It’s all a process. Getting back on track, recovering from an injury, learning something new, it’s all a process. None of that happens quickly, none of it happens overnight. It all takes time. It takes time to assimilate, it takes time to strengthen, it takes time to adjust. Sometimes, it takes more time than we want. But it takes as long as it takes.
For me, as you have likely noticed, getting back on track has been a longer process than I would like. I’ve done a bit of sputtering along. And I’m still working on the why of that. I suspect some of it has been a combination of needing a little recovery time from a year that was for me, quite intense. And frustratingly, some of it has probably been as a result of the injury I mentioned that I have been dealing with. Even low level pain can be draining and it can cause a variety of issues, including depression. Though I don’t believe I have been suffering depression, I do think that some of my enthusiasm, drive, and energy have been dampened by it.
On a positive note for that, I have finally figured out what was the likely cause of the injury and what has caused it to linger. Mostly stubbornness. I turned my foot/ankle not in the direction most people do. It seems to have pulled my arch badly. And now for the stubborn part. I didn’t register the problem and instead I have just been compensating for several months. This has caused pain and weakness in the leg and hip attached to the injured foot. The reason that is positive is that I now know what to do for it all. And I am regaining some strength and flexibilty in that hip and leg. And yes, it is a process. A slow one in my opinion. Still. A process.
Learning new stuff is a process as well. Whether it’s something for work, a new language, a new art technique, a new technique on your musical instrument. You name it. Learning something new takes time. It takes time to take in that new bit of information and figure out where it fits in with what you already know. Sometimes, the process of learning the new bit will be so exciting and open your mind to so many possibilities that you almost can’t take in anything more for a bit of time. Or you find your brain feels like it’s going to explode. In all that, there will be one piece, that starts to fit it all together, like that one piece in the jigsaw puzzle, that once you find it things start progressing at a rapid pace.
Kevin made Nick and I an offer that we were not going to pass up. In some ways we are at about the same level of skill but in different areas. We both have gaps in our knowledge or technique. And we do something that is one of Kevin’s pet peeves musically. We often end up playing the same bar chords and the same rhythm when we play together. So he offered to spend a couple of hours with us to fix it. And we took him up on it. Oh holy cow. What he had to share was not earth shattering. It wasn’t some huge secret, or big thing that no one knows about. Except, for me it was a little of a revelation. It helped me understand where I was getting stuck and having trouble doing some of what I see others do that sounds so good.
So remember, I play rhythm. Or that’s what I call it. In a lot of ways I play strummer. It’s got me this far. I’m not disparaging what I do. I’m acknowleding the difference I am starting to hear and understand. What Kevin helped with was pointing out how I can change that and make the sound more interesting. He helped explain the C-A-G-E-D concept in a way that Nick, a math guy, and me a pattern person, could understand so we can each learn to incorporate it into our playing. He shared several exercises to help with being able to get more comfortable and familiar with the fretboard. I admit. My brain was so full when we were done that I thought it might explode if I tried to stuff one more thing into it.
I am so grateful and appreciative of the time he took to help us, and I can picture the difference it will make for me as a guitar player. I so wanted to be able to demonstrate to him how much I appreciate it all by being able to incorporate it into my playing at the next blues jam. I’m realistic. The next jam was just a week away. I’d hoped be demonstrating awesome new technique then but even with practicing everyday, it would take time to get to where I could use it as easily as I can my pentatonic scale or my basic bar chord pattern. It’s a process.
I got started working on it. I found one song that I knew was going to get huge benefit from the change. I also found that there are some songs that I have down pretty good for singing and playing, that with the new technique it is just different enough that I pretty much have to relearn how to play and sing the song, completely. I think that will be a good thing. I had already recognized that I had become proficient in basic versions of a lot of the songs I sing and play and that I really need, and want, to improve on that. The songs sound ok with a four or five or six piece band but, I think they could sound even better. So. Relearning everything, or nearly everything, with some new skills and a little different sound will be fun, interesting, and in some cases, quite a challenge. It will take time and may take several months to fully assimilate all the knowledge that was shared in just a couple hours. I’m really looking forward to it. I’m excited to see the difference it will make.
I am pleased to say that both Nick and I were dilligent in our practice and were both able to begin to utilize our new information and skills at that next jam. I got to do that song that I new was going to benefit greatly from the information and it sounded really good. Really good. I still need to practice it. I can make that even better I think. And as a big bonus, one of the songs I do a lot got a big boost from some small changes that included parts of what Kevin shared. It sounded really good.
So that’s where things are at this point. I want to make sure and say “Thank you!” to Kevin for his time and knowledge sharing. Afterwards, my brain was so stuffed full of information that it couldn’t take in much more so while it was assimilating I spent some time as a bird perch and editing video from the previous blues jam.
Up next, well, my posts are a bit out of synch with the Blues Jams. I’m hoping to get that straightened out between the next two jams. I have a few new songs I want to learn and I think now, with all this new information, they might be even easier to pick up. I’ve finally finished painting my dining room and wow what a difference. I’ll probably start another project soon. The living room needs new paint too. I’ve also got a few other things that I will be concentrating on. I have the test for work that I need to study for and so far that has not been as successful as I would like so I’ve got something else I’m going to try for that. I also have my next black belt test for Taekwondo. That’s in June. That means I start the extra prep class schedule this next week. And I need to make my flight arrangements for that trip to Australia that I intend to make around September or so. Yep. It’s that time. Need to book the flight and start getting everything else sorted.
We’ve had another jam. And I’ve had a chance to watch the video and found some new lessons. I’ll share soon. Besides that, there’s lots of stuff coming up. For now I’ve got some fairly random pictures to share. Enjoy.