Maybe, If You Are Bach

It’s easy to play any musical instrument:  all you have to do is touch the right key at the right time and the instrument will play itself.
—     Johnannes Sebastian Bach
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On This Day In:
2021	Already In That State
	Reflections In The Waves
2020	Register And Vote
	Feel It In Your Feet
2019	Always Surprises
2018	You’ve Got To Stand For Something
	Day 24: Hand Touching Hand
2017	The Tide Will Turn
2016	Dreamers
2015	Three Roars
2014	Be R-E-L-E-V-A-N-T
2013	Lacking
2012	So Small A Thing
2011	Is Your Time Valuable?

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Atmospheric Perturbations

A person with a feel for rhythm can walk into a factory and hear the machine noise as a composition.  If we expand that concept to include light, behavior, weather factors, moon phases, anything (whether it’s a rhythm that can be heard or a rhythm that is perceived, i.e., a color change over time — or a season), it can be consumed as music.
If it can be conceived as music, it can be executed as music, and presented to an audience in such a way that they will perceive it as music…
When someone writes a piece of music, what he or she puts on the paper is roughly the equivalent of a recipe — in the sense that the recipe is not the food, only instructions for the preparation of the food.  Unless you are very weird, you don’t eat the recipe.
If I write something on a piece of paper, I can’t actually ‘hear’ it.  I can conjure up visions of what the symbols on the page mean, and imagine a piece of music as it might sound in performance, but that sensation is nontransferable;  it can’t be shared or transmitted.
It doesn’t become a ‘musical experience’ in normal terms until ‘the recipe’ has been converted into wiggling air molecules.
Music, in performance, is a type of sculpture. The air in the performance space is sculpted into something.  This ‘molecule-sculpture-over-time’ is then ‘looked at’ by the ears of the listeners — or a microphone.
SOUND is ‘ear-decoded data.’ Things which MAKE SOUND are things which are capable of creating perturbations. This perturbations modify (or sculpt) the raw material (the ‘static air’ in the room — the way it was ‘at rest’ before the musicians started fu**ing around with it).  If you purposefully generate atmospheric perturbations (‘air shapes’), you are composing.
—     Frank Zappa
From his book:  “The Real Frank Zappa Book“
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On This Day In:
2021	An Afternoon Nap
	How Should I feel?
2020	Magical Voices In My Head
	I Still Need Educating
2019	And I’m Not Letting Go
2018	The Continuing Failure Of Speaker Paul Ryan
	Day 3: Approaching The Half Way Point
2017	Orange Comb-Overs Unite!
2016	Speaking Of Which
2015	Complexity Has A Strict Architecture
2014	Just Support
2013	Wandering Free
2012	Contribute = Paying Taxes
2011	How Will You Be Judged?

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Hope For Me, Yet

Because music, like color, or a cloud, is neither intelligent nor unintelligent – it just is.  The chord, the simplest building block for even the tritest, silliest chart song, is a beautiful, perfect, mysterious thing, and when an ill-read, uneducated, uncultured, emotionally illiterate boor puts a couple of them together, he has every chance of creating something wonderful and powerful.  All I ask of music is that it sounds good.
—     Nick Hornby
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On This Day In:
2021	Would You Know How?
	Understand The Way I Feel
2020	Learn To Forgive Yourself
	Violating Guidelines
2019	I Walk Faster (Too)
2018	Modern Day Behaviour
2017	On Misogynist Tweets From #DumbDonald
2016	Cowboy Boots & Missing Teeth
	Or Electricity
2015	Oh, To Be Vulnerable
2014	Neglected Horror
2013	The Price Of Illusions
2012	Once Again
2011	And The “Market” Isn’t Always Right

