You know, years ago, when I was young and not so bright…….I thought that somehow I had arrived……that I was good……at least good enough……or at least as good as I was going to get….I was better than most of the people that I was around. But, that wasn’t saying much because I tended to play more than listen……and I DID play a lot and I thought that playing was what made you good. It was kind of that idea that some people have about how many years they will spend on education and once they’ve spent the time…..learned what they set out to learn……they will have arrived….and they’ll never have to work at it again…..never have to struggle…. Well, when I hurt my arm and couldn’t play for so many years, I learned a VERY important lesson. The fulfillment is often IN the struggle and the rising above where you previously were……..and learning is absolutely NEVER over.
I began playing again, very slowly. It was a year and a half ago. I hadn’t read music in forever. Even the previous years that I had actually played, I didn’t stretch myself to play classically or even to learn many new songs. It seemed that no one listened when I played those boring classical pieces, anyway, and they took SO much work and heart. And the 2 or 300 songs that I knew were comfortable and seemed to be enough. But, having 3 years taken away from me…….3 long years, where I could hardly play at all……I found myself yearning for the kind of music that made me fall in love with my guitar from the very beginning…….longing for learning…….longing for classical and original sounds.
So, I have grown into an entirely different take on learning, now. I’m actually in a little panic over it, knowing that there is absolutely no way that I can live long enough to learn all that I want to learn……..no way for me to REALLY be as good at this as I want….no way to find enough teachers to learn from…..no way to have enough hours of practice……no way to have time to write down all of the ideas for compositions that come to me….. But, I can’t let the panic get in the way of the joy of the moment or the ultimate success of the song that’s tugging on my heart, at the moment…. and I have to know that I just can’t write them all down. I’m not fast enough or have enough time for that……SOoooo………I’ll take each opportunity as it comes and learn as much as I can from every one.
I think that I told you, earlier, that I had several lessons from Miguel de Hoya, in Mexico. He gave me inspiration to spice things up a bit. I spent time with James Smith, a wonderful classical guitarist from California that has encouraged me and given me a sincere supportive friendship…… and tomorrow I have my first lesson with a young guitarist named Javier. Every guitarist that I’ve come across the past year, I’ve found something that they did….some technique or philosophy or SOMETHING……that I loved…..and adopted as part of my own style in some way. Richard Gilliwitz inspired the lick that I use on 1894(Mamie Mae’s Train Ride). This year, I learned my first blues tune…….learned my first song in Spanish………. and learned to pick and strum with the backs of my fingers for a flavor unlike anything I’ve ever performed. I can’t wait to see what the next 6 months will bring. I’ve come so far in the past 6 months. It’s terribly exciting! Guess I’ll go practice a little before bed.
Take care…….and NEVER stop learning, my friend,
‘night
Mary