Guitar again,

Mudcat people have been very helpful and asking me how it's going, learning to play after 35 years off. Here's an update after about a month.

I've been enjoying the guitar a lot, It's somewhat taking over my life. It's a ¾ sized nylon-stringed guitar that has a lovely warm sound and has been kind to the fingers, which are toughening up nicely. Most of what I could do in 1969 has re-emerged – which was "go-to-the-candy-store" picking and six or so of the easiest chords. For last week's local Open Sing I prepared a couple hundred times over my first-ever playing/singing in public to people who weren't my family or next-door neighbor, and I played and sang "I Still Miss Someone". I chose A, D, E because they were the easiest, safest chords, and are in my (lower) range. I got through the song without fumbling or blanking out (my big fear) and it was really well-received. Kind of threw me when people started singing along. Nobody ever did that when I was alone in my dorm room at school! My so-carefully-prepared soulful rendition of the singing was completely drowned out. Next time I won't work at it so hard! Next month I'm moving on to a G, C, D song with quicker chord changes. I can do a C without wincing now. I still only know one picking pattern. I'm afraid they are all going to have to sit through my old late '60's repertoire before I'm able to learn anything new. Not entirely a bad thing.

I'm taking lessons. I wasn't planning on weekly lessons, but think it's good – makes me really work at it every day. Using the Mel Bay classical book, I'm p-a-i-n-f-u-l-l-y slowly working through learning what those notes are in first position (as opposed to memorizing a few chord patterns). The first week it was just chaos. Now I'm up to two notes at once – and as slow as in the beginning.

I also sat in the Open Band at the Contra Dance this past Friday and tried to strum along on occasion. I thought maybe I could see what chords people were playing and catch on, but of course they were playing higher up the neck so I mostly couldn't recognize what they were. Even when I thought I knew what I was doing, and I think I was in tune, it mostly did not sound right to me, but I played pretty softly, not doing much damage in that big group. The leader telling us that something was in the key of A or G wasn't much use to me, because I couldn't remember what the other chords are, but once in awhile I could see an A or G or D coming in time and got in a couple of strums. The person sitting next to me (from the Getaway) helped also. Once I was playing on the entirely wrong fret, which the mandolin player in front of me pointed out. Oops!. But there are books of the tunes, with the chords, and the band makes Podcasts of what they play, so now I'm learning some of those songs, and will be more ready to play by ear next time. However, when I dance other times, now it's a bit harder. I get distracted because I can hear "there's where it goes up to the fourth", or "Oh, here's "Homage a Edmond Parizeau"!! (the best Contra tune there is—just sends everybody into outer space) and then I forget what step I'm supposed to be doing!

A lot farther than I imagined I would get in a month. Next week I'm taking a trip and will take along a beginning book of theory, I think things will start falling in place there also. Thanks, Mudcat posters for the advice and encouragement!

--Linda