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Goals / Test

The following is my “goal” for learning / playing guitar for the remainder of this year (2022).  (It will be quite a stretch-goal for me.  LoL!)
	Guitar Test
1.)	How much do you practice  —  # of Day (6) / week (52);  # of Hours (1)
2.)	How well do you know the fretboard
3.)	Knowledge of major & minor scale for natural notes
4.)	Knowledge of major & minor chords  —  open & barred
5.)	Perform three:  Maj7, Min7 & Dom7 chords
6.)	Playing & modifying a chord progression
7.)	Perform three different Arpeggios  —  anywhere on the fretboard
8.)	Build A Major scale (at least 3)  —  demonstrate a knowledge of scale formulas (along 1 string)
9.)	Name the tones of four major key signatures
10.)	Name & explain three time signatures  —  count, beat, stresses & accents
11.)	Explain note duration  —  whole, half, 1/4th, 1/8th, & 1/16th
Of course the object of “learning” these things is not the inherent value of knowledge.  It is the ability to put the knowledge into use why playing the guitar.  Some of the items on the list are things I already “know”.  They are just (still) not yet under my fingertips.  That will come with time and practice…  Inshalla
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On This Day In:
2021	Waiting For The Sting
	Right From The Start
2020	Reward Truth In November
2019	Prepare For The 2020 Election
2018	Why #45 Is Uncivil And Sinking
	Ole! … Ole, Ole, Ole
	Is This Still The United States Of America?
2017	Go Where?
2016	Returning To The Same Box
2015	The Hunter’s Music
2014	Dedication
2013	Unhappy Alternatives
2012	Implications
2011	Never Let Us Down

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Taking The Chance To Improvise

I want to know three things when I go on stage:  [1] that my equipment is working, [2] that the band members absolutely know the material, so I don’t have to worry about them, and [3] that the rhythm section can hear what I’m playing and that it has some ‘concept’ of it so it can help build the improvisation.
If those conditions are met, if the acoustics are reasonable, and if I’m satisfied with my amp sound…, then all I want to do is go on autopilot, wiggle my fingers and listen to what comes out.
During the 1984 tour, I would usually play eight solos per night (five nights a week, times six months), and out of that there might have been twenty solos that were musically worth-while enough to put on a record.  The rest of it was garbage.  It’s not that I wasn’t trying to play something;  most of it just didn’t come off.
If you’re working this way, the chances of doing it ‘right’ every time are not good — but I’ll take the chance.  I don’t feel I have anything to apologize for, or any exalted reputation to uphold.
—     Frank Zappa
From his book:  “The Real Frank Zappa Book“
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On This Day In:
2021	A Bit Like Politics
	How About Tonight?
2020	Independent Isolation
2019	This Pilgrim Has Had A (Mostly) Happy Road
2018	And Men, Too
2017	Damned If You Do
2016	A Storm Over The Horizon
2015	What About Today?
2014	Idiot, n.
2013	Temporary Reality
2012	The Great Objective
2011	Read A Book

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I Learn The Hard Way

The reason so many guitarists fail to reach their potential is error filled repetition, aka not knowing exactly how to do each movement!
—     Aaron Shearer
Good judgment comes from experience, and experience comes from bad judgment.
—    Rita Mae Brown
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On This Day In:
2021	I Ask For Two Minutes…
	Always
2020	At Least A Lot More Gray
2019	Walking The Lonely Path
2018	The Ultimate Trial
2017	Vain Expectations
2016	Or Of One Thought
2015	What’s In Your Future?
2014	Light In Darkness
2013	How ‘Bout Just Obeying The Law?
2012	Or Maybe Not
2011	My Interval Is Too Short!

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Strumming And Changing Chords

Talent is a pursued interest.  Anything that you’re willing to practice, you can do.
—     Bob Ross
[Maybe Bob is right, but it sure would be nice if this effortless guitar playing came faster…   Good thing I’m one of those OCD folks who actually enjoys practicing without seeing much improvement.  LoL.    —    KMAB]
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On This Day In:
2021	B U
	Blueprint Blue
2019	I Struggle With One At A Time
2018	An Infectious Political Cancer
	Site Update / Poems Page Evolution
2017	Our Thirst
2016	History Favors The Victor
2015	This We’ll Leave Them
2014	Sounds Like Faux News To Me
2013	Reasons
2012	American Libertarianism
2011	The Goal

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Zappa-ed!!

