To play, or not to play...

Today was interesting... before describing, here's the background information:

Bizarro informed me last Sunday that their family is going to be in southern Germany (which means Baden-Wuerttemberg and not Bayern) this coming Sunday. What does this mean for me? Well, the primary implication (other than a lack of frantic phone calls requesting that I unlock the church doors at random times throughout the weekend) is that Sydney, our experienced senior church pianist, will also be gone.

La la la la.

So, Bizarro and Eleanor asked if I'd play the piano this Sunday.

Hmm. Whenever I play in front of groups (one or more people, that is), my hands have a history of going cold and shaking uncontrollably. Is it possible for all the blood to somehow rush out of your hands within seconds? I think so.

Also, I've never led any type of worship or choir and I'm metronome-ally challenged. When playing, I change speeds according to what feels right and what's physically possible; I never stick to rigid rhythms. When playing for church, however, you have to maintain a consistent tempo.

After pondering, I decided (a.) to go ahead and play and (b.) to ask Helmut if he'd play as well.

All that to say, today was interesting. I met with Helmut this afternoon to choose some songs for Sunday and to practice them. Other than the occasional piano-violin duet with Katherine years ago, I've never played with someone, so this was a new experience. We actually play well together (he plays guitar), and I had a fun time. :)

I probably shouldn't write this because people from the church read it, but oh well. It's nice that he's playing, because that way it's not as obvious when I fudge chords, skip notes, miss beats, or simply screw up. Many of the songs only have melodies, or melodies with simple harmonies, which means I have to somehow use the chords to create a harmony. Sure, this is easy for someone like Syd (yeah, I'm terribly jealous), but I have to work at it. And sometimes it sounds less than lovely. But that's where the guitar and practice come in, right?

Well, Sunday should certainly be interesting. Hopefully in a non-catastrophic way.


Lyric of the day: "It doesn't really matter what chords I play, what words I say, or time of day it is. It's only a Northern Song." (Thanks to the Beatles!)