrong way to strum! Whether a person uses their thumb, index finger, or a (felt covered) pic, the Ukulele is a instrument for you!

Continuing on, I will discuss something about Seventh chords. I am not an expert on them, (insert uncertainty pun here) but anyone who has ever played them has perceived something, right? They could almost be named the “song is not over yet, keep playing” chord or the “I have a problem to be solved” chord. Seventh chords are useful though, they add depth to a song, so any piece of complicated music you hear out there, there is probably a dominant seventh chord thrown in.

I know nothing about Mandolins, the subject is completely eluding me! :)

Just kidding! Two years ago I received a wonderful little instrument, it has such a distinct plucking twang, and a kind-hearted pitch, it is hard to put down. I mostly enjoy playing folk songs, and sheet music my cousins send me, who as you know, all play Banjo, and I enjoy listening to my uncle play. (He is a professional in almost every string instrument.)

Now lastly, I promised a list of some songs:

Dooley (by the Dillards)

Hey Jude (by the Beatles)

The Marine hymn

Rainbow Connection

Musicians as Physicians

A few months ago, Nathanael and I were talking extensively about the way music affects people. One of the points he brought up (and the one I found most fascinating) had to do with how an individual person's particular set of life experiences will influence their perception of the music they listen to. Along these lines, the circumstances a person is in at a given point in time will play a large part in their response to different kinds of music. Now that we've had plenty of time to completely lose track of our eloquent and collected thoughts think the topic over still more thoroughly, we're attempting to prepared to write blog posts about it for all the world to read! (Strike-throughs here refer to my mindset, while the more clearly legible words refer to Nathanael's.)
Enjoy Nathanael's post!


What is music appreciation? Is not it clear? It is the study of how certain sound waves and pitches, change people’s lives. A person struggling with grief hears a melancholy song in C minor; that person bursts into tears. Another individual laughs and claps when hearing a joyous folk ditty being performed on a lute in the key of G major. What is the meaning of these examples? Past experiences make people stand up and clap for different reasons.

Whole studies have been linked to the subject, and they try to explain what is so amazingly awesome and wonderful: music is a natural healing agent. Just like herbs bring down a fever, or broth will help a sore throat, certain music in certain situations in certain periods of a human's life, will bring upon a cure to his/her ailment. Musicians can almost be compared to physicians, in the fact that that they cure their patients, only this time with songs!

Christmas Carols ~ the Naughty & the Nice

Well, my friends, it's that time of year again! Beginning the week before Thanksgiving, two radio stations have been signalling out festive tunes of Christmas cheer... non-stop... around the clock... to the everlasting dismay of Grinches everywhere. :]

Though I frequently display Grinch-like attitudes (and not only with regards to Christmas), I have a deep fondness for the music of December. Several of my favorites are the beautiful melodic arrangements accompanied by words poignantly retelling the glorious truths of Christ's birth. I greatly enjoy instrumental renditions of holiday tunes, and particularly love the epic reworkings of classic carols as performed by Mannheim Steamroller and the Trans-Siberian Orchestra.

However, there are several songs of the season that irritate me to no end. We'll leave it at that for the moment. :]

Being the impractical planner and delusional daydreamer that I am, I intend to do a multi-part series featuring some of my most well-beloved and most thoroughly detested Christmas songs, along with accounts of how they came to be placed in either of those categories. Taking prior experience into account, you can reasonably expect to read all of two posts in said series within this year. Hope you enjoy them! - whenever they finally show up!... does this even count as a blog post? :/ Ah well... stay tuned, a real post will be published in the morning!

Alternate Blog Titles

Another guest post from my cousin Nathanael!

Let's have some fun shall we? Below are all the possible names that this blog could be switched to, bearing in mind the name MET will stick. But, there is enjoyment to be had!

Supreme Brilliant Rhythm (has a nice ring)

Ultimate Superb Tempo (a little fancy...)

Superlative Exceptional Pulse (this one is worth consideration)

Utmost Outstanding Measure (are you contemplating Zoe?)

Absolute First-rate Pace (bleah!, not good)

Maximum Unrivaled Metronome (it started out well...)

Extreme Unbeatable Foot-tapping (pun definitely intended!!)

Well, we sure have given Zoe something to think about. Have a good day y'all!

– Nathanael

Quoteables from Notables

A few quotes on the subject of music.

The first and third are my favorites of all music quotes I've yet read.

"I know that twelve notes in each octave and the varieties of rhythm 

offer me opportunities that all of human genius will never exhaust."

- Igor Stravinsky (1882-1971)

"The infinite sinuousness, nuance, and complexity of music enable it to 

speak in a thousand different accents to a thousand different listeners, 

and to say with non-committal and moving intimacy what no language would acknowledge or express 

and what no situations in life could completely exhaust or make possible."

- Irwin Edman

"Music expresses that which can not be said and on which it is impossible to remain silent."

- Victor Hugo (1802-1885)