“The Real Frank Zappa Book” (1989©)   —   book review
Today’s review is for the autobiography:  “The Real Frank Zappa Book“;  written by:  Frank Zappa and co-written by / with:  Peter Occhiogrosso.
Background:  a network system admin colleague was listening to some music when I approached him for assistance.  I asked about what he was listening to and he said it was Frank Zappa and the “Mother’s of Invention”.  He then proceeded to tell me how great Zappa was and that he listened to a Zappa show on the radio every Friday night where this little station ran a two hour program on Zappa’s music.  My friend said there was nothing more relaxing than sitting in an easy chair with a tumbler of Jägermeister and listening to Zappa to kick off a weekend.  I was familiar with the “name” but (honestly) could not recall a single song or album, but I said I’d check it out based on his (my friend’s) recommendation.
Well, I still haven’t gotten around to listening to the radio and I don’t know if the broadcast is still happening every Friday evening, but I was in the used book store (several years ago) and I saw this book and picked it up to add to my reading list.  I keep seeing Zappa’s name referred to in my guitar studies, so I finally made a point of opening (and reading) it.
Who is Frank Zappa and why should we care about him or his views (on anything)?  Zappa is / was (died 1993) an American musician, singer, composer, songwriter and bandleader.  He self-produced over 50 albums and his estate had published another 30+ albums of “new” material since his death.  He was a self-taught musician and composer.  He claims to not be a very great guitarist, but that is the only instrument I ever knew him to play and he’s said to be one of the top 100 guitarists in history.  His book says he originally learned music on a drum set and picked up guitar later.  He was also reasonably well known for his libertarian political views particularly about free speech and the separation of church and state.  Zappa is in both the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and has an album in the Library of Congress preserved for its historical significance.  Zappa’s music is a blend of rock, jazz, fusion, concert / symphonic music with a heavy dose of political / social satire – comedy.  He poked fun at both the left and the right.
What’s in this book and is it any good?  The book is really several parts:  1)  a personal biography;  2)  a discussion of his career and production thoughts about the music industry;  and,  3)  Zappa’s views on various political and social / societal trends.  I didn’t find his biography interesting.  I thought his comments on music and the industry were very insightful.  I was only mildly amused by his political stances and societal observations.  While I might personally agree with much of his stances and observations, I found his sarcasm / humor tiring long before the end of the book.
Part 1)  I grew up poor and we moved around a lot.  My escape was music.  I learned about it on my own by listening to an unfiltered variety of sound(s).  I got ripped off constantly by almost everyone else in the music business.  (Pgs 1 – 137)
Part 2)  Everybody is out to screw the composer / artist.  Including, but not limited to:  all production companies, all music unions, all venue owners, all governments (local and national), most fellow musicians, and, most hangers-on / groupies.  (Pgs 139 – 209)
Part 3)  Small, efficient government is the best.  Taxation should be limited to sales and should not include income – to have some hope of charging taxes on the wealthy as well as the workers.  All organized religion(s) and “church” institutions are corrupt (themselves) and corrupting to governments which allow them to have political influence.  There should be a full separation of Church and State.  Public education is a “mostly” a waste of money.  Education post-high school should be paid for by the individual only.  Special interest groups (guns and religion lobbies) have too much influence in America.  You cannot legislate morality and you should not be allowed to use morality to limit freedom of speech (particularly in the arts and music industries).  (Pgs 211 – 352 / end)
Final recommendation:  moderate to strong.  As stated previously, I didn’t find Zappa’s personal life (growing up or music performing) very interesting.  I found his thoughts about the concept of music (and art in general) VERY interesting.  This section was the strength of the book.  I would have been over the moon if he had devoted the rest of the book to elaborating on his theories of sound / art / artistry / and music production.  Unfortunately, he didn’t.  The final chunk of the book was “really” only moderately interesting.  My impression was:  “this is filler to add 80 extra pages”.  Again, just because I agree with an authors’ statements, doesn’t mean I like / enjoy how they choose to express the statements.  The book was worth the time invested in reading it , if only to gain an appreciation of a historic music figure.  I will be offering up some quotes from it in the future.  – BUT – except for the discussion on music / art, I can’t say the book inspired much after-thought / reflection.  (Actually, I’ve already posted a few of Zappa’s quotes, but didn’t know they were from this book.  I will probably get around to updating those prior posts at some point.)
Afterwords:  I have made an effort to go to YouTube and sample some of Zappa’s performances.  I’ve yet to be impressed.  Mostly, what I’ve heard has been ok.  JUST ok.  They remind me of what you’d hear at a county / state fair.  If anyone reading this can provide specific suggestions, I’d be more than happy to check them out.  I will say, I have found the video’s of his interviews to be much more interesting than the music I’ve listened to.
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On This Day In:
2021	Every Time It Gets Better
	Distant!
2020	I’m Persuaded
2019	Hungry For Trust
2018	Mutual Assistance
2017	The Toughest Job
2016	Congratulations!!
	Better Yet, Read!
2015	Even If It Kills Us Slowly
2014	Fun To Play God
	Of Anything
2013	Legal (Almost)
2012	Great Scots!
2011	The GI Bill – A Simple History Lesson
	Breaking Even

