Today…has been an odd day. It’s hard to explain exactly why; just one of those days where you can’t focus on anything, where you are randomly angry and stupid things like the walls being the wrong colour. I think it may perhaps just be a case of cabin fever, hard to say. Whatever the circumstances may be that led to it, I found myself at loose ends, unable to even focus properly on my embroidery.
Which led to my finally – after far far too long – picking up Strange.
Yes, she’s here, of course she is, though I’ve been horribly lapse about practicing. There are all kinds of excuses to be made, none of them good enough. And I’ve missed my guitar. Rather terribly actually.
The moment the brightly coloured strap slipped over my shoulder, I started feeling better. I haven’t picked her up since before I came to the ship, except to hand her to Amras for tuning (I managed to forget my tuner…twice). But her weight is reassuring. Slowly, and albeit stiffly, my fingers found their stumbling way back through my one song I can play, and a few of my strumming exercises…and as I was doing this, I realized that my shoulders were relaxing…and my brain was unwinding.
I was smiling.
And I also decided it was time to learn a new song. Since stumbling through one song is okay and all, but there is no good in only knowing the five chords that make up that one song, no matter how well I eventually end up being able to play it. So I popped online and found the piece I have been secretly wanting to learn to play since I first unwrapped Strange nearly a year ago (was it that long???) and stared in some dismay at the chord structure. Bar chords. Two of ‘em. I can barely stumble my way through a C-Major let alone a C#Minor! But, this is a song I really do want to learn, and if I have to bleed my fingers to do that then I will…although I admit I will probably have to go through several – okay several dozen, perhaps hundred – teeny tiny beginner steps first…
But still…
Ha, take that universe, I have my books, I have my thread, and I have my guitar…I think those may be all the weapons I need just now…
Sometimes all it takes is time with a non-human friend to relax. Glad you’re back practicing again. If you don’t mind sharing, what song do you know and what song are you going to try and learn now?
I have a few on the books to learn, I’m working on “This is Me” from The Greatest Showman (which forced me to learn the Bminor chord, thankfully Amras taught me a shortcut) the other one I’m keeping quiet for now as it’s a bit of a special project for me…
Ultimately I want to learn Johnny B Goode and Carry On Wayward Son, but both of those are lead guitar which involves learning notes as opposed to chords and I’m not quite there yet
“This is Me” is amazing. I still cannot watch the rehearsal of it without crying. It’s on my motivational playlist. I also have the other two on playlists. It’s fun having things to work towards.