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New challenges

Posted: 15 Jul 2016, 21:15
by Trev62
During yet another mid life crisis (they occur on a regular basis!), I decided I would become a rock star, thought I would look good strutting around in a sequined suit with a guitar in hand. So to get through this I acquired a "six string" and started a "teach yourself" guitar course on the internet, time constraints due to the many disasters that seem to occur to us here and a dodgy finger joint means progress has been slow and I may not be on stage until I am 70 (unfortunately sequins may be out of fashion by then!) but today after months of trying I managed to crack and play my first barre cord. I stopped after that as I wanted to end on a successful note (no pun intended but it works!).

Point being that even at my age I enjoy trying new things and I can now play a mean "Jingle Bells!"

Any other musical people out there or people trying new things. I would be interest to hear what you are doing.

As a foot note, during another crisis we set ourselves the target of learning to identify a different bird every month, this month I was doing well until my partner said that "Black chicken, white chicken, brown chicken, black chicken and ginger chicken only counts as one!", back to the bird books!

Re: New challenges

Posted: 16 Jul 2016, 00:52
by Richard
Still a bit of a way to go on the birds then !!

Good for you to learn guitar at a more senior age than most.
I learnt when I was about 17 and played in a Band for quite a few years, I used to fall over my hair then. Nowadays I have a job finding it :-D

Needless to say I was one of the Bert Weedon's Play in a Day merchants.
The days when every wanna be great sat in Guitar Shops along Shaftesbury Avenue playing House of the Rising Sun.
That progressed to Stairway to Heaven.
The Sales Assistants must have felt like closing up at lunchtime every days!

Good luck to you. I've still my old Ovation Bowl Back and play a bit of Keyboards, but play nothing later than about 1972 !

Jingle Bells covers that date though!

Richard :-D :-D

Re: New challenges

Posted: 16 Jul 2016, 20:13
by Trev62
Richard wrote:Still a bit of a way to go on the birds then !!


A long long way to go!

Distinctive birds like the Bee-eater, Hoopee, Rollers, Storks and the fantastic Golden Oriole are easy to pick out (we have Golden Orioles nesting behind us) it is the smaller birds we have trouble with. I found a small course identifying birds that I completed on the internet which helped a lot as we can now identify many by the sounds they make as well. Serious issues with what could have been a Northern or Montagu Harrier last year after several good sightings we still can not decide which (if either) it was. We have yet to see the bird again this year but it is early yet.

Richard wrote:Good for you to learn guitar at a more senior age than most.
I learnt when I was about 17 and played in a Band for quite a few years, I used to fall over my hair then. Nowadays I have a job finding it :-D


I can feel the good old memories floating back to you............

Richard wrote:The Sales Assistants must have felt like closing up at lunchtime every days!


Rather like my partner, who, if she does not banish me to the bedroom to practice quickly dons a set of headphones to drown me out, I know I am bad, but am I really that bad?????

Re: New challenges

Posted: 02 Aug 2016, 20:52
by fabindia
Bert Weedon 'Play in a day' man myself and 40 years later still playing. A couple of years back I bought a ukulele to take with me on my travels - a great investment, I just love it.

I have two brothers who are brilliant guitarists and ukulele players, as is my middle son. Here is a video of my youngest brother playing ukulele. I am nowhere as good as Jon.

[youtube]4cDPef3K0ic[/youtube]

All I can say Trev, is keep up he practice and no matter how good or bad you are (as I am), if you entertain yourself and raise a smile with others, it is totally worth it.

Re: New challenges

Posted: 09 Aug 2016, 21:46
by Trev62
If only my fingers were as coordinated.

Having serious issues with barre chords, hit one miss four, hit one miss two, hit one miss seven, I think you get the picture }hairout{ Still, Christmas soon so may reach hit one miss one by then ! :-D