Hard up for Musicality
I haven’t recorded any new music for about three weeks, and it’s been even longer than that since I’ve written anything new of substance. Maybe it’s because I’ve had so much more free time on my hands since my crash, but I’m feeling rather musically unproductive.
I try to stay in practice with my own songs, and to pick up a new song by someone else every few days, but it doesn’t always sound so great to me. Somedays I’ve got it, and somedays I really don’t. I’m sure that my ability to play and my ability to listen to myself play are subject to influence by other things going on in my life, just as any kind of performance is.
Lately I’ve adopted the explanation that I’ve simply forgotten how to play guitar, but this can’t be true.
My dear friend Diana’s back in town for a spell, and we played the littlest bit of guitar together the other day. I taught her the chords to Thunder, Lightning, and instantly felt so much more confident in my own abilities. Just having someone to play with gave a palpable sense of melody and contentment.
I think my trouble with my own ability to play guitar comes from playing too often alone. I’m going to a show this Friday to see some friends, including dearest Diana, ply their tuneful trade. Whenever I go to shows, which is far too rarely, I experience the same sense of melodic rejuvenation.
So here’s to me forgetting how to forget how to play the guitar. Again.