Loch Lomond

I've quietly started taking piano lessons again with my beloved, crazy teacher (aka Elton Ron). I'm almost back to where I was in March of 2005. (I essentially took the summer off due to triathlon and other pursuits, which explains my sheepish silence on one of my purportedly "favorite" hobbies).

This story isn't new, but it's a favorite. A couple of years ago in class, ol' Ron cranked out a little number from book 2. I had never heard of it before: Loch Lomond. As he played it, it struck me as being amazingly familiar to the Scot/Celtic tunes from back home. As usual, he made the piano sing blissfully, but there was just something about this particular day. It was also a new key for me (Eb major). I nearly teared up at the way he played the piece. The melody was gorgeous and the arrangement used deep, resonant chords way down low.

I quickly skipped ahead in the book to learn the tune. It was wicked arrangement but I got it in about 2 weeks. Delighted, I wrote to some people back home about my discovery of this "new" song. My Mom replied to the email saying that she was very familiar with the tune: it was a favorite of my grandfather.

I still love cranking it out. It uses a Scot pentatonic scale that gives it the distinctive melody, and I still love, love, love Eb major. I have always thought that the "brightness" and "darkness" of individual keys was just beyond my sensabilities but I have come to understand some of the keys (e.g. C major, G major, and now Eb major). It is a wonderfully warm key.