Never Forget

“We will never forget.” We’ve all said it. My parents said it about Pearl Harbor in 1941. Their parents said it about Armistice Day in 1918. As a teenager I also said it about the Kennedy assassination. The problem is that events that happened before we were born are not remembered. Oh, we learn about them in school and memorize the important dates and names long enough to pass a test and then we move on.

I remember as a child my father would talk about the Great Depression and WWII, events that had a huge impact on his life, but barely budged the needle in mine. He became frustrated and angry because I just didn’t get it.

I understand his reaction now. I’m the patriarch of a sprawling family and I have adult grandchildren who don’t remember 9/11. It happened 22 years ago and for someone in their early twenties there is no personal recollection. And if there is then it’s a very dim memory. When I speak with my young students about their American History classes it seems odd to me that these abstract names, places, and dates that they are learning are a part of my life and had some influence on the man I became. Younger generations visiting the Viet Nam Memorial don’t totally understand why their grandfathers weep when reading the names. I remember seeing the Iwo Jima memorial with my father and watching him get lost in his memories.

I don’t think that “fortunately” is the proper word, but I’m grateful that we have images to rely on. From Matthew Brady’s primitive photos of the Civil War to recent news videos, we have captured the memories that would have otherwise been lost. However they can only provide a foggy reflection of the emotions that those people felt as the news reached them. The denial, the disbelief, the horror of acceptance, and the unsettling concern of “what’s next”. Those questions have been resolved by the time the history books are written.

“Those who forget history are doomed to repeat it.” Historically speaking we do forget. Currently there are those who are convinced that everyone should live by the rules that they live by and are willing to use violence to achieve that purpose. Others are greedy and willing to subjugate entire populations to enrich themselves. The worst part is that they have convinced themselves, and their followers, that they are the righteous ones and therefore entitled to do these things. Most of the political and economic disasters of the past has been caused by just a few of these people and a handful of their friends.

Civilizations come and go but human behavior remains fairly constant. Most people just want a life with the assurance of food, shelter, and peace. In the U.S. we call it “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness”. The wording is different in other cultures but the meaning remains the same. But there always seems to be someone determined to keep it from happening. In order to try and prevent them from doing it we must do more than “never forget”. We need to actively remember.

Customer Service

Customer service is not a relic of the past but it sure seems like it some days. I’ve had difficulties with a streaming service for the past month or so and the aggravation was exaggerated by my inability to get the company to address the situation. Whenever I clicked on the “Help” button (you can’t actually talk to a person anymore it seems) I got a bot that would offer solutions to problems that I didn’t have or direct me to YouTube videos that showed me how to do the things I was already doing. So I’ve moved on. I dropped their service and replaced it with another. Within minutes they sent me emails asking to call them 24/7 to resolve the issue. Too little too late.

I know that you all have similar stories to tell. It’s frustrating. That’s why it’s always refreshing to hear stories about companies and/or people who go out of their way to offer a great product/service and also bending over backward to satisfy the customer.

When I was just starting out as a full-time guitar teacher I told a friend of mine (a piano teacher) that I wanted to be the best in the world. He went off on me for about ten minutes explaining why that was a very stupid goal. “It’s unmeasurable. There’s always going to be someone better. You’ll burn out trying to catch the wind. And so on..”

I explained that he was missing the point. The goal was to never become complacent. To be a much better teacher at 65 that at 30. That’s the only way I can keep from becoming bored. Although it’s worked and I’ve received a lot of compliments from my students and their parents over the years, I’ve never felt comfortable accepting those kind words. I’ve always known I could do even better. I was raised to “always do your best”. That code has allowed me to be successful enough to earn a modest living.

When I heard of Jimmy Buffets death this week I recognized that same ethos. I like his music (it’s hard not to) but I’m not a “parrot head”. However I really admired his desire to take care of his fans. It’s not just good business (although it most certainly is that) but it’s also the right thing to do. Taylor Swift has made a career out of taking care of her fans and her “Eras” tour is a true phenomenon.

In the late sixties and early seventies the rock and roll acts acted as if the fans were a necessary nuisance. They would even turn their backs to the audience while they played. It took acts like Alice Cooper and Kiss to break that mold. The Grateful Dead even encouraged their fans to make recordings of the concert and distribute the bootlegs. In the meantime country artists would meet their fans at Opryland and spend a day signing autographs and briefly chatting with each one. They had an understanding of the importance of showing gratitude to the folks that supported them.

We all work hard for our money and if we choose to spend it we would like to be appreciated and respected. Most companies at least try to. When they fall down on the job we usually understand. But when they don’t seem to care we get angry. If I ever act that way toward a student or customer I hope someone will hold me to account. I would like to be better at this at 95 than I was at 65 and that’s the only way I know how to do it.

House Concerts

This past February on the Sunday following the Super Bowl my wife and I hosted a house concert. The performer was classical guitarist Brad DeRoche. Brad is a friend and we’ve had many conversations about the future of classical guitar and we’ve often theorized about the importance of small intimate events like this one.

