Packin' a Glock

This is a picture of my glockenspiel. As part of the Elephant Man, the play I’m currently in rehearsal for, the music director asked me if I would be willing to learn to play the glockenspiel. I said yes immediately.

A few days ago I was reading something a friend of mine wrote about having lots of odd talents. At the time I thought: “I don’t really know if I have too many odd talents…” Famous last words. Enter the glockenspiel (Sort of like “Enter the Dragon.” only with less fighting and more cheerful ringing). So for the past five days my apartment has been alive with the pleasant chiming of my new glockenspiel. My “spiel” for short. Honestly I just like saying the word glockenspiel…glockenspiel, glockenspiel, glockenspiel.

The learning has been slow going at times, but each new song is slowly being butchered and then even more slowly mastered. Due to the shows circus themes the music is mostly circus-esque in sound. Lot’s of waltz tempo things. I find that I’m tending to do things to a “ONE, two, three, TWO, two three” beat. I finished my cereal this morning in approximately 42 measures of waltz like munching.

The songs also have fun names: Elephant’s Fun (a real crowd pleaser), Queens of the Cosmos (a haunting, postmodern lullaby), Country Garden (a stirring romp through the Victorian countryside), Hallelujah (a true classic), and finally I Had a Girl and I Loved Her (a power ballad).

It’s pretty exciting. I’ll keep you updated as the ‘spieling unfolds.

Posted by Ryan 10/05/05