It's been almost two months since my last post. I'm still playing away, but I feel like I'm on a huge plateau and the temptation to reduce practicing is ever present.
I think it's because I've gotten into what I think of as a "runner's dilemma". The idea is that you build up your regular runs to some particular distance and then the next time you run you feel like you have to make that distance or better. That can be a really good thing as it encourages you to improve. It can be a bad thing because it makes each run more daunting.
I haven't run in quite a few years, but I feel like I have the same thing going on with my guitar practicing. I have a set of songs that I go through and if I don't get to all of them, I feel like I was a slacker.
Sunday, November 4, 2007
Monday, September 10, 2007
Music and families
I've taken to reading what appear to be extended obituaries in the morning paper. The "Region" section of our paper does longer stories once or twice a week about some fairly ordinary person who's just passed away. They're really charming stories that often reveal some interesting personal history, e.g. Aunt Edna moved here from Romania and bought a ranch in Sonoita, or my dad invented peanut butter, or uncle Fred owned a little store where kids could get snowcones for free, etc.
Anyway, I found one the other day about a guy who was described as an incredible guitarist, but who had never taken a lesson. On reading the story, it turned out that i) he really was an incredible guitarist, and ii) that both of his parents were guitarists and that when he was a kid both parents would routinely pull out their guitars for the evening.
Not to detract anything from the guy in question--who really seems to have been an incredible guitarist and an all-around nice person---but I'm wondering how much variation there is in terms of "music in the home". While the person in question may never had had any formal instruction, it seems like he had almost daily exposure to guitar playing by several family members.
I think my experience is probably pretty close to the norm for most Americans. My siblings and I all had music lessons of various sorts, but our training and playing lasted only a few years. Neither of our parents played anything, though both had had similar upbringings. (My parents are divorced, but I think that's orthogonal.)
So the general question: how much variation on musical "exposure" is there and does that play a role in whether kids pursue music?
The specific question for me: can I honestly expect to make serious progress on the guitar when I did not have extended childhood or current exposure and am no longer taking lessons?
Anyway, I found one the other day about a guy who was described as an incredible guitarist, but who had never taken a lesson. On reading the story, it turned out that i) he really was an incredible guitarist, and ii) that both of his parents were guitarists and that when he was a kid both parents would routinely pull out their guitars for the evening.
Not to detract anything from the guy in question--who really seems to have been an incredible guitarist and an all-around nice person---but I'm wondering how much variation there is in terms of "music in the home". While the person in question may never had had any formal instruction, it seems like he had almost daily exposure to guitar playing by several family members.
I think my experience is probably pretty close to the norm for most Americans. My siblings and I all had music lessons of various sorts, but our training and playing lasted only a few years. Neither of our parents played anything, though both had had similar upbringings. (My parents are divorced, but I think that's orthogonal.)
So the general question: how much variation on musical "exposure" is there and does that play a role in whether kids pursue music?
The specific question for me: can I honestly expect to make serious progress on the guitar when I did not have extended childhood or current exposure and am no longer taking lessons?
Thursday, August 16, 2007
A new book
I'm still working on songs in the Shipton book, but I've got another book that's been sitting around for a few weeks that I've started playing from: You can teach yourself fingerpicking guitar by Tommy Flint.
Fingerpicking, if you don't know, is when you play the individual strings with individual fingers. No pick. No strumming. I've got a few songs like this already, but this is a whole book of them.
The very beginning of the book is way too beginner-oriented, even for me! But I've flipped through the book and the stuff near the end is way more advanced than I've done so far, so I figure it'll be a nice one to work through.
At the moment, I'm struggling with the fact that the introductory material appears to have been written before the dawn of time. It's not so much inaccurate in any technical way; it's just culturally way out of date.
Fingerpicking, if you don't know, is when you play the individual strings with individual fingers. No pick. No strumming. I've got a few songs like this already, but this is a whole book of them.
The very beginning of the book is way too beginner-oriented, even for me! But I've flipped through the book and the stuff near the end is way more advanced than I've done so far, so I figure it'll be a nice one to work through.
At the moment, I'm struggling with the fact that the introductory material appears to have been written before the dawn of time. It's not so much inaccurate in any technical way; it's just culturally way out of date.
Wednesday, August 1, 2007
The broad expanse
The other day we went over to our friends AVF and JI's house to make sure that AVF wasn't sleeping in the carport. (Long story; see AVF's blog!)
I was immediately distracted by AVF's classical guitar. I've certainly messed around with them before, but I hadn't held one in quite a while.
