graphic courtesy of http://www.konaguitars.com
Mondays are evil.
But Saturday was my birthday, so that lifts me a little. I may even be embracing turning 37. Still, with the temp in the 70s as I walked to the car this morning, I just wanted to go back inside, kick off the slides, put on the sneaks, and stay outdoors all day. Ah well...
That beauty pictured was my gift from the birthday fairy, cleverly disguised as my husby. I've been making noise about learning to play for years now, and this year, he took me serious. We hit a handful of small music shops on Saturday before this one spoke to me—plus the price was sweet! I recommend Music World on San Jose for anybody interested in acoustic or electric guitars or drums. The place spoke to me the minute we walked in—they had an electric guitar emblazoned with the Icehouse logo (my fave domestic), LOL! The guy threw in an electric tuner, picks, cloth, and strap for free, a gig bag for 1/2 price, and had a good selection of books to get me started.
Needless to say, all that got accomplished this weekend was me figuring out the B and E strings. And when I say that, I only mean 3 notes apiece to start. It's like learning to read music all over again. No, that's not it; reading music is like riding a bike—you don't forget. I played trumpet in high school, so the difference between playing a 3-finger instrument versus a 2-hand, 4-finger instrument is a bit daunting. Thank goodness they both use G clef! The guy quickly recommended a book of chords, beautifully indexed, and when I was perusing the other books, I saw that he had the beginner's Alfred series. I'm 90% sure that that's the same brand series that they used to teach us with, when I started trumpet back in the day, so I grabbed the first book of the series as well; and I'm so glad I did, because it breaks everything down beautifully.
It's not frustrating, so my meds must still be working; rather, I'm able to recognize that this sure ain't going to get mastered overnight. When I felt discouraged though, I just took a little break and then went back to it. Sometimes it means taking a piece measure by measure to get the fingering down, plus there's the added struggle of learning how to use the tips of your left-hand fingers on the strings with the necessary pressure to produce a clear note. It never failed that just when I'd feel I'd gotten the fingering down, I'd nail a dead note from poor finger positioning. Wanted to bring it to work to play on my breaks, but I have enough self-pride not to subject my coworkers to that on my lunch, even outdoors.
So, if I can manage to tear myself away from mr. guitar (I know it's a boy, but he doesn't have a name yet), I'll start my 2nd sock tonight and/or start the guitar strap pattern from the Fall '03 Knitty, because the freebie I have is short and I can tell from the way it attaches that it won't last. And of course, my walking has lagged of late, as has the fundraising, to the point where I'm thinking I won't be able to walk next month, because I won't have raised the necessary dough :( I'm going to send out my press releases tonight first thing, and write the thank-you notes I've been putting off. Then the other stuff can get a glimpse. But you know, no pressure :)
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