We were both pleased that this event was a huge success. My wife said that one of the guests commented that it was “an elegant way to spend a Sunday afternoon”. There were a dozen guests who were treated to an hour of beautiful guitar music. Up close and personal, as it were. The music was followed by light refreshments and conversation. Everyone had the opportunity to spend a few moments with the artist. They had all been informed that donations would be solicited to pay Brad and, in addition, he has/had a CD for sale.

One of the guests was inspired by the event and hosted his own house concert a few months later. The artist was a different classical guitarist and there were many more guests invited. A little wine and cheese on the patio afterward completed a wonderful Saturday evening.

I had attended a couple of house concerts in the past, but these post-pandemic events seem to take on a new importance. I interviewed composer/guitarist Anthony Glise for my podcast recently and mentioned this. Anthony lives in northern France and he said that this is becoming a big thing in Europe. And a few of my European counterparts have been posting pictures on social media of the various venues they are now performing in. The ubiquitous churches, of course, but also garden recitals and house concerts.

We tend to think of live music as being a loud and exuberant event. And it most certainly can be that. Whether it’s “stadium” size concerts or clubs. And classical music gets a bad rap as being stuffy and stodgy. But music in someone’s home played to a handful of appreciative people is very different. It touches you in ways very different than the raucous places. And guitar music exemplifies that. Even when it’s loud it really isn’t very loud. When it’s soft it whispers gently. A world unto itself that is visited too seldom by many who’s soul would benefit.

After one such event a college student of mine summed it up. “I’ve attended concerts my entire life”, she said. “My parents took me to stadium concerts, symphonies, the ballet, and opera. We attended jazz and folk festivals too. But this is the first time I’ve sat in a small room and watched a lone guitarist (who didn’t sing) create an entire universe and suck me into it.”

I hope to host another some day and I hope you’ll consider hosting one too. I hope to attend several more in the future and I hope you attend a few also. You know……if we each host one then we can give new meaning to the phrase, “I’ll show you mine if you’ll show me yours.”

Down The Rabbit Hole

If you could read my mind you’d probably need therapy soon after. It’s pretty messy in there. For example, a colleague recently complained about using iMovie to make his music videos. The problem had to do with syncing sound with the video and he had run into a glitch that I had never heard of. (I won’t bore you with the details.) So I told him that we should get together at some point and work toward a solution.

I found the problem intriguing and have been thinking about it (on and off) for a couple of weeks. So I’ve spent some time looking at alternative production techniques in hopes of coming up with a miracle solution. Then I can come riding in heroically on a white horse and…..well you get the idea.

Yesterday I spent a couple of hours on YouTube (The University of YouTube?) watching different how-to videos hoping to find an answer. Surprisingly I haven’t found any that reference that specific problem so I’m going to need to ask him some additional questions. But I did come across a couple of points made that may hold the key. We’ll see.

Now it’s important to understand that artists (especially musicians) are nearly always broke so the fix needs to be cheap. Free would be best. But then, nobody wants to pay for anything anymore so there is that…..    That’s why so many of us use GarageBand and iMovie. These programs are very good and come free with our Macs.

A couple of the videos referenced a video editing program called DaVinci Resolve so I looked them up online and discovered that there are two versions. The first one is free and the second is only $300. Apparently the second one is a go-too tool for many major Hollywood studios. (who knew?) But the free one is amazing and has features that are generally found in some very expensive software.

So then I went back to YouTube to watch how-videos for this program. There is so much that can be done that the learning curve seems quite steep. But, as I’m watching the first tutorial (over 40 minutes long), my mind starts to imagine the various ways I could use it for myself. I started to imagine putting together many different types of projects. I was, and am, quite inspired.

Maybe I should get a decent camera (used of course). So I made a trip to ebay to see what was available. I also know that I would need a decent set of lights so I checked into that too. And if I’m going to get all of that maybe I should consider turning our spare bedroom into video studio. I would probably need a new computer dedicated to just media production.

As my head reeled with the possibilities and my imagination went head-long down the rabbit hole another quiet thought infiltrated the chaos. Maybe I should just turn off my computer and go practice my guitar.

I can refer you to a decent shrink if you need.

Actors/Writers Strike

“Nothing happens until something is sold” is an adage I learned as a young man. I’m fairly certain that some will disagree but it has a pretty firm foundation……at least for the purposes of this post.

There are people who create stuff but don’t know what to do with it. Oh, you can sell it to your friends if they’re good friends who have a spare dollar or two. Or you can sell to your family members if you’re not currently feuding with them. But that’s hardly a sustainable plan for a successful future.

“Sales” is currently one of the highest paid professions. It’s a specialty that requires an outgoing personality, skill, determination, and self discipline. Most people don’t have all of those qualities and hardly any creators do. Creators want to spend their time……well….creating. Entertainers need to practice/rehearse. Finding gigs is hard and requires time they consider better spent.

Sales people need stuff to sell. They don’t invent, manufacture, or create in any substantive manner. But if you give them the right product or service they can work wonders. As a musician/recording artist I get bombarded daily with offers to help me become a star……for a fee of course.