I tuned it up and was immediately reminded of the differences: nylon strings, smaller body than my own dreadnaughts, wider fretboard. The last took some adjustment. I felt like I had to stretch even further for some chords.
What surprised me was the sense of liberation I had. I think I must be at a phase where I'm fighting not to run into strings I shoudn't. The wider fretboard made me feel so much more "on target".
And with such light and friendly strings.
Bliss...especially since there was major puppy bonding...and we found that AVF was not sleeping in the carport that night.
I was immediately distracted by AVF's classical guitar. I've certainly messed around with them before, but I hadn't held one in quite a while.
I tuned it up and was immediately reminded of the differences: nylon strings, smaller body than my own dreadnaughts, wider fretboard. The last took some adjustment. I felt like I had to stretch even further for some chords.
What surprised me was the sense of liberation I had. I think I must be at a phase where I'm fighting not to run into strings I shoudn't. The wider fretboard made me feel so much more "on target".
And with such light and friendly strings.
Bliss...especially since there was major puppy bonding...and we found that AVF was not sleeping in the carport that night.
Tuesday, July 24, 2007
Drop-D
I finished the Shipton book (minus a few pieces I didn't like).
I feel like I'm doing some backsliding though. Things don't seem to sound as good as they did a few weeks ago, especially strumming pieces. I suppose this is some sort of plateau that I just have to play through, but it's a bit daunting.
On the other hand, I'm learning a version of the Pachelbel Canon in what I believe is "drop-D" tuning.
If you're not a guitar person, the normal tuning of the six strings from low to high is: E A D G B E. Drop D tuning involves lowering that low E down to D. Thus: D A D G B E. I now have a "chromatic tuner", so this is actually pretty easy to do on the fly. It's amazing how this one little change makes such a difference in the sound of the instrument. That low D is sooooooo low!
I feel like I'm doing some backsliding though. Things don't seem to sound as good as they did a few weeks ago, especially strumming pieces. I suppose this is some sort of plateau that I just have to play through, but it's a bit daunting.
On the other hand, I'm learning a version of the Pachelbel Canon in what I believe is "drop-D" tuning.
If you're not a guitar person, the normal tuning of the six strings from low to high is: E A D G B E. Drop D tuning involves lowering that low E down to D. Thus: D A D G B E. I now have a "chromatic tuner", so this is actually pretty easy to do on the fly. It's amazing how this one little change makes such a difference in the sound of the instrument. That low D is sooooooo low!
Monday, June 18, 2007
Goals
Still working through the same book (Shipton).
One of my goals for my current sabbatical had been to try to finish the book before the end of the sabbatical.
I'm really really close, but there are still 4-5 songs in the book and my sabbatical technically ends at the end of this month.
Hm. I just realized that I have my own sense of making progress with a piece.
I'm certainly not to stage four with the whole book, but I'd love to be at stage three.
One of my goals for my current sabbatical had been to try to finish the book before the end of the sabbatical.
I'm really really close, but there are still 4-5 songs in the book and my sabbatical technically ends at the end of this month.
Hm. I just realized that I have my own sense of making progress with a piece.
- First stage is that I can play all the notes through, off tempo.
- Second stage is that I can play them through and it vaguely sounds like the actual piece.
- Third stage, would be that I can play through at tempo with the music.
- Fourth stage is playing through at tempo with no music.
I'm certainly not to stage four with the whole book, but I'd love to be at stage three.
Monday, June 4, 2007
Reading music
I'm still working through the Shipton book. I'd been making what seems like good progress.
A couple of times, I've really stalled. Sometimes I think that's probably normal plateauing, but other times it's been something else.
The fact of the matter is that I can't read music very well. I learned how when I was really young and have had no reason to keep sharp with it over the last 30 years or so. What I find is that when I come to a new piece that's written in normal musical notation as opposed to tablature, I can read it, but it's really slow.
This has shown up in the book several times so far, but I'd come to a couple of pieces back to back in the Shipton book over the last two weeks or so written in standard music and it had slowed me down.
I seem to have overcome it a bit. I can play both through (slowly and awkwardly of course!), but I can get through them. So I figure I'm due a little celebration.
A couple of times, I've really stalled. Sometimes I think that's probably normal plateauing, but other times it's been something else.
The fact of the matter is that I can't read music very well. I learned how when I was really young and have had no reason to keep sharp with it over the last 30 years or so. What I find is that when I come to a new piece that's written in normal musical notation as opposed to tablature, I can read it, but it's really slow.
