The "Year of Writing Dangerously" is supposed to be about more than just writing. This sabbatical is also supposed to be about learning new things, pursuing some entrepreneurial ideas, social networking, etc. So in that vein, I have decided to try to learn to play the guitar.
My brother bought an electric guitar a few years ago to try to learn. Mostly it's just been gathering dust in his old room. So I asked him if I could borrow it for a while, to mess around and see if I could learn enough to fake a couple of songs. He said sure and loaned me the guitar, amp, books and all the accessories. (Including headphones so I don't have to torture anyone but myself.)
You have to understand that I believe somewhere inside of me is a prodigy. A prodigy doing what, we may never know, hence the constant exploration. (You can still be a prodigy in your thirties, can't you?) I love art but can't draw a stick figure to save my life. Painting watercolors is a secret desire but the lack of artistic talent keeps holding me back, drat it. Music is the same way. I would love, love, LOVE to play an instrument but lack a fundamental, oh, say, musical ability.
Oh, I've tried to be a musician. I loved playing the Flute-a-Phone in elementary school. I wasn't good at it, possibly because it required hand-eye coordination. (Hence the reason I'm also not a good athlete.) And the ability to read music is almost completely beyond me, much like trigonometry - which I passed with a B, thank you, and then promptly pushed out of my brain so that I would have room to remember things like "What was the name of the family Charles worked for on the first season of Charles in Charge?" (Answer: Pembroke, the Powell's came later when the show moved to syndication.) Reading music is like a foreign language that you must learn by the age of two to fully understand, I think. I once dated a bass player who tried to explain the 'circle of fifths' or something like that and I thought he had been taken over by pod people. He was speaking gibberish, and I secretly think he made it all up.
I tried the keyboard a couple of times. We never had a piano but my parents bought one of those little Casio keyboards for us kids in the 80's and I fooled around with it a bunch. I bought a larger keyboard later thinking I would teach myself to play piano and learned to play two Christmas carols then promptly set the keyboard in a corner and then forgot about it completely. I have a sneaking suspicion that the only instruments I can really "play" are peripheral percussion instruments like the shaker, the cowbell and the triangle. I'd add the tambourine but that may be too technically advanced for me.
So now I embark on a journey of guitar. Who knows where it will lead. I have never even played "Guitar Hero" so I maybe brilliant at it, a genius talent waiting to break free. Soon I may be touring with a rock bank, with roadies doing all the heavy lifting for me and groupies just waiting for their chance to spend time in my presence. It'll be cool to retire and just play Vegas. Or, perhaps, this guitar will just sit in my room, waiting to be covered in new dust, as I become frustrated once again with my complete and utter lack of talent. Only time will tell.
3 comments:
OK, when you become a rock star I want to be part of your 'posse' - you know what I mean: We'll dress trashy, go to clubs and make drunken fools of ourselves, and walk down the street with our arms permanently extended to block our faces from the annoying papparazzi. We'll date loser white rap-star wanna-bes and have a 'feud' with Paris Hilton. It'll be a blast!!! :)
Seriously, though, good for you for trying something new. And don't underestimate your talents. Playing the guitar or doing watercolors is just like any other creative activity. The more you do it, the better you will be. I think when most people (myself included) say they don't have a talent for something, what it really means is that while they may admire the craft, they just don't have the patience to stick with it to become proficient in it. And that's ok. If you really love doing it, you'll stick with it. If not, then it wasn't the craft for you. So have fun, Guitar Heroine! And remember - you and me together could could kick Paris's butt in a heartbeat!
Ha! Remember when I said you and I were eerily alike..Well, add guitar to the list of things we have in common. I had TWO guitars a while back when I wanted to be that breathy singer from Concrete Blonde. I have since sold both, though I've come to love guitars as art pieces. I mean, I'd like to buy certain ones just to hang them on my wall. Anyway, I can play a few chords, but my goal was to play the opening riff to Ozzy's "See You On the Other Side." Now my forte is simple Roy Orbison tunes. There's still time though, right?
Also, I'll have to show you my drawings sometime from when I went to art school. :-)
Rock on, girlfriend.
Ok when you become a rockstar, count me in. I play the piano and I absolutely love music. Good luck in learning. It will make you a stronger person if you do and I really hope you suceed. We can really start a band, even in our thirties. We can call it JonSha!!!!! -JON
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