The entertainment that you and I enjoy comes to us via collaboration between writers/composers, performers, various technical folks (these people are amazing wizards), and sales. For every concert you attend or movie you watch there is a bunch of people behind the scenes making it possible. The problem is when some people get greedy and things get out of balance.

The music business has been rife with this since the beginning. Record companies and promoters have taken advantage of artists often to their own detriment. Some of these people would butcher the goose that lays the golden egg just to have a nice Sunday dinner.

It would appear that this is what’s going on in Hollywood currently. Actors, other than the biggest stars in hit productions, are just working stiffs. They don’t get paid big bucks and they don’t get paid often. For them it’s a “gig” lifestyle. The same for writers. And yet, without them there would be no production. So when a show is a hit and the majority of actors on that hit still have to keep a day job while the studio (sales team) lives in the lap of luxury……..well the goose isn’t dead yet, but it definitely has a fever.

And none of these people would have any kind of a job if someone didn’t write the stories. The usually fertile imaginations of these folks generally keep us entertained for many hours every day. If your affluence depended on their creativity why would you underpay them? I would pamper them in hopes that they will continue to crank out wonderful stuff.

I hope, for the sake of my friends in the movie/tv industry that things get properly settled in Hollywood. I would love to see them back to work and earning a proper living.

Perhaps I’m just being naive and that’s why I’m just stumbling along hoping to make the next mortgage payment. I don’t understand these things as well as I should and I’m not very good at selling. By the way, have you visited www.rogerhumphrey.com/store yet? (Can’t blame a guy for trying)

August Musings

Summer is nearly over. It seems like it just began. I’m watching the back-to-school advertisements and making my own plans for Labor Day weekend. The children in my family are buying clothes and supplies.

Several of my students have taken a substantial amount of time off this summer and others have taken the entire summer off and will return in September. So I’ve had more time available for other things.

I did something that I’ve never really done as an adult this summer. I took two weeks off from teaching and spent a few of those days on a trip with my wife. I have always worked six or seven days a week just to make ends meet. It was just never possible to just take some time off and go places. I’m not complaining. I chose this life and turned down several offers to walk away from it for greener pastures. But choices always have consequences and time was one of my sacrifices.

I feel fortunate that I’m finally able to do little things like take trips and have time to spend with my family. I’m also lucky that I’m able to segue into other things. Old age has saddled me with shaky hands. Not real bad but bad enough that I won’t play publicly now. But I keep busy with things I had never considered before. Yes, I still teach some, but I also have a Patreon page where I offer new original arrangements of four songs every two weeks. I just started a virtual store on my website.  I have a podcast that is gradually changing into a focus on fine arts (all disciplines), and, oh yeah, this blog. I no longer practice 3-5 hours daily but I sure enough keep busy.

By and large any deadlines that I may have are self-imposed. No matter how uncomfortable it makes me, I can postpone or even ignore them. I know a lot of people who wish they had that option.

And so I look at mid-August with mixed emotions. I’m sad that the warm weather will be leaving soon. I’m happy that I’ll be resuming my normal teaching schedule and will be able to see all of my students again. I’m sad that Halloween decorations are popping up in the chain stores. I’m happy that Halloween candy is popping up in the chain stores. I won’t miss anything that is “Christmas in July” and I’m not looking forward to “pumpkin spice” everything.

More than anything I’m reminded of just how many Labor Day weekends I’ve seen already and that these are limited occurrences for all of us. So, with simple resignation, I seeming hurtle toward another. Too often I refuse to acknowledge that most of my “future” is now in the past. That doesn’t keep me from looking forward to it but it does give me a good reason to buy a bag of Halloween candy in August.

Seeking Magic

Sometimes you’ve just got to smile. I love working with my students (usually), but I get the feeling that occasionally they are just not into it. I get it. I play and teach guitar for a living and sometimes I’m just not into it either. But when they are into it and really interested it becomes a real treat to spend time with them.

I was thinking of a couple of different students recently who were not a lot of fun early on. Oh, the first few weeks were fun but then the honeymoon was over and the reality set in. There was no magic wand and I didn’t possess any supernatural powers to make them awesome overnight. No secret potions or shaking of bones at midnight. Nope this was going to take work. A lot of it spread over weeks, months, and years. Reality can be such a bummer at times.

But that was then and this is now. The students I was thinking of are wonderful……now. They’re involved with the process and proud of their achievements (as they should be). They eventually did the work and I bit my tongue more than once and tried to be as patient as I could as they pushed back, or worse, ignored my directions. It was not an easy time for either of us. But we toughed it out and are now beginning to enjoy the process more than ever.

One of the things as I ask of them during the lesson is to play some old favorites. Their favorites, not mine. Now they get to control part of the lesson. For me it’s instructive to know what they like and frankly I’m often pleasantly surprised by their choices. The purpose of the exercise is to correct any mistakes that may have wormed their way into the music and also to use their choices as a way to teach them how to be more artistic. Once a student can comfortably play the notes of a song, then we can get into the interpretation. That’s where the magic is. That’s the moment when someone who can play the notes on the guitar becomes a musician. Or even (gasp) an artist.

