Guitar Playing is For Idiots
How I love playing guitar.
I'd rather do that than just about anything else.
I've been doing it since The Beatles showed up in 1964 and haven't looked back.
I've never met a guitar I didn't like.
That's where the "idiot" part comes in.
How many does one compulsive blues singer-songwriter need? While I enjoy playing acoustic guitars the most, electric ones will do.
How many can you play at a time? Who cares? I've still got my first guitar, a little Gibson LGO parlor-style guitar.
Bought it at the first-ever Ernie Ball Studio in Tarzana, CA.
It's all mahogany.
I've written many a tune on that one.
It's worn like a good ol' guitar should be.
And, I won't bore you with the 7 or 8 others I have.
I've got some real high-end ones, and some really cheap ones, some real ancient vintage models and some really new state-of-the-art ones.
I love 'em all.
The funny thing is, which one do I play the most? The $10 garage sale one that a friend of mine stumbled upon 5 years ago.
He gave it to me.
What a gift.
It's a great little guitar.
Whoever put that price tag on it was an even worse idiot than me.
And, I've written and recorded many tunes with it, too.
Playing guitar is so enjoyable because it immediately takes me out of myself.
What I mean by that is, I never get serious about it.
Mistakes are mistakes and we all make 'em.
When I'm performing with my band, I refuse to get upset if I, or anyone else, goofs up.
I really don't care.
Nobody tried to mess up, and it just means we have a great creative opportunity to just forget about it and play on.
Sometimes a mistake even opens up an avenue for spontaneity that takes us to new heights.
Who in the audience even recognizes a flub anyway? Aside from tuning and changing strings, there is nothing I don't love about playing guitar.
I even get to do it for the psychiatric patients I work with at our local hospital's behavioral health unit.
It brings them and me quite a lot of joy.
What an honor to get to play for them.
While I've driven my family to vacate the premises with constant playing and practicing, and learning my newest song so I can either perform it with the band or upload it to my favorite video site, they know that's who I am.
For the most part, they're all behind my fascination, love, enjoyment and complete obsession with playing the guitar and singing.
It's the kind of lucky break that I will always be grateful to The Beatles for.
Did I remember to mention Cream and Eric Clapton? Muddy Waters? Dylan? Robert Johnson? The Rolling Stones? Jimi Hendrix? Willie Dixon? Jimmy Rogers? Little Walter? James Cotton? John Mayall? Howlin' Wolf? Lightnin' Hopkins? Aretha Franklin? Koko Taylor? Canned Heat? The Doors? John Hammond Jr? Hans Olson? Joe Bonamassa? Stevie Ray Vaughan? Etta James? Big Mama Thornton? Waylon and Willie? Merle Haggard? The Boss? Patsy Cline? Nat King Cole? Asleep at the Wheel? And, about a million others?
I'd rather do that than just about anything else.
I've been doing it since The Beatles showed up in 1964 and haven't looked back.
I've never met a guitar I didn't like.
That's where the "idiot" part comes in.
How many does one compulsive blues singer-songwriter need? While I enjoy playing acoustic guitars the most, electric ones will do.
How many can you play at a time? Who cares? I've still got my first guitar, a little Gibson LGO parlor-style guitar.
Bought it at the first-ever Ernie Ball Studio in Tarzana, CA.
It's all mahogany.
I've written many a tune on that one.
It's worn like a good ol' guitar should be.
And, I won't bore you with the 7 or 8 others I have.
I've got some real high-end ones, and some really cheap ones, some real ancient vintage models and some really new state-of-the-art ones.
I love 'em all.
The funny thing is, which one do I play the most? The $10 garage sale one that a friend of mine stumbled upon 5 years ago.
He gave it to me.
What a gift.
It's a great little guitar.
Whoever put that price tag on it was an even worse idiot than me.
And, I've written and recorded many tunes with it, too.
Playing guitar is so enjoyable because it immediately takes me out of myself.
What I mean by that is, I never get serious about it.
Mistakes are mistakes and we all make 'em.
When I'm performing with my band, I refuse to get upset if I, or anyone else, goofs up.
I really don't care.
Nobody tried to mess up, and it just means we have a great creative opportunity to just forget about it and play on.
Sometimes a mistake even opens up an avenue for spontaneity that takes us to new heights.
Who in the audience even recognizes a flub anyway? Aside from tuning and changing strings, there is nothing I don't love about playing guitar.
I even get to do it for the psychiatric patients I work with at our local hospital's behavioral health unit.
It brings them and me quite a lot of joy.
What an honor to get to play for them.
While I've driven my family to vacate the premises with constant playing and practicing, and learning my newest song so I can either perform it with the band or upload it to my favorite video site, they know that's who I am.
For the most part, they're all behind my fascination, love, enjoyment and complete obsession with playing the guitar and singing.
It's the kind of lucky break that I will always be grateful to The Beatles for.
Did I remember to mention Cream and Eric Clapton? Muddy Waters? Dylan? Robert Johnson? The Rolling Stones? Jimi Hendrix? Willie Dixon? Jimmy Rogers? Little Walter? James Cotton? John Mayall? Howlin' Wolf? Lightnin' Hopkins? Aretha Franklin? Koko Taylor? Canned Heat? The Doors? John Hammond Jr? Hans Olson? Joe Bonamassa? Stevie Ray Vaughan? Etta James? Big Mama Thornton? Waylon and Willie? Merle Haggard? The Boss? Patsy Cline? Nat King Cole? Asleep at the Wheel? And, about a million others?
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