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Celebration of Life

Sunday, April 6, was Don’s celebration of life (funeral). I played “Misty” and “What a Wonderful World.”

I was happy with how the music went. I started off on the wrong foot (or the wrong pedal) and managed to stop and start over without any drama or ugly faces. I had come up with a short intro to "Misty" the day before, and I was glad I did; I would have hated to have to re-do the famous first few notes. Here is the version I played, complete with intro:

"What a Wonderful World" was lovely, too. I'd gone to the church the day before to practice on their grand piano, and it was time well spent. I'd cut and pasted (literally) the music so that it all fit on two pages, and then taped it into a folder. (I was using a mashup of Jonny May's version and a lead sheet/my own version.) With everything arranged on just two pages (rather than four, which is how I'd learned it), my brain got all mixed up. My eyes would go to where something was supposed to be, and it wasn't there. So I had to get used to the new setup. And I did, that morning before.

By the time I played it on Sunday, I had it down. Here it is:

I was so happy to be able to play these for Don's wife and family, and I was so glad it went well.

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