One student reworked an old favorite a few weeks ago and played it for me during a recent lesson. It was technically correct, of course, but it was also just plain beautiful to listen to. He even found a couple of moments in the song that I hadn’t seen and played it in a way that was quite different than me. When I pointed that out he was, at first, apologetic. As if he had done something wrong. When I told him that, quite the opposite, he had done something wonderful he just beamed with pride.

One of my music teacher heroes is the late Nadia Boulanger. A Parisienne who dominated advanced music education in the early and mid twentieth century. Her former students are a list of some of the most successful composers of that era. The interesting thing is that each one sounds completely different and original. You would have no sense that they all studied with the same teacher. That has always been my goal too.

When I hear my students play in an honest and non-imitative way it makes me happy. Their goals may have changed with maturity and experience, but are fundamentally the same. To have fun. To play expressively without worrying about doing it the same way as everyone else. And thinking about these students doing that makes me smile.

Composing

I was teaching a student from my method book the other day and he played a Lullabye that I had written as an exercise. He played it very well and after I complimented him I casually mentioned how odd it seems to have a student play a piece of music that I had composed. I can’t say I was flattered because it was an assignment and he was just doing as he had been told. But it’s still pretty cool.

I’ve had other students learn and perform some of my other pieces before. There are a couple of pieces that I didn’t particularly care for when I wrote them that the students seem to like. That’s flattering when they continue to play them long after the assignment is completed. But I have to balance that with the songs that I wrote and really liked only to have the students show indifference or even a slight dislike for them.

Over the years I have learned that I am a horrible judge of what people like or dislike. I have often been surprised, both happily and unhappily, at their general reactions. When I first began to perform I was just playing music that was already popular so the guess work had been taken out of the process. And I always thought of myself, and the job, as a performer, not an artist. I wanted to please people.

I’ve been writing music for most of my life. Occasionally something turns out okay, but often it’s just not very good. Not necessarily bad, just kind of bland. That was terrible if I wanted to be a pop star. One of my problems is that I can’t write lyrics at all. My words were boring and insipid even by pop music standards. I couldn’t seem to get past “moon….June….and soon”. The obvious remedy would be to team with a wordsmith. But I tried that a few times and just couldn’t seem to make it work.

The next solution would be to just write instrumental music. When I focused on that, things seemed to get better. It turns out I can write a pretty melody from time to time. In my twenties I was able to compose music for some local commercials and a few documentary films. That was fun and I hoped I had a future in that, but it didn’t work out that way.

I was encouraged to write a guitar method book while in my thirties and so I started writing little exercises and etudes for my students. The goal was not to entertain, but to inform and train. My little ditties seem to work just fine.

I’ve continued to write music all these years but have written only a few that I share with others. The reactions are usually reserved and polite, but I plug along. Writing is just an itch that I have to scratch and I rarely give consideration to an audience. If something turns out nice then I might share it, but usually it just goes into a folder.

The other benefit is that I understand the process better so I can explain things to my students easier. I can honestly tell a student what the composer is doing, or trying to do, as we read the notes from the page. It’s also easier to spot a mistake by an arranger and make necessary corrections. Also it makes the process of arranging music for solo guitar much easier. So composing is not a futile activity. I just had to readjust my goals and take the “wins” as they came.

Still, when I hear someone else play one of my songs, I think it’s pretty cool.

Location, Location, Location

Recently I was scrolling through my photos looking for a particular shot to show a friend. Like many of you, I have a lot of pictures of all kinds of stuff, most of which could be (and should be) deleted. However, I have a lot of photos of many of the places I’ve performed at and I realized just how beautiful most of these places are.

I haven’t played in public in three years and there are parts of that work that I don’t miss. But the locations were special. How many people retire from their work and miss the actual workplace? I mean there are people we miss and certain parts of the job that we really enjoyed, but the physical space?

In the early years, when I was still strumming and singing, I found myself playing in some pretty peculiar places. Some were OK, but some were real dumps. And I had to deal with drunks regularly. A couple of places were affectionately referred to as “knife and gun” clubs. The joke went, “When you go in they check you for weapons. If you don’t have any then one will be issued to you.” It was only marginally a joke. Talk to anyone in a band and I’m sure they will have similar stories of their own.

In my 30s, after nearly a ten year hiatus, I began performing classical music instead of popular music and the nature of my gigs changed. I played at a few nice clubs, private parties, corporate events, etc. Instead of a bar, I found myself in hotel conference rooms, private homes, art galleries and other very nice venues. When I played concerts I performed in auditoriums, churches, libraries, and private homes.

About twenty years ago I began to specialize in destination weddings. I played both ceremonies and receptions throughout northern Michigan, but particularly on Mackinac Island. These venues were beautiful and elegant. Most, but not all, were outside.  I would usually arrive early to set up my equipment and then have a few moments to warm-up before the guests arrived. I almost always took time to appreciate how fortunate I was to be there. I was getting paid well to play beautiful music in a beautiful location for some very joyful people.

