My fingertips are sore and black because I’ve practiced my guitar playing every day since pulling it from its box on my birthday 11 days ago. They hurt like hell, but it’s a very satisfying pain.
Mood music:
[spotify:track:69GD80i2vo9xdHbxFw4USw]
My technique is still all wrong because I haven’t had face-to-face lessons yet, though I’ve been using several lessons I found on YouTube. Despite my lack of proper chording so far, I’m finding that I can make sounds that sound good to me. I define “good” by the sound’s ability to take my brain someplace else while mysteriously helping me exist in the moment at the same time.
That may sound strange, but it’s how I feel.
I’ve also quickly remembered where I left off 19 years ago, when I last played the instrument.
Once my skills and confidence are at a more comfortable level, I’ll start recording bits of what I’ve been doing and put them on the SoundCloud page I set up this week.
I’ll even start singing and writing lyrics again, making the best with what I have.
Future posts in this blog will be more musical as a result, with my own stuff for mood music, complete with lyrics to follow along with. How long will it take me to get there? I don’t know, but I’m in no great hurry.
I love that I’m able to do more with music than simply being a bystander. For me, rock ‘n’ roll has always been a source of strength in times of trouble. As I’ve said before, the more angry metal I listened to as a kid wrung out any real violence in me and probably steered me away from a life of crime.
My musical tastes remain heavy but not quite so angry. I don’t consider Van Halen an angry band. They play hard, but the lyrics are all about living, loving and having a good time, troubles be damned.
But I don’t think rock is the only vehicle.
I know others get the same salvation from classical, country, folk and jazz.
If the music takes you from your ugly place, it’s all good — no matter how out of tune it may be.
That said, I really need to get on the ball and get those lessons.
