More About Music

First of all, apologies, Gentle Readers, for not getting back here in the last few days, The Shantyman's cold has really been kicking my arse and I haven't felt like doing much at all. But, happily, I am getting better and I have been practicing on my guitar again (and have some big news, which most of you probably already know, but it's still big to me!) and have been thinking about something that is apparently a foundational skill in folk music, and one that my neurological difficulties, combined with my left-handedness, sort of changes. Quite a bit, actually.

That skill is being able to tell just by looking at somebody's fingers while they play where they are in the music, specifically, which chord they're in and when to change to a different chord. In theory, you're supposed to recognize which chord they're in, go 'Oh, yeah, that one' and adjust your playing accordingly, all in the space of a blink of an eye, or faster, depending on the tempo of the song in question.

Unfortunately, I have major difficulty with this. My executive processing disorder means that it takes me too long to recognize a chord on the fly, my left-handedness means that I have to take extra time to translate it in my head, and my poor motor skills mean that it takes me a bit longer to change into a chord than it needs to, particularly, as I said, during a fast song. All together, these things combined mean that it typically takes me about 4x longer than it should. And if I am ever going to successfully play with others, in a jam session or a traditional or old time music session, or anywhere where there isn't a pre-made set list, I am going to have to figure out how to do this in a way that makes sense to my brain.

So far, the only thing I can think of that will help solve the ID question -- chord flash cards. Just take a picture of a right-handed person's chording hand, for each chord that could possibly come up, and memorize what each chord looks like. That will take care of both the ID and the translation issues, which are really half the battle. I suspect that flat-out memorization will be key for lots of things, too, like learning and memorizing as many songs as I can, period, so that I can recognize them when they come up.

I mean, I'm not going to sit back and whine 'I can't do this' 'cause I will HAVE to figure out how, if I want to play at all in other places besides my office, alone. It's just a matter of figuring out what will work with my head.

One of the things I know I will have to do is learn the chords MUCH better than I do right now. So much better that I can play them literally blindfolded, and be confident going from one to another without looking, etc. When I really *know* where they are on the fingerboard, that will help. Right now, I still have to think about it, which fingers to use, which string they go on, which fret, etc. I don't *know* where they are, at the moment. I think I know, which is a vast difference.

Granted, I've only been playing for 3 months. Which, in music time is like . . . nothing. Not even a drop in the bucket. Like, not even a beginner yet. Still a student. Nobody expects you to know anything at all. But time is movin' on, and I keep feeling this pressure, this need, to get ahead of the curve, to get good enough as fast as I can, because unlike a lot of total beginners, I have a deadline looming. I need to be able to successfully play difficult 17th century (and earlier) music in another 3 months, for my re-enactment group's 1st gig of the 2011 season. And then, I will have another 2 months before the outdoor re-enactment season starts in earnest. I have to be ready. At least, with a few of the easier songs/tunes. Something. Something I can contribute.

So far, the plan is to learn the chords well enough and the fretboard notes well enough on my own to then be able to go to our music practice sessions and start working on getting over my phobia about playing with other people. My phobia about playing in public will have to wait, I'm afraid. I'd really like to go to our woodwind group and sit in with them and play some rhythm with them, but I don't know how to ask. Anyway, that's all in the future, I haven't even begun to look at the chords the Chief Fool and I worked out while I was in Michigan. First there was the concert, and then within 24 hours I got sick. I haven't even unpacked yet . . .

It's difficult, Gentle Readers, to be different in a world, like music, which is so set on doing things the 'right', ie, traditional way. Merely because I play left-handed, I am therefore 'wrong' to many people. Add in everything else, and I might as well be from another planet. And because I am the only one in my geographical area -- at least, that I know of -- that plays folk etc music left-handed, it is incumbent on me to adapt. Nobody is going to adapt to me. I will have to learn how to get along in the standard, righty world.

I just have to figure out how to accommodate everything else too . . .