This has shown up in the book several times so far, but I'd come to a couple of pieces back to back in the Shipton book over the last two weeks or so written in standard music and it had slowed me down.
I seem to have overcome it a bit. I can play both through (slowly and awkwardly of course!), but I can get through them. So I figure I'm due a little celebration.
Monday, May 21, 2007
Youth
My wife went on a youtube binge the other day and at one point I looked over her shoulder to see what had gotten her attention. Well, there were bunches of videos of dachshunds, but there was one music one. It featured three kids sitting on the sofa playing a bluegrass piece. (I've been searching the site and have been unable to find it again, so I can't post the direct link here.)
There were two guitars and a mandolin. The kids were somewhere in the 6-10 range and they were really good.
What got me though was that they didn't appear to be having all that much fun. They kept looking to the person holding the camera and all I could read in their eyes was something like: daddy, can we stop now?
What really got me was that I feel like here I am pouring my heart into the guitar and I may never get as good as these little kids. On the other hand, I think I'm having more fun than them.
There were two guitars and a mandolin. The kids were somewhere in the 6-10 range and they were really good.
What got me though was that they didn't appear to be having all that much fun. They kept looking to the person holding the camera and all I could read in their eyes was something like: daddy, can we stop now?
What really got me was that I feel like here I am pouring my heart into the guitar and I may never get as good as these little kids. On the other hand, I think I'm having more fun than them.
Monday, May 14, 2007
Relax
I think I tense up for some things. I find that's certainly true for pieces that I'm making an effort to play without error, or for difficult chord shapes (bars), or difficult fingering patterns.
I would imagine that, as a relative beginner, I'm generally holding my hands, fingers, arms too rigidly.
While practicing yesterday, I tried monitoring this and really made an effort to loosen up. I'm not sure it sounded any better, but it certainly felt better.
I would imagine that, as a relative beginner, I'm generally holding my hands, fingers, arms too rigidly.
While practicing yesterday, I tried monitoring this and really made an effort to loosen up. I'm not sure it sounded any better, but it certainly felt better.
Wednesday, April 25, 2007
Should it sound like music?
I had another epiphany. Lately, things have been sounding a little more like music and I'd been taking that as a good sign.
Then I began thinking about my son and his violin. He's been playing for years and, over the years, it's sounded more and less like music. At the very beginning, it had lots of rough patches and, though I was proud of every note, sometimes, it was a stretch to find music in there. Later, it sounded like music a lot, and this lasted up until fairly recently. Of late, though, he seems to often work on bizarre scales and exercises that don't sound like music. I suppose the difference is that the bizarre scales aren't supposed to sound like music.
So the issue is this: if this is the typical continuum, where am I on it? I'm thinking I'm at that first break between initial non-musical and musical.
I guess the moral is that the more progress I make, the longer the path to where I want to be seems.
Then I began thinking about my son and his violin. He's been playing for years and, over the years, it's sounded more and less like music. At the very beginning, it had lots of rough patches and, though I was proud of every note, sometimes, it was a stretch to find music in there. Later, it sounded like music a lot, and this lasted up until fairly recently. Of late, though, he seems to often work on bizarre scales and exercises that don't sound like music. I suppose the difference is that the bizarre scales aren't supposed to sound like music.
So the issue is this: if this is the typical continuum, where am I on it? I'm thinking I'm at that first break between initial non-musical and musical.
I guess the moral is that the more progress I make, the longer the path to where I want to be seems.
Thursday, April 19, 2007
Rhythm
I'm back from my trip, a week away from the guitar and no noticeable backsliding.
I've been working through the Shipton book (described in an earlier post). I'm up to the third part and had been having trouble with some of the fancy syncopated strums. I had a little epiphany today though. I noticed that if I just hold one chord shape it's easier to figure out the strumming pattern, than if I'm trying to do the chord changes at the same time.
This is probably the most obvious thing in the world, but it's fairly typical of my epiphanies!
I've been working through the Shipton book (described in an earlier post). I'm up to the third part and had been having trouble with some of the fancy syncopated strums. I had a little epiphany today though. I noticed that if I just hold one chord shape it's easier to figure out the strumming pattern, than if I'm trying to do the chord changes at the same time.
This is probably the most obvious thing in the world, but it's fairly typical of my epiphanies!
Monday, April 9, 2007
Hiatus
I'm off to an international conference for a week and, because of all the other carry-ons I'm taking, I'm leaving the travel guitar behind. This may be the first break from daily practice since the beginning of the year.
