Song Without Words

I just came from a friend’s birthday party. It was a family celebration, but since we are close we were also invited. Our friend is a little older than me, so she already has four grandchildren. The oldest granddaughter is 8 years old and the youngest is still a baby. You know how it goes, one cries, then another wants something that can't have, then a third wants attention, and the oldest tries to entertain everyone else. It's always like that, so sometimes we have fun with the children to make it easier for them. This oldest one played chess, so this picture for the cover is right from today's birthday party. I haven't taken a photo of the menu and what came before and after that, but I hope to be able to publish a semi-decent post after all that, yeah. Anyway, parties usually go with a lot of music, humour, laughter, loud talking and cold drinks. And all of that can damage your vocal cords.

Last Friday, after a concert where I participated with my piano playing, there was a celebration too. You will ask, how it can be possible with all measurements, restrictions and everything. Well, people in my place of living will take every opportunity to gather and have some party, celebration or time spent together as the social part of life is very important. That is good, we were talking (loud) for some hours, the music was too loud too, so the very next day my vocal cords were kaput. I started coughing for no apparent reason, and my voice was generally much deeper and powerless. I knew immediately that these were the consequences of the previous evening.

What a coincidence, yesterday, as I was driving to work and listening to the classical radio, a guest in the studio, was a singer who talked about vocal cords and how they were exposed to all sorts of injuries. She pointed out that nowadays it is very rare to be in complete silence and to speak quietly to the other person. Traffic in the city, music in every store, bar or restaurant, obliges you to strain while talking to overcome the background noise. Also, stress, dehydration and some sports like weightlifting can be harmful. I didn't know about that last one.

Luckily, I’m not a singer, I just play the piano. If I sang, I would sing songs, and playing the piano I could perform songs without words. The name of the composition you are listening to has the title: Song Without Words, composed by Felix Mendelssohn. He composed 48 songs without words for piano solo, and this one is op.19 no.6. It is composed in G minor and it is marked as andante sostenuto. I hear some melancholy form it, and a steady accompaniment in the left hand evokes some smooth waves, or a boat floating on a river.

So, no need for me to sing but I do have to take care of my vocal cords, as everyone else should do it too.

If you are a singer, let me know, how do you take care of your vocal cords? Have you ever damaged your voice after a party or do you have a bad habit that is not perfect for your voice? Let us talk about that!

Chess board, from the same birthday celebration today, this time white figures ...

P.S.
Sorry, the video is a little crooked. I wanted to try a different angle of shooting but I didn't notice it was not well-positioned. Btw, do you like it like this angle?