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I’m Still Mediocre With Easy

Try to play easy pieces well;  it is better than to play difficult ones in a mediocre style.
—     Robert Schumann
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On This Day In:
2021	I’m An Optimist
	Talent Is A Ticket To Ride
2020	Works For Me
	Rivers Versus Waterfalls
2019	Better To Do
	News: Drunken Party Girl Saves Seoul
2018	Keep Moving
2017	Fighting Good
2016	Size Matters
2015	Maybe The Best Thing
2014	Ready To Be Fried?
2013	A Real Lover
2012	Winning Wars
2011	A Different Lesson

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More Cherry Than Candy Apple (Or My Continuing G.A.S.*)

GROTE Full Scale Electric Guitar Semi-Hollow Body Guitar w/ Bone Nut (Red GRDB-TR35)  —  guitar review  (Images follow the review)
[Disclaimer:  I have not received as a promotion any guitar or music related product, nor am I mentioning anything in this post to secure compensation / income for myself or the manufacturer(s) of the products mentioned.  I am only posting about this / these item(s) because I personally purchased it / them and am excited to be learning about music and playing guitar.    —    KMAB]
* Guitar Acquisition Syndrome
Background:  For the last fourteen months, I’ve been trying to teach myself about music and playing guitar.  To date I have now purchased eight “inexpensive / cheap” guitars.  Here’s the review of my latest:  a Grote 335 / 338 style Electric Guitar (red)…  What’s the difference between “335” and “338”?  I don’t know…  I can’t tell exactly.  It seems there is “some” difference in the body size, but I’ve not been able to see / read and / or find a description of which is which.  As near as I can tell, the 335 was created / invented by Gibson Guitar Corporation back in the late 1950’s.  Rather than a full body (figure-8) guitar, the top of the body has two “cut-aways” to allow for easier access by the fretting hand to the higher (closer to the body) frets.  Gibson bought Epiphone (also in the late 1950’s) and used that brand to sell a much less expensive version of the the same model.  I gather “335” is a legal brand, so other companies can’t say their guitars ARE 335s, but they seem to be able to say their guitars are 335-style.  Others just say their guitars are “338” and then slightly modify the size / shape so they are not getting sued by Gibson / Epiphone.  This is very similar to the issue of headstock shape many “knockoff” guitar companies have with the Fender headstock style.
Since starting on this journey, I’ve watched numerous interviews of famous guitarist saying they wanted to play the same guitar as their inspirational heroes (I don’t have any guitar heroes) or they started playing one (guitar) style that fit the sound they heard in their head (I don’t have a sound) and when the sound changed, they changed the guitar style to match their new sound.  I’ve yet to see / hear any of them say, “the company gave me a free custom guitar and an endorsement contract, so I switched“.
Anyway, as stated in several prior reviews, I’m retired and I have a significant price point and life time (mine) limitation.  I haven’t found my sound or style (or hero), so I’m playing around at the bottom of the market in search of one, both or all three.  For those of you readers who are unfamiliar with the price of music instruments, a decent quality, name brand guitar “probably” runs near USD $1,000.  (If you are lucky, you can find the same model used for half that.)  At half that price (USD $500), you can also normally find the same name brand (or their subsidiary) selling a new entry-level model of substantially lower quality.  You can also go (quickly) the other direction to many times that price before you even get to custom guitars.  Specific historic guitars sell in the tens and hundreds of thousands of dollars!