No job is perfect and it’s easy to get caught up in the things that make you grumpy. Usually when autumn arrived I was happy the season was over and that I didn’t have anymore weddings to play for awhile. But by the time spring arrived I was getting excited all over again.

So today, as I look out my window and see the sun shining and hear the birds singing I miss the promise of a new season of events. The excitement that I remember is now replaced with peace and calm. I don’t miss the work. I’ve played a lot of gigs and was thrilled to do so, but it’s time for the old man to get out of the way and make room for the next generation. But I miss the venues. The beauty of the architecture. The palpable reverence of each church I was invited to. But especially the outdoor spaces with their gardens, well groomed, manicured, fragrant, bursting with color, and alive with bees, butterflies, and other critters. Many of these places are not open to the general public, so I’ll never see them again except for the photos in my phone.

Not surprisingly, I follow a lot of musicians on social media. When they post pictures of the venue they are about to perform in (usually with the caption, “Today’s office”) I think “Gee, I’d really like to play a concert there”. The lure is not the concert but, rather, the lure is the room. The performance is an excuse for being swallowed by the space and to know that I’m one of the lucky few to have the privilege.

I don’t expect to ever perform in public again, but I practice every day as if I still have one more concert in me. A once and always showoff I guess.

March Madness

I’m not much of a sports fan. I’m not anti-sports either. It’s just that I was never any good at sports and it’s hard for me to relate to the action. And because I rarely watch I don’t understand a lot of the nuances. If you ever hear me discussing scores it’s probably in reference to Mozart, Beethoven, or one of those guys. But, for reasons I do not understand, I’ve recently been following the college basketball championships closely.

A commercial for a national sporting goods chain features many reasons why playing sports is good for children. You can probably guess the reasons: team work, goal setting, better grades in school, improved social behavior, etc. These are all good things and I whole-heartedly approve. But the same can usually be said for music education. Additionally, school choir and band programs accept nearly everyone into their ranks. Sports teams need to limit the number of players they can have, but not music groups. The more the merrier.

My number one reason for not playing sports, and it’s not like I didn’t try, was that I am naturally clumsy. You’ve seen those people who are naturally coordinated and seem to play nearly any sport well? Well it’s people like me that balance the cosmic scales. However, when I joined my school choir in the fifth grade I felt like I belonged. I was neither the best or worst, just one of the kids trying my darnedest to keep up. As I looked around I realized this was my team.

We would practice twice a week. We didn’t have a seasonal game schedule and the accompanying win/loss record. We performed one concert near the end of the semester. Instead of points on a scoreboard or conference rankings, we had applause. Boy can you get hooked on applause. At least I did. A lot of actors and dancers that I’ve met have similar stories to tell.

Other artists or art students have different stories to tell. A painter, sculptor, or writer will work in, what seems at time, solitary confinement. When they finally finish their creation they put it on display but still manage to live anonymously even if we know their names. But, like the athletes, they have found the place where they feel like they belong. The place where they have a creative outlet.

So, as we careen through March Madness, I feel exhilarated watching the teams give their best and feeling the excitement of the crowds. Of course, the media hype magnifies this. But I’m also a bit disappointed that we don’t do the same for the arts. And I’m not just talking about performing arts either. While there are outlets and opportunities for them, the media is not very good at letting the world know about them beyond the world of pop culture. That’s a bit like only promoting professional wrestling and leaving the rest to muddle along.

I don’t have a solution. I’ll leave that to people who are smarter than me. But I wish our education system valued the arts as much as they do sports. The irony is that few people remember the winners of the last Olympics but we know the works of DaVinci, Shakespeare, Michelangelo, Mozart, et al. And you rarely hear of an adult who still suffers from an old “drawing” injury.

The Uke and I

I had never given the ukulele much serious consideration. I was after all a Classical Guitarist and couldn’t be bothered with such a lowly instrument. Gawd! What a pompous dork!

About twenty years ago I was approached by two college students who asked if I could teach them how to play ukulele. They were going to be in a sorority sketch at the end of the school year and they wanted to play and sing a song. Of course being who I was at the time I insisted that they learn to read music for the instrument. So they did (sort of) and in spite of my efforts they learned the chords they needed and ultimately performed in the sketch. Honestly I didn’t know much more than they did and was learning at the same time as they, except I managed to stay about two lessons ahead of them.

Then about ten years ago I was asked if I would be willing to teach a beginning class at Marshall Music (where I taught) and agreed. The class never materialized but the opportunity wasn’t wasted on me. I began to realize that the uke offered the general public the chance to play and enjoy music on a very different level than what I was offering. I no longer felt the need to create virtuosos (virtuosi?), but instead just to create a fun atmosphere.

During that time I happened to bump into several of my former adult students. Although they enjoyed playing the guitar they were no longer able. Usually it was because of some physical ailment, but also because they had many other interests and just didn’t want to devote that much daily time to playing. So they switched to the ukulele. They learned a few easy chords that didn’t hurt their hands and didn’t need a lot of practice time to maintain. Several joined some adult groups where they strummed and sang songs with other, like-minded folks and had fun. The stories of their escapades weren’t lost on me.

