Banish Misfortune
How an Irish tune gave me the courage to re-enter the world after lockdown
Even though lockdown stretched on endlessly, I had this weird seed of resistance buried deep down inside that I didn’t want to go outside, I didn’t want to return to the world. I had gotten used to my comfy cocoon and felt a bit like I wanted to stay there even though music teaching had been reduced to talking and singing to unresponsive black squares on a flat screen (there is NOTHING you can do to convince teenagers to turn their screens in during remote learning) and I knew I was living a half life and I missed my real friends in fully fleshed 3D.
Re-entry is a long process. Even though the restrictions are easing and falling away quickly as vaccination rates rise, we are going to be psychologically taking our own pace and it’s not going to be overnight jumping back into the thrills of the IRL world.
I will tell you the truth: even though people know me as a chatty “people person” I felt greatly overwhelmed going back to work. The overwhelm of stimulus - more conversations in an hour than I had in a week during lockdown (and that strange feeling of not knowing how to end a conversation, or talking over people accidentally - did anyone else get that?!), the sounds (and smells) of a classroom packed with students - those black screens were now bodies excitedly crammed into the room.
But music always eases pain and awkwardness and enhances the joy of connecting with people...from dancing on the rug at a friend’s housewarming, to hearing students singing together for the first time in six months. We’ve booked in to see a real life gig (Charm of Finches at Brunswick Ballroom launching their beautiful album) and we’re booked to play a real life gig (the GRAIN store Ten Year anniversary).
I think that’s why Lach and I love this Irish tune ‘Banish Misfortune’ so much. The melody is written in a mixolydian mode which is almost fully major (your upbeat, happy key) but not quite, the seventh note - the one before the resolution, it’s flattened. All is not pure sunshine and daisies, there is a bit of complication.
See if you can hear that complication in the video below and we hope it can accompany on your own re-entry journey to banish the ghosts of Covid.
Lots of love,
Erin and Lachlan
