1) Thanks, Mac! I got your e-mail and attachment. That was very generous of you. I'm always impressed at the way you jump in to help your fellow musician.

2) Martin57 when I find chords 'by ear' I have always tended to simplify them, except when dealing with chord progressions that I'm familiar with. I usually get the basic triad and obvious extensions correct but fail on the finer points - perhaps because I spent most of my career as a sax player playing around chords instead of playing the chords themselves --- and when I use the BiaB auto-chord feature, I find it tends to over complicate them.

Nate (the Toys For Tots guy around her) has never asked us to accompany him. He has never even asked to use the mic but people who know him always ask him to sing the "Toys For Tots" song so we naturally lend him a microphone. Nate was in the chorus in school, he has a voice much like Nat "King" Cole and he has an excellent sense of relative pitch. It's always a joy to hear him sing.

So Leilani and I asked him if he would like some accompaniment, and he thought that would be great. We may not see him until the Marine Corps Birthday Party next year (we're automatically booked unless someone says 'No'), but when we do, it will be a pleasure to help this guy out. The Toys For Tots seems to be one of his personal projects and he works very hard to bring joy to the children of financially challenged families.

I'm always honored to play the USMC Birthday Ball and I'll be honored to put in my small contribution to the T4T program.

BTW, I had no idea the Toys For Tots had been around since 1947 until I met Nate and heard him speak about the subject. It's refreshing to see a charity work on an all-volunteer basis with no profits going to the people running it.

Notes

Bob "Notes" Norton smile Norton Music
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