(apr.4) - A more than usually autobiographical trespass on this space.

4 years ago, I stumbled onto the Mudcat gold mine. I have lots of music in my background, listen to everything, but have never been able to play an instrument and only a very sketchy music theory knowledge. So I began listening in to all these fine musicians talk about what they do. About 3 years ago, I picked up the best book on classical music ever written, Charles Rosen's The Classical Style, and suddenly realised that music theory made some sense. I continued mudcatting, thinking that one day I should do something about playing. 1 year ago, not quite today, thanks to Mudcat, I found a great teacher (R.F., yes!!). Then my life turned into a walking disaster: new teaching responsibilities, family illnesses, all kinds of things. Still, I plonked away when I found time, and stole a few hours here and there to do music theory (one memorable afternoon in an airport in Paraguay trying to figure out progressions while we were locked in due to a suspected bomb).

Recently I have become interested in fake cowboy songs, so this morning I went to a shelf and searched out Cole Porter's "Don't Fence Me In" (a jazzy fake). I sat down with my guitar, and strummed it straight out, knowing where the chords were going, formidable as they were (all the usual substitutions, etc.). Then I got up to go to work. And then it hit me. If someone had asked me a year ago to sit down and play a Cole Porter song from the sheet music (admittedly an easy one), I would have laughed at them.

There is no great thought here. I still play like a dog's breakfast: but what can I say, I am where I did not expect to be, thanks in large part to Mudcat, and the wise folks who have made it such a gold mine, and what can I say? --- don't fence me in!!!