Inspiration

MTV Unplugged music... a sometimes unexpectedly surprising inspiration...

I absolutely MUST get back to playing my guitars. If for no other reason than to begin to play electric guitar with all it's bends, hammers on and off, pushes, pulls, and upper end arpeggiois and scales which require 15 frets and 6 strings... all of which you actually learn on an acoustic guitar.

Believe it or not, it was probably George Strait's "Amarillo by Morning" that made me think about taking up the guitar. Probably back around 1986 I saw him perform live a as a "rising star" in the Basement Bar of the Nashville Stockyards. Also a great place to have a porterhouse steak.- a potential client treated me.

Well, at the time, I didn't know A or E or wasn't workin' on G... and there was no chimp to disagree... so I just figured it out myself with a simple book and one good friend who taught me a few things once a week.

TLMK bought me my first guitar - a Gibson PR-200 Cedar Top six string that has a gorgeous sound but I'm afraid to play these days because it has a cedar top - which has great sound but only a life span of about 10 years before developing a huge crack in the top. I'm nearing 14 years on that one. But also a Seagull 12 -string that I love (needs new strings at the moment) that just resonates brilliantly or has the sound of an autoharp if capoed up about 5 frets.) Both have incredible sounds. And it's been interesting over the years how I've found which strings work best for each guitar to get the best sounds. And which strings are easiest to pop harmonics with.

I have a third guitar - a 3/4 size student guitar. Made for smaller hands, but not for less quality sound. It's harder to keep tuned, but produces a very nice bright sound (which from music theory classes, I know is more pleasing to younger ears.)

My next stringed instrument? Probably a ukulele. It's harder to play than its four strings would have you believe. Then a four-string upright bass. Though I do have a certain model in mind that would be much easier to transport than a mondo orchestral version.

Six strings, a box and a strap. Who'd a thunk it'd gone so far? The surprise is 14 years of playing acoustic, and now being interested in playing electric. Geez - a Bob Dylan flashback!

(of course there's a hidden song reference in there... what post of mine lately hasn't included a song reference?)

Jay