Musicians take heart!

I don’t know exactly if it’s the effect of an overdose of Philip Glass and Steve Reich in combination with a large g & t, but I got to musing on what I miss most (musically) during this covid shutdown (apart from the obvious). I’ve certainly appreciated the outpouring of offerings from performance artists online, but - and it’s a big but- I REALLY  miss live, in-person performances.  Yes In BC (before COVID) I went to my fair share of concerts, enjoyed real in-person lessons,  appreciated excellence and bemoaned less-than-satisfying performances in concert, and thought little of it.   However there’s something about an almost totally online existence that makes me crave anything that’s being presented live, even if it’s not perfect.  However perfect the recordings might be, they are merely an addendum and not a substitute for an artist giving of themselves for our enjoyment.     I.e. the real thing.  I predict  this craving for connection will result in a resurgence in  performances in more intimate settings, such as house concerts or small salon-like settings.  At any rate I really hope so.

What I can learn from my dog...

I was taking my labradoodle out for her morning ablutions, and it struck me how the smallest things bring her joy ...   a mere mention of a visit "outside" has her turning in circles, tail waving like a demented flag, mouth wide open in a doggy smile.  And those squirrels?  She hasn't a hope in hell of catching them - but bounding through the undergrowth in yet another vain attempt gives her such pleasure!

So what has that to do with learning the guitar?   I often feel that I'm making no progress,  particularly last year when life seriously got in the way.  Looking back at my most recent blog posts (over 6 months ago!  No way! ) I see that I have work to do to relearn what I was working on. This is, to say the least, dispiriting.  Now I'm easing back into regular practice, the goals I had set myself (grade 7 in a year or so) seem insurmountable.  I know that goal setting (even small goals for each practice session) are the way to make progress, but concentrating on those solely seems to have taken the pleasure out of just being able to make music, which I still love.  

So I'm going to start the new year (2020, what a lovely symmetrical year) by taking a leaf out of my dog's book  I'm going to work at setting reasonable goals, but I'm also going to stop and metaphorically "smell the roses." I'm going to take time to truly appreciate modest improvements, to enjoy my ability to play easy pieces, and I'm not going to let the "big picture" take the fun out of everyday guitar playing.  I may never catch the squirrels either, but I'm going to have an unreasonable amount of fun trying!

Happy New Year to all in 2020!

(And yes of course, I have New Year's guitar resolutions, but those will have to wait for another BLOG post :))