Do rainy days and Mondays always get you down? Welcome to November, which, on average, dumps about 4.5 inches of rain on New York City. When you are wet and cold, you are probably not seeing much beauty in the rain . All you want to do is go indoors, get warm, and stay dry.

And you can always cheer yourself up with the thought that it could be worse – you could be living in Seattle! But if you have an artistic streak, you might appreciate these words by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow: “How beautiful is the rain! After the dust and heat, In the broad and fiery street, In the narrow lane, How beautiful is the rain!” You don’t agree? Well then, continue reading.

The sounds of nature

You might find all that H2O irritating while you are getting wet outside, but once you are warm and cozy indoors, you are in a better position to appreciate the unique kind of music that the rain creates. The steady drumbeat pattern of falling raindrops has a calming and soothing effect that can help you think, contemplate, and reflect. You can just as well relax and fall asleep as concentrate on a task like reading or studying. The same effect, by the way, can be achieved by other nature water sounds as well – for instance, the ocean , river , and waterfall .

Rainy day songs

In pop music, there are a number of songs about the rain as well. Interestingly, none of them are somber; rather, they are upbeat and have a good vibe to them. Perhaps the best known one is from the movie “Singing in the Rain.” Then there’s the Beatles’ rendition of “Rain” Eric Clapton’s “Let it Rain” , “Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head” by BJ Thomas, Bob Dylan’s “A Hard Rain Gonna Fall” , and perhaps the most fittingly named of all, “November Rain” by Guns’n’Roses. Of course, one song you may not want to hear right now is Albert Hammond’s 1972 hit “It Never Rains in Southern California.” Oh well, you can’t be everywhere!

We’ll “drop” in on you!

Our Hey Joe Guitar music teachers don’t mind a bit of precipitation, so even if it rains, they will still make it to your Manhattan, Brooklyn, or Riverdale home or office for a music lesson. Whatever instrument you play – the guitar, piano, voice, drums, trumpet, trombone, brass, reeds, saxophone, clarinet flute, violin, viola, cello, strings, accordion, ukulele, banjo, recorder, or mandolin – we’ll never, um, rain on your parade!

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If you think that Christmas is over, you are right… but also wrong! While the Catholic and Protestant celebrations are indeed behind us, Eastern Orthodox churches are yet to commemorate this holy event on January 7.

Actually, Eastern Orthodox congregations don’t dispute December 25 as the time of Christ’s birth, but they follow a different calendar – one that lags behind by nearly two weeks.

The Orthodox churches adhere to an old, Julian calendar, named after its creator Julius Caesar, who introduced it in 46 BC as a reform of the ancient Roman timetable. In 1582, however, Pope Gregory XIII modified the Julian calendar in order to correct its inaccuracies and miscalculations, such as 11 extra minutes each year, which was not compatible with the timing of the solar year.

The Gregorian calendar made up for the 11-minute discrepancy and has been widely used throughout the world. But the liturgical calendar of the Eastern Orthodox Church continues to follow the Julian system. So now you know: Christmas is celebrated on January 7 and New Year on the 14th.

Different dates, same faith

Despite the discrepancy in the timing of their observances, members of the Orthodox Church celebrate the same sacraments as other Christians. In fact, in the early days of Christianity, Roman Catholics and Orthodox congregants worshipped together. The split between the two denominations occurred in 1054 as a result of a dispute over the Papal authority.

Quite a few countries follow the Orthodox teachings, including Greece, Russia, Ukraine, Moldova, Belarus, Bulgaria, Serbia, Macedonia, and Romania. The immigrants from these countries established their churches in the United States, and in NYC as well.

Just as Western Christians observe the four weeks of Advent, their Eastern Orthodox counterparts practice the 40-day Nativity Fast, which is a traditional time of prayer, abstinence and penance.

On January 7, churches may light a fire of blessed palms and burn frankincense to commemorate the gifts the three wise men brought to baby Jesus.

There is one common thread that the Western and Eastern Christians share in their celebration of Christmas. Do you know what it is? You guessed it: music!

Multi-lingual Christmas

We love the songs that resound throughout the Orthodox churches at Christmas, and we especially enjoy hearing them in languages of each country. Here’s a sampling:

Bulgaria
Greece:
Ukraine:
Serbia:

These are just a few examples, but they give you a sense of how beautifully solemn Eastern Orthodox Christmas is.

It’s not all Greek to us!

At Hey Joe Guitar, we find religious music, regardless of its denomination, truly inspirational. But it’s no news to you that we love ALL styles of music, whether put into song or played on any instrument (after all, we are a music school!).

Our excellent teachers (many of whom are multi-lingual too) come to your Manhattan, Brooklyn or Riverdale (Bronx) home or office to give you lessons adapted to your (or your child’s) level.

Whether you celebrate New Year’s on January 1 or the 14th, 2014 is a great year to start guitar lessons, begin the piano, or learn any other musical instrument!

Photo by pjarrettphoto

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