I occasionally mention other things I'm working on or that are going on. Life is the simplest word and I think it was Beatle John Lennon who said, "life is what happens while you're busy making other plans." That's what this little post will be about.
Let's start with something I haven't talked about in a long time: guitars. I've got a small batch of guitars, like pretty much all players who can get more than one instrument tend to. Unlike the vast majority of home players, I built two of those guitars; an electric guitar from a kit back around 2015, and an acoustic that was more like a very extended repair job. It was a sales demo model from some guitar store and before sending it around to show what their guitars looked like inside, the manufacturer, Breedlove, sliced most of the left side of the guitar off.
The long story is I started playing in junior high school, around 1967 or '68, and like most others, I learned what was referred to as rhythm guitar. Playing chords. I played in a couple of garage bands, and at a couple of parties, but I never really fantasized about being a musician. It was enough to make some sounds that didn't hurt people's ears or they even actually enjoyed.
In my "young adult" years, through my 20s, I hardly played at all and didn't get involved with guitars again until maybe 1988 or later. I picked it up with intentions to practice more often a few years ago. Those plans would get derailed every now and then by either an injury or osteoarthritis. Over roughly the last year, that second one had me unable to play for a year or more. The effect of the arthritis was limited entirely to one finger, my left hand's middle finger. The very last segment of that finger, the one that you press onto a string to change the note you're playing, rotated left or toward my pinky finger.
How much did it tilt? I don't really know how to measure that with what I have, but I'll estimate 10 degrees. The rotation wasn't the issue so much as the insane pain it caused. I'm gonna bet you've heard someone say, "it hurts to look at it?" Exactly.
About a month ago, I realized that I had bumped that finger on something and it didn't hurt. After some time trying to figure out if it was really gone, I started thinking what I could do to test it. I picked up one of the guitars I'd regularly practice with and found I could play without the insane pain. The problems now are the same ones everybody picking up a guitar and starting to practice faces. Building up calluses on my finger tips so the strings don't hurt as much, strengthening the muscles involved so when I go to play some chord that makes all six strings sound, I can apply even pressure and put all the strings on the neck. Most importantly though is agility of those fingers, and knowing what to play. As in re-learning a few songs.
My tendency in here is to put up some picture that's relevant or related to the topic, but tonight, I was going to link a video from Woodstock that I've run before. The problem with that is YouTube has decided we're not allowed to embed it, but I think I can run a link to it HERE. And here's a picture:
A photo of my repair job on the Breedlove guitar. The guitar is on my workbench but just for posing, in the final post on this job.
The finger has better and worse days, so it's not entirely being back to normal and I have no way to know if that's even possible.
I was lucky enough to play in a pretty successful band, around the early 1990s. I played mostly saxophones, so I had several of them. But after I started to play in the band, I picked up guitar from watching our guitar player.
ReplyDeleteSo eventually I ended up with several guitars and a bass guitar. I had a regular job, making steel. But I also played music at least 25 hours a week. This in addition to the 12 hour shifts we often worked at the steel melt facility.
Our band had a drummer, a bass player, the rhythm guitar player, myself on saxes and occasionally rhythm guitar, along with 2 female singers. I was lucky enough to play in front of crowds of between 5 and 10 thousand people several times. And we also played local bars, weddings, and once we even played for a pig roast! While it is a thrill to play in front of a large crowd, it is still pretty cool to play for a few dozen people celebrating a birthday milestone with a pig roast.
I no longer play music, due to my health, with migraines not allowing me to stand the noise. But music has always been important to me. And I was lucky enough to be born in 1960, so I got to enjoy the best music growing up, and I include my parents country and western music from then.
That's a cool story, so thanks!
DeleteHope the migraines at least allow you to listen to a good recording or two. I've never had to deal with those, but my wife did some years ago. Thankfully they've eased over the years for her.
When I stopped playing out, I did a few "studio" gigs. Basically I played some stuff for commercials, mostly just adding leads to prerecorded backing tracks. After that I found a group of people in my neighborhood who were at least 25 years older than myself who had a weekly jam session. I went there until I went on 3rd shift, playing mostly guitar.
DeleteI spent most of my last 20 years at my job of over 35 years on nights. I still have a hard time sleeping until the wee hours of the morning.
As for migraines, I have had at least 6 concussions, plus a family history of migraines. So I got a double whammy. I actually retired on disability due to both migraines and a bad back that I broke in a car accident at the age of 20. I get migraines that put me down around 3-5 times a month. I have tried pretty much any medication in different combos for a long time to get this good.
So cool that you're able to play again. I doubt I will, and I guess that's a self-fulfilling prophecy. But I no longer own a guitar. I had a Takamine F360-S I bought new in 1978 - a truly wonderful instrument, one of the Martin lawsuit models. My main finger issue involved a table saw - one small moment of inattention. As those things go, it's a very minor injury, but sufficient. I never learned some of the fundamentals I should've, but I got pretty good at picking over chords. I had a Les Paul for a while too - sold it when I needed the money more than the guitar. Always wanted to build one too - even had a shopping list made up for Warmoth.
ReplyDeleteI hope your recovered functionality persists. Those mysterious happenings are ... well, mysterious. Memory will return with practice.
- jed
A guy that I played jam sessions with had a 1956 Les Paul Sunburst and the matching amp that he bought when he got home from the military. I told him to never let someone buy it unless he got a very good idea from someone who knows just how valuable that setup was.
DeleteHe has passed on now, and I don't know what happened to his guitar and amp, but no doubt it is much more valuable now than it was back then.
As for 1978, that is the year I graduated from high school.
Table saw adventures: I've avoided the bad stuff so far, but I almost took off my right index fingertip on my metal lathe. Thankfully, it was the right hand, not left. It's a sewed back on and it's a bit deformed, but I was never any good at fingerstyle, although I love that stuff. It didn't degrade me much.
DeleteMy high school graduation was '72, so I'm a bit older than '78.
Class of '78, yeah!
DeleteSpeaking of guitars, Pete's Sunday Music post today features a guy who, among other things, builds guitars out of shovels. Sound good when he plays them - slide required I think, with a neck radius like that. :) Worth a look, and listen.
I sometimes think I should take a page from Tony Iommi, and make a finger cap to fret with. There there's Django, and I'm sure others. Well, I'd have to go out and buy an instrument. And that brings up motivational issues...
Metal lathe ... yeah, I want one of those. (and a lot of other stuff)
- jed
When it gets bad enough finger pain wise, my plan is to switch to lap steel.
ReplyDelete