When the pandemic hit I thought it might be a nice time to offer ukulele lessons online. I also decided that I would offer the lessons to young children. They are more likely to enjoy and accept online lessons than their parents or grandparents. Also, because it’s online, I changed the frequency to two 15 minute lessons each week instead of a single half hour lesson. I also wrote the method which did not involve note reading and was designed to be used for approximately six weeks.

In spite of the fact that I don’t market these things very well at all, it was a success. All of the students wanted to continue beyond the initial six weeks and I ended up writing a follow-up book of songs and later I wrote a method that taught note reading.

As is the way of young children and their families, most of these kids quit lessons soon after the Covid restrictions began to lift. But a few remain, and as I was teaching them this week I was struck by how much laughter there was in the lesson. The joy of playing music mingled with the joy of learning new stuff is a delight to be a part of.

So I continue. Last year I created a beginning uke course for adults that can be downloaded and learned at the individuals leisure. I also gave equal inclusion on my Patreon page so that those who play can have additional tunes to learn. I will also use this as a platform to reintroduce old folk songs and children’s tunes because much of this is being lost due to neglect. Perhaps I’m tilting at windmills, but I’m having a lot of fun doing it. In addition, it gives me purpose…..a reason to get up in the morning and keep going. Besides, I’ve always been a little tilted.

Purposeful Failure

I’ve been recording music for decades. I’ve recorded five CDs (most folks are tired of hearing about it), six tutorial CDs for my students, a handful of local commercials, and a few scores for independent films. I’ve also produced a few sessions for others (a long time ago). But in all of those instances I worked in professional studios with talented engineers. These guys knew how to make my ideas and efforts a reality. And do it with a quality that I just took for granted. Paul McCartney was recently asked what made Abbey Road Studios such a great place to record and one of the reasons he cited was they’ve always had amazing engineers.

For the last few years I’ve been doing all of my own recording at home. That seems to be the way of the world anymore. I know of many award-winning guitarists who do all of their own recording and then send the files to their distributor. I don’t have all of the best-of-the-best equipment, but what I have is very good. Honestly, I would have loved to have had it forty years ago.

But having the whistles and bells is one thing. Knowing how to use them properly is quite another. I am now my own engineer and it’s a struggle for me. I still enjoy the process but I’m generally not too happy with the results. And there’s the ever present thought, “If I just buy this one piece of gear all of my issues will be solved.” I’m always looking for a checkbook solution to replace real learning. The silly thing is I have more time than I do money. The true and cheapest solution is to spend the time and learn how to do it properly.

The real problem is, of course, my own attitude. A truism of life is that if you want to do something well you first have to do it poorly. “Don’t worry, you’ll get the hang of it.” We’ve all said it…..we’ve all heard it. “It just takes time”, we say. That’s easy advice to give but much harder to receive.

But it seems that the only way to gain the necessary experience to be an expert is to first be a dismal failure. (I need to speak with my friend the heart surgeon about this. I’m hoping there’s a middle ground.)

Lately I’ve been doing some high quality editing. I wasn’t able to do that a year ago. So I know I’m making progress. Recently I’ve started singing again for some of my offerings on my Patreon page (you’re probably tired of hearing about that too). That’s a lot different technique than just playing solo guitar or ukulele. I’ve been around studios long enough to know how it’s done but actually doing it is another level or two up. Think changing a tire or baking a cake.

The thing is I want to make a high quality product for people. If my singing or playing is bad I know how to practice to make it better. I understand the process. But when trying to make a decent (by my standards) recording I feel like a blind squirrel looking for a nut. And don’t get me started on doing videos. That’s a whole other level of frustration.

I’m better today than I was a few years ago. And I’m truly grateful for that. But I want to create quality stuff now. I’m impatient. But I’ll keep trying to improve. (I tried to write perceiver but spellcheck kicked in and my computer started to smoke) So I follow the sage advice of that great philosopher Curly of the Three Stooges, “If at first you don’t succeed keep on sucking until you do succeed.”  (Probably doesn’t work that well in sky-diving either, now that I think about it.)

Bless the amateurs

I was speaking with an adult student one day and she made an interesting comment. “I know I’ll never be a touring pro”, she said, “but I’d like to be able to play that well.” I’ve pondered that comment for many years and I’ve paired it with the memory of many students, young and old, who had little or no desire to perform - even for family or friends.

Today with YouTube and social media the ones who do want to play for others have an opportunity to strut their stuff. I watch a lot of these videos and I’m impressed with how good many of them are. I don’t think that many of them wish to perform professionally but they truly enjoy playing.

But whether they do or don’t seek attention they have the same thing in common. They would “like to be able to play that well.” Of course most won’t. Not because of a lack of talent but, rather, a lack of the time they would need to devote daily over weeks, months, and years. But still, many play very well indeed.

Amateur musicians have been an important component in the music world for centuries. Most church choirs are comprised of amateur singers. The same with praise and worship bands. Oh you might find a few professionals sprinkled around, but the majority of musicians have day jobs and regular lives. There are community bands that are made up, largely, of former high school band “geeks” who still enjoy the band experience.