I now have eight “cheap / inexpensive” guitars of various style / types, and, not counting books and accessories (tools, tuners, picks, cables, gig bags, straps, etc), I’m right around the $1,000 “all-in” mark.  My wife believes I’m a hoarder and while she supports my trying to learn music / guitar, she does NOT approve of my continuing guitar purchases.  I (on the other hand) still feel the need for one last guitar before pausing for the “right” one – which I may never find / buy.  I will probably get that “last” inexpensive one before the end of this year.  After that, I will be playing them each, and, over time, upgrading the bits and pieces on them until I’m more or less happy with each.  Some, like my three-quarter size acoustic are so minimalist it really can’t have much changed out.  Of course, as my luthier skills improve, there is a seemingly endless pool of tools to spend (my wife would say “waste”) money on.  And, there are also amplifiers.  On the issue of amps, I only have my initial 10-watt amp from the purchase of my first electric guitar.  I’m sure it’s “crap”, but I very rarely use it, so it may be some time before I get a second / replacement amp.  At the moment, I play my acoustic guitars in the day and my electrics sans amp at night.  The “only” time I use my amp is when I get a new guitar want to verify the electric bits work.  Because I still have no ear for electric sound, I still can’t tell if the electric guitars are good or not – only if they play at all.
Start of review:
Ordering:  The company home site:  https://www.grotechina.com/ did not have the model I wanted – red / glossy and with no trapeze end-piece.  I was tempted to settle for red with the trap, but I decided to wait.  The general price at their site for this style but with matte finish was $189.00, not including tax or shipping.  I found the same item on Amazon for $179 (not including tax but with free shipping).  The price ended up:  $196.45 (delivered).  Note:  the model I purchased on Amazon is now available on the Grote home site for $169 – $10 less than my price, but you will then have shipping (usually $20-$30) costs.
Delivery:  I ordered mine on Friday April 15, 2022 (late evening) and it arrived on April 17, mid-afternoon.  The site said it would be delivered in a week or so, depending on your location.  Amazon said it would be delivered on Monday 17 April 2022.  On delivery, the box was slightly crumpled at the base.  Otherwise, there was no damage to the box.  (This was a first!)  On opening the box, there was no damage at all to the guitar.
What you get:
(Specifications)
Guitar Brand:  Grote
Orientation:  Right handed
Guitar Color:  Cherry Red (not really my desired candy apple red, but close enough)
(I’m not sure why this matters or the company thinks we care…) Trademark & Metal Truss Rod Cover:  Laser anti-false trademark, Metal truss rod cover with engraved logo.
Number of frets:  22
Nut width:  42mm.
Scale length:  24.75″
Number of strings:  6
Pick-up Style:  Humbucker, Humbucker
Guitar Bridge System:  Tune-o-matic
Controls:  5 – 1 switch (3 positions), 2 x Volume, 2 x Tone;  the four knobs are clear plastic which lets you see the number settings from the top or side.  Very cool!
Body Material:  Canadian Maple;  there is a hint of wood grain through the glossy paint.  NO pits or faults.  A beautiful instrument.
“F” holes:  2, painted the same color as the edge binding and the pain appears smoothly applied.
Neck Material:  Canadian Maple
Fingerboard Material:  Black Wood (I have no idea what that means.  Also, the fingerboard itself is slightly indented in multiple locations of the non-inlaid frets.  The “dents” don’t impact the playability and can only be seen if you are looking specifically for damage / flaws.
Tuning Peg Material:  Metal, Kidney Bean shape
Nut Material:  Bone
Bridge Material:  Metal
Bridge Type:  Tune-o-matic style
(Package Includes)
1 x Guitar
2 x Plectrum
1 x Connecting Wire
1 x Spanner Tool (for adjusting the neck / truss rod)
First impression:  right out of the box, the guitar has a beautiful, dark, rich almost burgundy wine red body and neck back.  It is thin but not particularly light.  Being “semi-hollow”, I expected lighter.  I run my left hand up and down the neck.  The edges of the fret board are beautifully bound with a kind of beige / white binding, but the fret spout is TERRIBLE!  The metal frets are visibly past the edge of the neck and binding AND they are sharp(!) AND on both sides of the neck.  I make a mental note to self:  DO NOT run your hand up and down this neck quickly or you WILL cut yourself badly!  This is unexpected because many / most of the YouTube reviews were extremely positive on this.  I will wait at least a week before I sort the fret sprout.  In the meantime, the best I can do is tune and then continue the overall inspection.  At least the frets are polished and don’t leave a residue on your fingertips.
