Amish Guitar

Today marks one full year of Amish Guitar. I suppose it is cliche to review the last year, but I'm going to do it anyway. The reasons for continuing with my blog are roughly the same as they were a year ago. I'm still a hack guitarist looking to bring music back into my life. I still have no inclinations to going pro or learning hot licks. I still have paper thin skin when it comes opening up my songwriting and playing to other people's critique. And I still worry at times at whether I am a musician, or just a guy who knows the mechanics of playing but has no soul. This does not surprise me in the least, as it all jives with my introverted nature and my perpetual self doubt.

However, I look back on the year and I see success as well. I play with the church praise team regularly now. I've played accompaniment for my daughters in church. I've learned some Travis style finger picking, many new chords and feel oh so much more comfortable with chord changes. I've learned to keep my guitar playing in perspective. That is, I've learned to stop obsessing on my playing when I have so many other things I enjoy or have responsibilities for.

I suppose my grandest moment is when I felt I could begin thinking of myself as a player instead of someone learning how to play. That was a huge hurdle to overcome. In many ways, having made that transition has made it more difficult for me to think of subjects for this blog. I conceived of this blog as a journal of my journey toward becoming a player. What do I talk about now? Well, there's still plenty to discover. If I haven't been too active here in the blogosphere, you can be sure it is only because life gets in the way. Its not that I've given up on my playing and enjoyment.

As I look back on the year, the posts that really strike a chord (sorry) are the ones involving me, my guitar and some emotional troubles I've worked through. Picking up the guitar in the first place was to be an exercise in pouring my negative energy into something constructive. It has been more effective than I've ever imagined possible. Like many, I'm sure, I've got a lot locked away in this head and heart that I don't even know about. My guitar has been my key in letting some of that out. I can hear it in the harmonies, in the rhythms, in the tone and in (oh Lord, this is corny!) the music.

Amish Guitar will continue after this brief interruption...