Despite the fact that I’ve performed at a variety of New Year’s Eve celebrations, I never knew why Auld Lang Syne is traditionally performed at the stroke of midnight. Make no mistake about it; the best way to learn is to teach. So I write to you on the occasion of this New Years Eve 2008 having learned something new. The words auld lang syne are Scottish and literally mean old long since. The complete lyrics come from a Scottish poem written by Robert Burns in 1788 and convey feelings of long, long ago and days gone by.

It’s been a while since I’ve performed on New Year’s Eve, but I do remember a variety of gigs that were as unique as the previous year had been. Back in 1968, we transported a lot of musical equipment to the Embassy Club in Dobbs Ferry, New York. My devoted father helped my brother and me to get to and from the gig in the midst of a snow storm that dropped about a foot of snow during the gig. The hours inside were spent playing lots of swinging music for the festivities and dancing. A couple of years later we carried my 450 pound Hammond B-3 organ down a flight of stairs into a church hall where my cousin led the group from his drum kit and then quickly exited to get to his New York City early morning radio job. We were left to carry the organ back up the stairs and load it into our U-Haul trailer.

Perhaps the most intimate gig took place at a house party given by my Uncle Paul. He hired my brother and me, along with his son Billy to do a piano, bass and drums trio performance for family and friends. Then, several years later, was my solo piano performance at First Night Worcester. The audience was quite diverse as one might expect, and so it was a challenge to vary my selections. After that year, I was able to play for the diners at my long-time Radisson Milford Hotel engagement and then get home in time to watch the ball drop on TV with my wife, Brenda. She liked that schedule the best, and so did I.

In between those years were the commercial group gigs that included a one-night stand in Pennsylvania on the way back to Massachusetts after two months on the road and several less than exciting lounge gigs in which patrons kept wondering, “Are we having fun yet?” With that performance history behind me, the meaning of Auld Lang Syne as days gone by makes me feel grateful for where I am today at the end of 2008.

Back in 1929, bandleader Guy Lombardo (1902-1977) began a tradition of radio (and later TV) broadcasts that really established the American tradition of performing Auld Lang Syne at the stroke of midnight. His saxophone playing of this pentatonic Scottish folk song was part of his trademark. In fact, once our guitarist Paul Marin taught himself to play Auld Lang Syne on the alto saxophone so he could play it on our New Year’s Eve gig at the Marriott Hotel in Newton. He managed to get through it once, but then put the sax aside permanently.

Anyway, the rather sentimental schmaltzy style of Guy Lombardo’s horn has echoed in my ear for as long as I can remember. As a result, it’s been difficult for me to get excited about playing Auld Lang Syne. In preparing myself to record my 2008 rendition to go along with this post, I did exactly what I tell my piano students to do: listen to recordings of the song you are learning!  To do this, I did a search for recordings available on Rhapsody Music Service. Boy was I surprised to find several cool versions from among the 732 available tracks.

After refreshing my recollections of Guy Lombardo’s rendering, I went from Lou Rawls’ very soulful vocal ballad version to Tony Bennett‘s medium tempo interpretation. Duke Ellington (1899-1974) who was almost an exact contemporary of Guy Lombardo, managed to capture the commercial element of Auld Lang Syne while keeping his band swinging in the process. One of my new Hudson Piano Studio students introduced me to the music of New Age pianist Jim Brickman. Sure enough, Mr. Brickman has a wonderful solo piano offering to share with his listeners.

However, in addition to these more straightforward versions, I was really inspired by two a cappella vocal interpretations of Auld Lang Syne: a slow performance by Jazz Spectrum and a funky hip presentation by Straight No Chaser. Needless to say, there are plenty of other excellent interpretations for you to check out.

After reading this, I’m hoping you’ll join me in setting one vital musical goal for 2009: Expand your musical horizons as you develop your piano playing by LISTENING to recordings of the songs you are learning!  Let the past routine of practicing the piano the same way every day go by as you become inspired by your favorite recordings.

Make 2009 the year that you will take your piano playing to the next level and play more of the songs you love. Contact the Ed Mascari Piano Studio to find out how taking piano lessons with one of our Hudson Instructors will give you guidance and inspiration you need to learn to play the music you love.