Welcome to the Music section of the Stacy House website.

As you will see, the site has many diverse sections. Each section covers a different aspect of my life after 'retirement'! This section contains information and samples of my music experiences with both my piano performances and my harmonicas.

Music

For more than 60 years, I had been trying to learn how to play the pianos. When I tried to join the glee club in high school,I had been told that I was tone deaf. In spite of believing that opinion, I still persisted in trying to learn.

When I picked up a harmonica in 1988 for the first time, I discovered that I had the natural ability to play along with other musicians' performances.

I have learned that I have the ability to listen to a song being performed, pick out a harmonica in a matching key, and play along with the other musicians.

To date, I have performed in over 100 venues. Since retiring, I have performed with many local bands.

Harmonica playing has been a wonderful hobby. It has also taught me that, if I was ever tone deaf, I am certainly not now.

Piano

Since January 2019, I have been playing the piano in the Newport Hospital's Hill Court [Wednesday afternoons 2 pm to 4 pm]. In January 2019, while I was staying at the Newport Marriott Hotel during the 'Gas Out' crisis in January, I asked to use their grand piano for practicing. I played for 3 of the 5 nights that I was staying there.

In July 2019, the hotel asked me to return to play in their foyer on Sundays from 10 am to 1 pm. Within a few weeks, I was asked to also perform on Fridays from 3 pm until 6 pm. When possible, I practice at the Edward King Senior Center.

I have over 150 songs in my primary repetoire. I have selected others that will be added.  Click here to see the current list. I also have other collections in development for Irish Ballads, Slow Blues, and Christmas songs.

In early 2020, I started to focus on playing songs for which I had versions written in the key of Eb. I like the variety of these songs. Playing them with three flats required me to do some additional training. I made arrangement to return to the Edward King House for a Monday afternoon concentrated training session. Key of Eb list.pdf .

Harmonicas

I am currently playing the my harmonicas with the Young Geezers on [Tuesday evenings 7 to 9] at the Channing Memorial Parish Hall. For the past year, we have volunteered to play a monthly gig at the Rhode Island Veterans Home in Bristol. We have also played at Newport's Broadway Street Fair [2017 - 2018].

I have also performed during the past few years with the many Irish groups including: the Tom Lanigan band, Pendragon, the Exiles, the Irish Ramblers, and Garda.

 Click here for more information about my harmonica performances.