I'm going to miss it and I worry that I'll backslide.
There's research that shows that appropriate "visualization" can help more than actual practice in some kinds of learning. I don't think the learning involved is middle-aged guitar, but I'm hoping it'll generalize.
I'm going to miss it and I worry that I'll backslide.
There's research that shows that appropriate "visualization" can help more than actual practice in some kinds of learning. I don't think the learning involved is middle-aged guitar, but I'm hoping it'll generalize.
Friday, March 23, 2007
Collectors
I just got a new guitar. Actually, it was a very generous gift from my mom on the occasion of a momentous birthday: a Martin D-18. I put up a picture to the right.
It's just gorgeous and sounds like bliss. It's clearly worthy of someone who can play a lot better than I can at this stage, but i) it gives me a goal to shoot for; ii) it was a really nice gift; and iii) did I already mention that it's just plan goegeous?
I think that there is a collector syndrome. My impression is that it shows up most often with men who collect guns, of all things, but I think it shows up with guitars too. I've run across quite a few guys who "collect" guitars. I'm not sure how well they play, but they seem to have way more guitars than they have time to play them. (There are obviously women who collect things too; there just seems to be something very male about this kind of collecting.)
With this beautiful new guitar, I now have three, All Martins.
When I was shopping around for the D-18, I did see some really beautiful Larrivee instruments....
It's just gorgeous and sounds like bliss. It's clearly worthy of someone who can play a lot better than I can at this stage, but i) it gives me a goal to shoot for; ii) it was a really nice gift; and iii) did I already mention that it's just plan goegeous?
I think that there is a collector syndrome. My impression is that it shows up most often with men who collect guns, of all things, but I think it shows up with guitars too. I've run across quite a few guys who "collect" guitars. I'm not sure how well they play, but they seem to have way more guitars than they have time to play them. (There are obviously women who collect things too; there just seems to be something very male about this kind of collecting.)
With this beautiful new guitar, I now have three, All Martins.
- LXM A baby Martin for traveling.
- DX1R My previous guitar. Quite serviceable and probably the one I'll use for trips where I have enough room to bring a full-size instrument.
- D-18 The new beauty. So far, I want to guard it with my life and keep it at home!
When I was shopping around for the D-18, I did see some really beautiful Larrivee instruments....
Saturday, March 17, 2007
Consumed
I found a new little riff that I'm totally consumed by. It's from a song called "The Junkie Song" by a band called the Be Good Tanyas. I found the tab on the web and it looks like this:
Hauntingly pretty to my mind, but really really easy. I suppose I have this naive view that the most interesting music should be hardest, but maybe that isn't so. It would seem that there's music that's hard to play and then there's music that's hard to think up.
I guess the trick for me at my stage is to try to enjoy learning the latter, rather than the former!
Am C G
----------3-3-------------------------------
---1----1--------1----1----1----1--0-----0^1
-2----2--------2----2----0----0----0---0----
--------------------------------------------
0----0--------0----0----3----3--------------
----------------------------------3---3-----
Hauntingly pretty to my mind, but really really easy. I suppose I have this naive view that the most interesting music should be hardest, but maybe that isn't so. It would seem that there's music that's hard to play and then there's music that's hard to think up.
I guess the trick for me at my stage is to try to enjoy learning the latter, rather than the former!
Friday, March 9, 2007
Bar-chord ruminations
I'm refusing to use the spelling barre on general principle.
I have a general understanding of bar-chords and use them occasionally, but I've been working hard of late to make my transitions to bar-chords smoother and to get them to sound better. The ones I use the most seem to be the E-shape
and the A-minor shape.
The E-shape barred at the first fret is a full F, which I use all the time and the A-minor shape barred at the second fret is a B-minor, which I'm using a lot too.
I find that I'm really slow at moving into these positions and that my left hand is pretty sore. (The old soreness seems well under control though and I'm assuming the new soreness will fade as I get better at this.)
O.k. a switch of gears. I just noticed that a C-shape barred at the second fret should be a D and seems to be identical to a D if you just look at the first three strings.
Is this right??? If so, does this mean that what we think of as D is really a truncated barred C?
