Tuesday, August 17, 2010

Playing it My Way

Ok. So maybe you have been waiting to hear about how things go with my new toy. It is spectacular. A sapphire blue Fender Stratocaster that is a perfect match to my bad ass blue Fender bass. I had intended to wait and get a candy apple red one, but this blue beauty fell into my lap and y'all know how the girl feels about blue things. Nuff said. Anyway, I acquired it from a cool dude on Craig's list named Aaron (age 13). So, it is full of 13 year old boy energy. And I do mean FULL. I couldn't have found anything better than this.

So I brought it home where it sat until today. You haven't played it? What gives you ask? Well, I have been stewing (OKOKOK - obsessing) about losing my job and the reduction in salary that seems like it's about to plow me over. And when that isn't quite enough, I move on to my current relationship. Just trying to work every possible angle in my head until I got a migraine and made myself kinda sick. A brain is a powerful tool for evil when you do this.

I came home from work. Ate and watched GLEE. Then thought WTF - GET IT OUT. RIGHT NOW! Don't let another day pass without touching this toy. So I hauled out the amp, the cable, the torturous straight-back chair and the headphones (so my neighbors don't run screaming from the building). Hmmmm.....no guitar pick. I never needed one of these for the bass which is played with your fingers. I was not gonna stop now just because of that. So clever science chica that I am, I slid my mini-Kroger card off my keychain and used that. It worked great. I wonder if Krogers would give me a dozen of those?

I didnt pull up a lesson online. Instead I just played with it. Let it speak to me. Discovered cool and interesting noises, rhythms, sounds that I could make with it. I particularly liked sliding my finger down the neck after I hit a string to hear that rise. Of course I tried it the other way, sliding my finger up the neck too. I also really liked tapping the strings on the neck and setting them to vibrating quietly in some pattern. Sometimes overlaying a single note or two.

Even if I never play it the way Clapton does (which I'm kinda sure isn't gonna happen), I will play it the way I want. Even if i don't learn to play it properly, I am gonna play it MY WAY!!! The thing is that for a whole evening, I didn't obsess or worry. I lost myself in the joy of vibration and happy blueness. After noodling around for an hour I feel better than I have for a while. Pretty sure this is gonna be cheaper than therapy and way more fun!

And just in case you're wondering I am not giving up the bass. The bass is about going deeper. Finding foundations. The guitar is about finding wings.

No comments:

Post a Comment

 I have written a lot about my belly - series of poems dedicated to it. I happen to like my belly. Always have Oh, I know it's not what ...