I'm a folksong, banjo and guitar freak. Some people don't bother with the adjectives, but so be it. I'm lucky enough to be married (36 years now) to a classical pianist. For a good part of the day I have no access to the center part of the house, which I like best for practice purposes, because she's either practicing on the Steinway or will be coming in to do so pretty durn quick, so I'll get chucked out. We both understand that she can't move her instrument and I can, so if I don't want to move to the bedroom or outside I can quit playing. What's more, she NEEDS those five to six hours of practice EVERY DAY day to keep her fine edge, to keep old repertoire current, and to develop new material.

For some reason I am not comfortable playing in the bedroom. What's more, although I CAN play there, I can't record even there if she's doing her thing in the living room.

So what's to do? I play when I can, that's all. She's the professional, and can't move; I'm the amateur, and can. I just work around it the best I can, and am happy that she's happy.

Dave Oesterreich