I’ve been on a musical Odyssey so to speak for the last 2 years. I bought an acoustic guitar. Not a classical acoustic, a dreadnought, used in Rock music. I also bought a electric guitar and a ton of Cd’s. The guitar I ‘ve had a teacher for on and off. Whenever I get the time and the money I get a teacher otherwise I noodle on my own. Talk about expanding your taste in music!? I got some software that teaches you how to read music and how it is structured. It was based upon a Key board I could not find one based upon the guitar. Still it helped. I also have several play along Cd’s from song books and a few learn on your own guitar programs for the computer.
When I left my teacher last I was having a love hate relationship with my guitar. I wanted everything now. I was willing to work for it but I wanted it now. I love listening to music and hated the time it took to learn how to play it. So I cooled off for a few months. Now I getting free lessons at church and I am studying it on my own at home. In addition to the lessons I get to play along with the group at church so that I can get some ear training. It also adds the missing ingredient I missed when I practiced. It’s more fun when you play in a group.
In addition to being a potential guitar player I have been expanding my area of interest into the Jazz and Blues Genres. I became interested in the Jazz by listening to the theme songs for certain Japanese Animes. These animes were well put together and very polished. The choice of Jazz as their themes was new and original to me. Usually American cartoons have some bad pop like rock songs or children’s songs. I have also been spending time in a coffee house and they play Jazz there.
It’s funny even though I have never by choice listened to jazz I knew the names of many Jazz musicians. Charlie Parker, Miles Davis, and John Coltrane to name a few. I also knew form Music class in High school that I liked any type of Jazz except for Smooth or Soft Jazz. That’s pure dentist’s drill music. So while I was dying in a quagmire of the same old same old as far as music appreciation is concerned. I discovered that listening to the only decent rock station in town and buying same said music to listen to at home. Makes Jack a dull boy so I have opened up another frontier to my senses.
The blues are the blues and I have only begun to scratch the surface there unlike my foray into Jazz I must try out and listen to different Blues Musicians to see whom I like. Thank god for the