Visual checklist:
• neck – straight, flat and not visibly warped or bent;
• nut – bone. Looks perfect!
• strings – strum… not in tune, but string ends are not excessively long or wrapped around the tuning pegs.  It tuned up very easily.
• body – again, beautiful color and shiny finish.  One VERY minor dent on the side of the body which can barely be seen or felt.
• pickups – are all magnetic.  I can’t tell much else visually.  The “visual test” is to hold something metal near the pickup and feel if it is pulled to the magnetic pickup.
• controls – the switch is responsive without being resistant, the volume(s) and tone(s) both turn smoothly.  I am able to hear the differences between the pickups on the switch (after it’s plugged in and the amp is turned on)
• tuning pegs – three seem to have “gaps” in action before turning them kicks in (both directions)
• pick (“plectrum”) – no name plastic, but you get two of them.  One has skull artwork on it.  The second has some kind of dancing Asiatic female.  They seem medium thickness.  Not bendy; not super-hard; not textured.
• action and intonation – the strings seem fine (eyeball test).  I will measure them in the future.  The intonation is PERFECT.  I can’t believe it!  Not just open and at the 12th fret.  All up and down the neck with no dead frets on any strings.
Strum…  the strings are all loose and there is no hope this is tuned “out of the box”.  I attach my Snark tuner and tune the guitar.  Nothing significant to report.  I’m a happy camper…!!!
I plug in the amplifier and plug the cable into it and into the guitar.  Both connections seem solid enough.  I turn on the amp and increase the volume on both the guitar and the amp.  All the knobs on the amp and the guitar seem to work.  They kind of change the sound, but I still don’t know what I’m doing or what they should sound like, so I set everything but the volume back to “0”.  The volume is MORE than enough (perfect) for me to play in my bedroom.  It is quieter than an acoustic, but louder than any of my other electrics.
Strum…  I play for a few minutes – chords and scales.  I spend a few minutes “playing” Ode To Joy and then decide to pack it in for the evening.  The main thing I notice is the guitar is very comfortable to play.  The neck seems long, but I don’t have to stretch to play open chords and the body seems to be made just for me.  Mainly the thinner body means it’s easier to hold the guitar body under my strumming arm and against my body.  Also the smaller top end of the body brings the neck closer to me, which is itself more comfortable.
What’s happened since then?
Nothing.  Well, because it lacks a gig bag and there’s an included caution note about resting the guitar between playing sessions, I set up one of the three guitar hangers I got for Christmas and have set the guitar to rest on the wall right next to me.
Next?
Check the fret sprout for about a week and do the light maintenance on it / them for safe playability.  Then it’s add to the rotation and enjoy!!  I will, of course, need a gig bag and a strap ASAP.
Final Recommendation:  LoL!!  Are you kidding me?  This is a beautiful guitar and once I sort out the fret ends and get a strap, it will be a pleasure to practice with.  In a strange way, I’m lucky I didn’t get this guitar as my first electric or I might never have bought my others.  Again, I don’t know anything about how the guitar sounds electrically, because I don’t have enough experience – except to say everything seems to be working.  All things in their time.  Inshallah…
Still Wrapped In-Box
Close-up of Knob Control
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On This Day In:
2021	The Heart Of Science
	Too Thin
2020	Up Again
2019	Advice From #1 To #45
2018	How Much I Will Miss The Trump Administration
2017	We Need To Continue Experimenting
2016	Consistently
2015	We Must Dissent
2014	Now What?
2013	Judgement
2012	Stuck In My Mind
	Life’s Hope
2011	Just Getting Up
	Directions Please

