Thinking Out Loud
For My Ears Only

June 29, 2014
By: Diane Szczepanski

Beethoven said that it's better to hit the wrong note confidently, than hit the right note unconfidently. Never be afraid to be wrong or to embarrass yourself; we are all students in this life, and there is always something more to learn.
Mike Norton

The guitar and I go way back.

To a time I wore tight fitting Jordache jeans which actually fit, sported rather long, spiral permed, blonde flowing tresses and was prone to donning myself in bright neon colors, the fashion battle cry of the era.

I tried. I really tried.

The endless hours of lessons in the stuffy apartment, from a teacher who had studied under Eddie Van Halen, one of the guitar greats.

A young man of infinite patience, who calmly attempted over and over to coax something out of my guitar playing that didn't resemble the cries of a cat in heat.

Alas, it was just not meant to be and I retired my beautiful acoustic instrument and condemned myself to being ever the listener and never the performer.

In recent weeks, after all these years, I have had a change of heart. Call it nostalgia, bravery or foolishness, but I've been itching to pick up the guitar again in an attempt to play ONE recognizable song.

It's going to be a long journey.

It's going to be noisy and I can assure you the dog will howl at some of the notes I hit. It's going to cramp my hands, make the pads of my fingers raw and frustrate the living daylights out of me.

However, Beethoven was right, "...It's better to hit the wrong note confidently."

So, strum on I say, strum on.