I have a general understanding of bar-chords and use them occasionally, but I've been working hard of late to make my transitions to bar-chords smoother and to get them to sound better. The ones I use the most seem to be the E-shape
|-1-|---|---|
|-1-|---|---|
|-1-|-2-|---|
|-1-|---|-4-|
|-1-|---|-3-|
|-1-|---|---|
and the A-minor shape.
|-1-|---|---|
|-1-|-2-|---|
|-1-|---|-4-|
|-1-|---|-3-|
|-1-|---|---|
|---|---|---|
The E-shape barred at the first fret is a full F, which I use all the time and the A-minor shape barred at the second fret is a B-minor, which I'm using a lot too.
I find that I'm really slow at moving into these positions and that my left hand is pretty sore. (The old soreness seems well under control though and I'm assuming the new soreness will fade as I get better at this.)
O.k. a switch of gears. I just noticed that a C-shape barred at the second fret should be a D and seems to be identical to a D if you just look at the first three strings.
|---|-1-|---|---|---|
|---|-1-|-2-|---|---|
|---|-1-|---|---|---|
|---|-1-|---|-3-|---|
|---|-1-|---|---|-4-|
|---|---|---|---|---|
Is this right??? If so, does this mean that what we think of as D is really a truncated barred C?
Friday, March 2, 2007
Doucement
For xmas, my wife got me a subscription to a guitar magazine: Acoustic Guitar, which I've really been enjoying. I was reading an article in it the other day about some guitar player named David Wilcox and they highlighted a really wonderful quote: "The dynamics on the guitar have so little to do with how loud you make it and a lot to do with how soft you make it."
I'm a linguist and the semantics are almost self-contradictory. Setting that aside though, I think the point is really apropos for me at this stage. Lately, I've been working on learning different strumming patterns and I have a huge temptation to wail away at the instrument. I find that if I hold back and concentrate on making strums that sound good, rather than feel good, that it starts to sound like music!
I'm a linguist and the semantics are almost self-contradictory. Setting that aside though, I think the point is really apropos for me at this stage. Lately, I've been working on learning different strumming patterns and I have a huge temptation to wail away at the instrument. I find that if I hold back and concentrate on making strums that sound good, rather than feel good, that it starts to sound like music!
Thursday, February 22, 2007
Strumming
I found a new book. Or rather, I was digging through the bijillions of guitar books I have and found one that I hadn't worked through before. It's written by a Russ Shipton and it's very nice.
There are several aspects of the book that seem to be working well for me. First thing is that it has whole sections on strumming. This is such a remedial topic, yet it's a big gap in my training. There are some weekend players who really only strum and it's something I have only a "theoretical" understanding of. The Shipton book has a number of examples of pieces to be played with all sorts of strums that I don't know. I feel like I've really made some progress on this.
Another aspect of the book that I've found really pleasant is that I know a lot of the music. Most of the pieces that are included are old rock songs from the 60s and 70s. This is really nice. I've found books before with "popular" music, but usually it's music that I either don't know or don't like. This book has lots of pretty stuff, lots of familiar stuff.
I think I mentioned this in an earlier post, but it really helps for me to know the music I'm playing to have a picture(?) in my mind of how the piece sounds.
I do have to admit that there is one shortcoming with the book. It includes a CD, which is very nice, but the version of the music on the CD is i) electric, not acoustic, and ii) includes lead parts that make it hard to hear the rhythm part for pieces where you're supposed to learn the rhythm part.
There are several aspects of the book that seem to be working well for me. First thing is that it has whole sections on strumming. This is such a remedial topic, yet it's a big gap in my training. There are some weekend players who really only strum and it's something I have only a "theoretical" understanding of. The Shipton book has a number of examples of pieces to be played with all sorts of strums that I don't know. I feel like I've really made some progress on this.
Another aspect of the book that I've found really pleasant is that I know a lot of the music. Most of the pieces that are included are old rock songs from the 60s and 70s. This is really nice. I've found books before with "popular" music, but usually it's music that I either don't know or don't like. This book has lots of pretty stuff, lots of familiar stuff.
I think I mentioned this in an earlier post, but it really helps for me to know the music I'm playing to have a picture(?) in my mind of how the piece sounds.
I do have to admit that there is one shortcoming with the book. It includes a CD, which is very nice, but the version of the music on the CD is i) electric, not acoustic, and ii) includes lead parts that make it hard to hear the rhythm part for pieces where you're supposed to learn the rhythm part.
Monday, February 12, 2007
Classical Gas
I found tab for an oldie, Classical Gas, and have been working on it. It's probably way beyond my abilities, but it's such a pretty piece.
By the way, most of the tab versions I found on the web attribute the thing to Eric Clapton, but a check of iTunes shows that he never recorded a version of it. I finally found that the famous acoustic guitar version is by Mason Williams and there are a number of references on the web to how it's been misattributed to Clapton.