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Dust Under Your Fingertips

Dust In The Wind
[Happy Birthday, Sis!!   Here’s some inspiration to pick up your guitar…    —    KMAB]
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On This Day In:
2021	Stopped Counting Decades Ago
	Just Enjoying The Sun
2020	To My Idealistic Sister
2019	Respect For My Sister
2018	I Trust Cows
	No Boundary
2017	Don’t Sink Now
2016	A Burning Passion To Teach Freedom
2015	Before Debit (And Credit) Cards
2014	Herding Cats
2013	Ooops!
2012	Understand A Great Truth
2011	Start Here…
2010	Random Acts of Vandalism On Easter Weekend…

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Guitar Music

Out of the depths of the mysterious box,
Flowed the marvelous symphony,
Of all the virgin voices of the forests of America
—     Agustín Barrios Mangoré
From his poem:  “Profession of Faith“
[Happy Birthday, Mom!  Love, Kevin    —    KMAB]
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On This Day In:
2021	Maybe Faith Is Based On Hope
	I Want To See You Smile
2020	Thank You (To Those Who Serve)
	Hanging In There
2019	Her Job, Too
2018	Just Another Song I Like
	Earlier Still
2017	Ten To Go
2016	Unstable Emergence
2015	88
2014	Some One-Liners Are Too Easy
2013	Greatness
2012	Memories Of Arlington
2011	Wake Up

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Under My Fingertips…

I’ve been learning how to play guitar for a little over thirteen months and this morning when I began practicing I realized I’ve already “forgotten” more about guitar than I know (remember)…
Because playing a musical instrument is so much about muscle memory, practically none of the information I’ve read / watched has been retained in a usable format.  I’m reminded of what we used to say in the Army:  “You don’t know it until you can teach it and you can’t teach it until you can do it.“
I’ve “learned” about so many music / guitar concepts without practicing them – until they are “under my fingertips” – that I am constantly experiencing “oh, that’s what that was talking about” moments.
Lately, I’ve been trying to tune the guitar by ear.  I’m actually starting to get close.  Of course, all of my guitars are already close to being “in-tune” (from frequent use), so I guess my next step will be to fully un-tune (de-tune?) one of them and see how close I can “really” get from scratch (on my own).
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On This Day In:
2021	And My Sister Is Taxing
	What Did The Wise Men Say?
2020	One Phrase
2019	Why #LyingDonald Can’t Trust Any Honorable Person
2018	An Old Style Conservative
2017	John Q.
2016	In Trembling Hope Repose
2015	Let There Be Light
2014	Unless
2013	Divergent Roads To Similarity?
2012	In The Process
2011	What Do You Emphasize?

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Seeking The Divine

That mind alone whose every thought is rhythm can embody music, can comprehend its mysteries, its divine inspirations, and can alone speak to the senses of its intellectual revelations.
—     Beethoven
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On This Day In:
2021	And My Sister Is Taxing
	What Did The Wise Men Say?
2020	One Phrase
2019	Why #LyingDonald Can’t Trust Any Honorable Person
2018	An Old Style Conservative
2017	John Q.
2016	In Trembling Hope Repose
2015	Let There Be Light
2014	Unless
2013	Divergent Roads To Similarity?
2012	In The Process
2011	What Do You Emphasize?

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No Ulterior Motive

The person who is free does not do what they do because of the desire to be looked at a certain way by other people, or even themselves.  Because their self image is not dependent on something outside themselves, they are truly free to act with no ulterior motive.
They are not trying to “get something” out of being a guitarist other than the plain fact of being a guitarist.  They do not come to music and the guitar and say “make me feel good about myself”.  Such a person never says “I should be able to do that, but I can’t, so there must be something wrong with me.”
They say  “Hmm, I have trouble with this, there must be a reason why, I think I’ll investigate (pay more attention).”
—     Jamie Andreas
www.guitarpinciples.com
From her book:  “The Principles of Correct Practice For Guitar“
From chapter:  “The Deeper I Go, The Deeper It Gets“
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On This Day In:
2021	A Soul Passing
	I Hear You Singing In The Wire
	Thank You, Georgia!
2020	Implications
2019	Just To…
2018	Still Going…
2017	Great Risk
2016	Robbery
2015	Humanity Plus
2014	Dinner For Two?
2013	Exercise For Those Over 50
2012	Tearful Joy!!
	Except When He’s Left

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