guests

For at least two years, two of the church doors haven't locked properly; a good tug pops them right open. Several people, including me, have reported it to the appropriate people over and over, but "we'd have to change the doors, it's just too expensive, it's such a safe area."

Sometime between Sunday morning and this morning, some young people (presumably) figured it out. We got really lucky; they had fun and left messes, but did no real damage. They went joyriding in a wheelchair, and on a furniture dolly. They sampled, and spilled, a single-serve communion cup. They scattered most of a large jar of cake sprinkles on the floor and walked on them. They found a can of spray paint, and this is where we got really lucky, because they used it only on a piece of cardboard and a trash can, and some overspray on a library table.

I'm really really hoping our elders decide maybe replacing the doors is worth the $$$, because next time could be lots worse.

fun with music theory

I had one of the weirdest musical experiences I can remember today.

A very musical friend sent me a recording he and a friend had made. The title was ambiguous so I didn't know exactly what song it was. When it started playing, I recognized the words, but it sounded *awful*, like the singer was extremely pitchy or just plain singing some notes wrong. It was hard to listen to; I almost felt seasick. Then at the end of the first section it started to sound better, and then completely fine.

On second listen I realized that there had been only one chord for introduction, and very light on the bass; I suggested strengthening that chord, especially the bass. And it didn't sound nearly as bad, somehow.

Thinking it through, I realized that the melody starts on the third note of the scale, and the singer never sings the tonic (home note, DO in do-re-mi) until the last note of the verse. Since I didn't hear enough of that one introductory chord to provide an anchor, my ear/brain assumed that the first note was the tonic-- which made me hear the entire verse as if it was in Locrian mode, which our Western brains really are not trained to process. In do-re-mi terms, the 're' note sounded really incredibly flat.

I'll never be able to hear it that way again, now that I know what to expect; though I can play it on piano in a way that approximates what I experienced. And the recording will be entirely fixed by strengthening that introductory chord, or better yet adding a full measure of introduction for anchor.

(For curious musicians, the song is Make Me a Channel of Your Peace.)