Tagged “music”


A Social History of My Guitar

I play a 1938 Recording King M5 archtop guitar. I’m fond of this guitar, though I’m not always sure I like the way it sounds. I sometimes yearn for a Martin or Taylor flattop, but I have a loyalty to the Recording King that arises from its history.  Much of that history predates me. Recording King guitars were made by Gibson specifically for mail-order through Montgomery Ward. I picture a... Read More

Posted on May 11, 2019 at 10:52 am under Words & Music

Constructing a Song

Songwriting can be a laborious process for me, and it’s usually spread out over enough time that I forget exactly how the whole thing came about. But I had a small revelation during the writing of one song that prompted me to record my process. The song is called “The Glorious Cause.” The Kernel I keep a large file full of lines that come to me. (It’s currently too large, about 14... Read More

Posted on August 19, 2017 at 9:39 am under Words & Music

Improving

I think I’m improving. On the guitar. I’ve been practicing every day, having faith that, though I don’t notice much happening, I’m slowly getting better. Trying to put in the hours that—as Malcolm Gladwell says—will make a difference. And, lo and behold, the other day I realized that my strum wasn’t too bad. Yes, it’s taken me forever to get a decent strum, one that doesn’t feel... Read More

Posted on February 1, 2017 at 12:02 pm under Words & Music

The challenge of transcription

A couple of nights ago I had a dream in which some people were singing a song. They were climbing a hill of crumbling red dirt. The main group, about four or five, went up first, singing the verse of the song. It was beautiful. A lone man followed, singing the chorus. All I could see of him were his boots on the crumbling dirt. The chorus was even more beautiful than the verse, with an unusual... Read More

Posted on February 4, 2016 at 9:15 am under Words & Music

I Stank

Last night I played my first open mic in Seattle. It’s quite a different scene there than the East side. The room was in the basement of an old church in Fremont, the self-proclaimed center of the universe. It had that dark coffeehouse vibe, without the coffee. The lineup was relentlessly young, hip, confident, and accomplished, none of which I am. And they all wrote their own songs. Even the... Read More

Posted on February 20, 2013 at 8:03 pm under Words & Music

Getting Out

I performed at my first open mic yesterday. It was a rainy Tuesday night at the old train depot in Issaquah. I was late on the sign-up sheet and got stuck near the end, so I was only allotted one song. I had a chance to reflect on the value of going early as I sat through performer after performer who was much better than I, including an 18-year-old who was a fantastic guitar player. He also had... Read More

Posted on February 6, 2013 at 2:04 pm under Words & Music