Terryg,
What you said about making music with your son and then, your friend being thrilled at having a purpose in playing piano with you, is wonderful.
Three years ago, a month after my Mum died, my Dad was diagnosed with prostate and bone cancer. Needless to say, it was a difficult period for him but he responded well to treatment and the disease stabilised. As I live next door to him and having retired from work six months earlier, I was able to support him through each day.
Some years before this I had taught him to play a Hohner single row melodeon and although he hadn't kept it up, he wanted to try again to have something to focus on. However, as he no longer had the strength to play it, I gave him a Hohner tremolo telling him to put it in his mouth, think of a tune, then suck and blow until he could play it. Within an hour he was playing 'London bridge is falling down'. Since then we've got together for a couple of hours on most days and now we're playing chromatic harmonicas as well as tremolos.
I have arranged for two of my pals, both highly esteemed musicians, to come over on Tuesday for a 'kitchen session'. It's going to be the first time my Dad will play with anyone else but he is good enough now.
It is not an exaggeration to state that for my Dad, the circumstances of the last three years have been made more than just bearable and for myself, to be sharing this time with him, is due to the simple pleasure of making music on the harmonica.
Kind regards, Ian
