I say I can't play with out a guitar string....

My wife came home from work last night she walks into the bedroom strumming a guitar.  I woke up smiling. “Cool” I said. Her friend came through. She is letting me borrow her guitar so I can learn to play and to my surprise it came with two learn to play videos.  Now I guess I need to learn how to tune it and buy some picks. Then I’ll be able to torture my family with my unskilled strumming. I’m sure I will learn finger placement, the scale, notes and cords long before I learn anything even resembling music. Anyways this should be fun.

I’ve always wanted to play an instrument. I remember the first one I asked my mom to let me play. I wanted to play the drums. I was in fourth grade when my grammar school tried to put together a band. It was an afterschool thing with multiple grades participating. We had a new music teacher in the school this year and it was her idea. In the school basement we used as a gym and an auditorium there were all different instruments on display. My mom headed straight for the woodwind section and I was trying to steer her toward the percussion. That is all I wanted to play was the drums. She wouldn’t even walk over there at first. After perusing the clarinet, and oboes I got her by the drums.” Mom but they have practice pads and everything and it’s only a snare, how bad could it be”. “NO, don’t ask again!” So we headed over to the brass section while I was looking at the silver sided drum and watching while my friend Billy’s mom tell him he could get it. “Ok mom since I can’t get a drum how about a tuba?” “NO!” She said. I still don’t know how it happened I ended coming home with a trumpet. I never had a desire to play a trumpet.  I went to band after school and tried to learn the notes, but never really got it. I tried to practice at home, but I had a hard time learning music and no one I asked could explain it where I understood it. So how are you going to practice? So for the next few weeks I used it to torture my mom.  I wasn’t allowed to practice when dad was home so I would wait till mom was on the phone or watching something she liked on TV and then I would “practice.” Well I wasn’t the first kid to quit the band but I was close. Mom was angry because she had to pay the rental fee for the whole semester on the twisted piece of brass. At least she didn’t have to buy it like in the movie“Music Man.”  A couple years later I asked, “Mom can I get a guitar?” “No remember the trumpet that you wanted to play.” She replied. My mom was Irish, this is a tactic passed down from mother to daughter for generations. I call it the twist and switch maneuver. First they twist what was originally said and then they switch who said it. You can argue for days and weeks but once the twist and switch has been made they will take it to their grave. Kids, make your parents put it in writing. Bottom line there was no guitar.

So here I am thirty-nine years old getting ready to pick up an instrument for the first time. I can’t read music but my wife can and she said she’ll teach me so why not. I have been inspired by the great music at the Bridge Community Church here in Des Plaines. These guys are top notch players. It’s cool I got to sing with them a couple times now and I’ve had a blast. The music is so moving. At home I play the same music with Pandora and you tube. My daughter likes to sing along and raise her hands in the air to praise God. Even my little one hums along and he raises his hands like his sister. It just makes you heart feel good to witness it. Now I want to be able to play and sing this music with my kids. I want to be able to pull out my guitar while sitting around the campfire under the stars and just sing praises to the Lord with my family or with a ministry group. What a blessing that could be. Now to dig out the VCR the lessons are on tape.