There are, of course, many adults who learned piano as children and have continued to play. You can be friends with them for years before you find out. They don’t talk about it. It’s kind of personal. Many of my guitar students are the same way. The primary difference is that it’s hard to hide a piano, so if you visit their home you will probably find out. On the other hand, the guitar can be stashed away in a closet or under a bed. So if they don’t want you to know, you won’t. I know that sounds a bit extreme but (trust me) I can name names.

The importance of these people can’t be overestimated. The fine arts need support. They always have. Popular music (and arts in general) succeeds or fails based solely on the marketplace, but the appeal of fine arts have a much narrower fan base and cannot rely on the appeal of the masses. And yet, the arts tend to improve our communities in quiet, measured ways. The amateurs seed that fan base with their knowledge, experience, and enthusiasm.

I’ve been fortunate to watch a handful of my students go on to successful professional careers. Some as performers and others as educators. I am very proud of them, as you can imagine, and will spotlight them as the situation allows. But I am equally proud of those students who have studied and practiced and achieved an impressive degree of competency but remain anonymous. I don’t ever mention them because I wish to respect their privacy. But they are the ones who attend events, purchase merchandise, and donate time and money to keep the arts afloat. It is the amateur that has afforded me my career and I shall be eternally grateful.

Work

Work. That’s a word that means different things to different folks. I know I had jobs when I was a kid and would proudly announce, “I have to go to work” or some such variation. Saying that I had to work made me feel more like an adult, I guess. But whatever the reason, I enjoyed saying it.

As a young man in the U.S. Air Force I had a couple of different duties. The word was always “work” whenever we talked about it. Oh I had guard duty and KP duty when I was in training, but as soon as I got to my first permanent base the word immediately became “work”.

Like nearly every musician you’ll ever meet, I’ve had day jobs. A couple of times I thought that they would actually become careers but unforeseen circumstances intruded and I happily returned to music. The generic term I used for teaching, composing, writing, and performing was “work”.

Now I want to be clear. I’ve had “real” jobs. I’ve loaded/unloaded freight, installed and repaired HVAC systems, managed a big box store, and stuff like that. I truly know the difference between those activities and what I’ve spent the last forty years of my life doing. I sit on my duff and teach (mostly) willing students how to play music on a guitar. Not physically difficult and rarely mentally challenging. The hardest part is convincing my students that they are indeed smart enough. It’s really easy to get discouraged.

Many years ago I was getting ready to leave church when an elderly lady asked if I was staying for a special luncheon that was planned for that day. I simply said that I couldn’t because I had to work that afternoon. The following Sunday she grabbed me and said in an accusing tone, “Why didn’t you tell me you were giving a concert last week? I got home from church and began reading my Sunday paper and saw an announcement about it.”

“Well”, I explained, “the concert was over fifty miles from here and I honestly didn’t think anyone here would be interested in attending”. But I did remind her that I had told her that I had to work that afternoon. But I allowed that perhaps I could have been a bit more specific.

At one time I was teaching at a school of music and was adjunct instructor at two different colleges at the same time. They were all in different locations around the state. I was teaching 93 private lessons and 5 classes and driving about 700 miles every week. Okay….that felt like work. But that was the most and it only lasted a couple of years. 

I never really did many concerts/recitals but I played a lot of gigs. Weddings, cocktail and dinner music, etc. I was busier than I wanted to be and stopped in 2020 when the pandemic hit. It was the right time in my life.

Today I only teach a handful of students and it’s all online and don’t drive at all. I arrange and record music for my Patreon page, and do some video tutorials for my students as needed. I no longer perform. A little truth in advertising: some of my friends laugh and recall twice before when I “quit performing forever” only to change my mind a couple years later. (“Are you quitting forever again??”)

I don’t like admitting that I’m old and should be rocking in a chair instead of rocking out. In my mind I pretend I’m still a young guy until I get out of a chair and I hear sounds resembling the shaking of dice in a cup and unintended grunting sounds escaping my lips. But I’m still busy creating and producing and learning. And when I tell someone that I’m retired I feel a bit like a liar and feel the need to clarify things a bit. 

That word “work” still makes me feel like it did when I was a kid. Proud that I’m a productive member of society. Now if you’ll excuse me……I’ve got to get back to work.

Thinking about the changes

I woke up thinking about how much COVID-19 changed my profession. Some things are returning to normal, but others have changed permanently (or as permanent as such things are).

I was showing a friend my desk set up. I no longer give in-person lessons so I’m set up to do online lessons. I have a very nice microphone plugged into my computer, and I’m flanked by a pair of monitor speakers and a pair of video lights so I don’t end up looking like I’m in a FBI witness protection program. Next to my desk is my music stand. All I need to do is swivel my chair and I’m ready to go. To be sure, I was doing some of this before the pandemic, but most of my teaching was done at a music school and what little I did online was kind of a makeshift approach. Now it’s all online and my set up is very purposeful.

