Guitars and Ukuleles

When I was in high school I played bass guitar in a couple of punk bands. I was never a good musician, but I had a little rhythm and could drive a 3-chord punk song along pretty well. I gave it up when I joined the Corps, but have always missed it a little.

In the meantime I’ve develop a broad range of musical interests. I’ve pored over Alan Lomax’s historical recordings, followed the history to Chicago and through the invention of electricity. I’ve listened to Armstrong, Coltrane, Porter and Davis. Covered Ragtime, Swing, BeBop and Cool. I’ve found that I prefer guitar driven music with strong harmonies and blues rhythm. Surf, Blues, Punk and Rock and Roll all sound great to me. Oh yeah, I love Eminem and RZA as modern musical poets.

Now, some 30 year later I decided to resume my practical musical education. I borrowed a beautiful Gibson ES-325 6-string to get started on. I played it about 45 minutes nearly every day for a month – focusing on getting stronger and more flexible. That was my metric – If I could practice every day for a month and not get bored then I have integrated the habit into my life.

Fender Custom Shop Pro model with DiMarzio pick-ups

So I bought myself a guitar. It’s a reward for a really good year consulting. It’s a used Fender Stratocaster in Lake Placid Blue with a maple neck. I thought I built up some pretty good calluses playing the Gibson. Not enough. The first day I played the Strat for about three hours and had to quit because my fingertips were raw. I’ve had it a few days now and can now play as long as I want (thank you barre chords).

Kathy is also getting into music. She play weekly with a local Ukelele group and seems to be having a grand time.

I think we are both really inspired by Jackson and want music to be part of his life.