By the way, most of the tab versions I found on the web attribute the thing to Eric Clapton, but a check of iTunes shows that he never recorded a version of it. I finally found that the famous acoustic guitar version is by Mason Williams and there are a number of references on the web to how it's been misattributed to Clapton.
Sunday, February 4, 2007
Musicality
I feel like I can get pretty good at hitting the notes for various pieces I practice, but that doesn't seem to entail that they sound like music.
I believe this is called musicality, but I'm not sure. What seems to help most is songs that I actually sing. Singing is not something I enjoy or am good at, but I find that if I at least hum along with a piece it sounds much more like music.
I suppose that could just be to my ear, that singing makes a piece sound more musical to me, but to no one else.
I believe this is called musicality, but I'm not sure. What seems to help most is songs that I actually sing. Singing is not something I enjoy or am good at, but I find that if I at least hum along with a piece it sounds much more like music.
I suppose that could just be to my ear, that singing makes a piece sound more musical to me, but to no one else.
Saturday, January 27, 2007
Sore hands
I seem to have perpetually sore hands. My wrists have always bothered me with the guitar, but now my knuckles are trouble too.
The latter seems to have started when I overdid the rock climbing...which I stopped. Stretching out my wrists seems to help the first some, but I'm convinced now that they're just the price of doing business, that my fate is to have sore hands. C'est la vie.
The latter seems to have started when I overdid the rock climbing...which I stopped. Stretching out my wrists seems to help the first some, but I'm convinced now that they're just the price of doing business, that my fate is to have sore hands. C'est la vie.
Monday, January 22, 2007
Carter style
There's a style of playing called Carter Style. I believe it's named for Maybelle Carter, a member of an old group called the Carter Family. It involves alternating pass notes with strums and the base notes effectively pick out the melody.
I've got a bunch of pieces like that that I like and have worked on for some time. I enjoy them; they're a lot of fun to play.
I've gone listening to the original Carter Family tunes though, and most of them don't float my boat all that much. So I'm having a bit of a disconnect between what I like to play and what I like to listen to.
I've got a bunch of pieces like that that I like and have worked on for some time. I enjoy them; they're a lot of fun to play.
I've gone listening to the original Carter Family tunes though, and most of them don't float my boat all that much. So I'm having a bit of a disconnect between what I like to play and what I like to listen to.
Thursday, January 18, 2007
Railroad Bill
There's a wonderful version of "Railroad Bill" performed by Etta Baker. I think the most often heard one is from an album with Taj Mahal. You can find free mp3 versions of the song on the web.
It's pretty straightforward and real pretty. I found a book that offers a simplified version of it that I've been working on.
It's fingerstyle, which is new for me, and the picking is nicely syncopated.
I'd love to find tab for the full version by Baker, but no luck yet.
It's pretty straightforward and real pretty. I found a book that offers a simplified version of it that I've been working on.
It's fingerstyle, which is new for me, and the picking is nicely syncopated.
I'd love to find tab for the full version by Baker, but no luck yet.
One story
I'm an older fellow going through my nth life crisis: my only son has just left for college out of state to study music.
With time and conflicting emotions on my hands, I'm resolved to spend more time with the guitar and really try to move from the "fiddling around with it" stage to the "actually can make music" stage.
I think I'm guided by my son in several ways. First, there's the empty nest syndrome. I've got some time. Second, he's a musician himself---violin---and he gets such pleasure from his playing that I think I might too.
I think there's a third reason too possibly. Is it that I miss the sound of somebody practicing in the house? Is this at least partially a way of trying to deal with my son's moving out?
With time and conflicting emotions on my hands, I'm resolved to spend more time with the guitar and really try to move from the "fiddling around with it" stage to the "actually can make music" stage.
I think I'm guided by my son in several ways. First, there's the empty nest syndrome. I've got some time. Second, he's a musician himself---violin---and he gets such pleasure from his playing that I think I might too.
I think there's a third reason too possibly. Is it that I miss the sound of somebody practicing in the house? Is this at least partially a way of trying to deal with my son's moving out?
Tuesday, January 16, 2007
Why
The overt goal of this blog is to document my progress--or lack thereof--in learning how to play the guitar.
There, are, however a number of covert goals as well....which, for full dramatic effect, I'll leave to later posts.
There, are, however a number of covert goals as well....which, for full dramatic effect, I'll leave to later posts.
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