A guitarist that I follow online posted a picture this morning of her home set up as she was preparing to shoot a video for YouTube. She teaches and performs so it is absolutely imperative that she posts on social media regularly. She has an impressive amount of what looks to be high quality equipment in her NYC apartment. 

Another friend released his debut CD last summer. Although it’s on a prestigious label, he did all of the recording himself. He did a lot of research and purchased all of the gear he needed and then found a local church that would let him come in, set up, and record on certain evenings. It took quite a bit of time but he was able to create a recording that sounds amazing. In subsequent conversations we’ve talked about several other, high profile musicians who do much the same.

I was chatting with an old friend over the weekend. He owns a very nice but small project studio. I recorded all of my CDs and other specialty projects there. I’m not sure he’s big enough to record an entire band for commercial release, but he has everything that a solo guitarist would need for a proper release. I didn’t need a large studio with truck loads of equipment. And his hourly rates are proportional to my needs. However as we chatted I mentioned that my current reasons for recording are not to make a CD but to help my students and occasionally put something on social media. So I record sitting here at my desk. The quality isn’t quite as good as I get at his studio, but it’s cheap and convenient and good enough.

In the process of setting up my work space I watched a lot of videos (YouTube University) and got some great ideas about what I would need. It seems a lot of people are doing things by themselves now. My friend said as much. Apparently many small recording studios have gone out of business because of the DYI approach to small recording projects. 

In a recent podcast I listened to two guitarists were discussing the importance of a musician being able to make a quality recording. Their ability to make and sustain a career in today’s atmosphere is dependent upon that as much as their musical talent. I’m pretty sure this would have happened without the pandemic, but I’m sure this sped things up quite a bit.

When I interview a guest for my podcast one of my questions is, “How has the pandemic changed your art and the way you do business?” There are as many answers as there are artists but I’ve never heard, “It hasn’t.” There are always changes directly related.

Extreme events always force change and they always have. Those who are able to take advantage usually make out pretty good. But there are always those who wait for things to get back to normal without realizing that “normal” has changed. I’ll let others decide if this is better or worse, but for the moment in seems to be here to stay.

Teaching “old dogs”

Many years ago I had a young woman, in her early 20’s, begin lessons with me. She told me that she had never played music before but had always wanted to learn. Then she sheepishly said, “I’m probably the oldest beginning student you’ve ever had.” I chuckled and told her that she wasn’t even close. I currently was teaching a beginning adult who had just celebrated her 81st birthday. 

I was thinking about that encounter recently and that caused me to remember the many other seniors that I have taught over the years. Many had never played any music before. Others had played in high school or sang in church choir but had never attempted the guitar. And some had played guitar when they were kids but stopped when the demands of adulthood overtook their lives. They all had a few things in common. They now had the free time that they hadn’t had since their early 20’s and they loved music. Also, they were able to overcome their apprehension enough (sometimes just barely) to actually show up for the first lesson.

I didn’t go to college until I was 27 and had visions of it being like middle school with all of the 18-19 year old students pointing and giggling at the “old man”. In truth they never noticed me and couldn’t have cared less. The instructors, however, were happy to see an actual adult in their classroom. The parallel was nearly 100%.

Early in my career I found myself specializing in working with very young children. It’s something that I prided myself on. But every time I taught an adult it was like a breath of fresh air. With children I had to deal with the child, the parent(s), and often a sibling or two. I never minded that and in fact usually enjoyed it. But with adults I only had to deal with the student. Oh, I heard stories about spouses, children, grandchildren, etc., but rarely interacted with them. 

Managing expectations was different too. With children and their parents the sky is the limit. With adults it’s the opposite. “I don’t have any musical talent” or “I’m probably not smart enough to learn this.” If not in words then in attitude and behavior. 

One woman, recently retired, started in an adult guitar class that I was teaching. After the 12 week class was concluded she switched to private lessons. She had originally thought she would just strum some chords, but that wasn’t as much fun as she had hoped because she didn’t and wouldn’t sing. When I introduced her to classical/instrumental playing she discovered she could do it and it was way more fun than strumming. 

A few months later she came in to the lesson with some important news. She had been practicing in another room in her house when her husband came in and asked to listen. He said he was really enjoying listening to her. She just beamed with pride when she told me that. A couple years later she said, “I know I’ll never be a touring professional, but I’d like to play that good”.

Working with both very young children and adults old enough to be their grandparents (or even great-grandparents) and all ages in between, I’ve come to the conclusion that it IS NOT easier for children to learn. We all learn differently at different stages of life. You wouldn’t expect a six year old to process information the same as a sixteen year old so don’t make the same mistake with a sixty year old. 

While “you can’t teach an old dog new tricks”. It’s important to remember that we are not dogs. For my fellow seniors, don’t talk yourself out of doing something just because you’re “too old”. I am reminded that my father graduated from high school one year after I did. (That’s a story for another day.) And my all-time favorite guitarist, Andres Segovia, died at the age of 94. He was still performing and touring. He died at home one summer evening watching TV with his wife and 16 year old son……I’ll let you do the math.