As an old time guitar player...or just an old guitar player

As an old time guitar player, who seldom plays but enjoys it when I can, I get nostalgic for the memory. You know if you’ve read these pages, that my most musical daughters have forbid me from even trying singing, playing any instrument, or even clicking my fingers in a rhythmic way. Their knowledge of music and its variances does not include me. I have been shunned to another place for a musical experience.


The other day I received an email from the library that my Jackson Browne CD was in and my wife was going to the local library and she was going to pick it up. I guess in my haste of ordering, instead of ordering a CD, I ordered a music book. How happy and surprised I was to find “Running on Empty” and "The Pretender" in sheet music form on my dining room table.

I took my guitar from the rack and tried to tune it (yes, I do know how to do that) and sat at the table and tried to play a bit, however, my eyesight was so bad I had to get up and go to the kitchen to get one of my eight pairs of dollar store reading glasses so I could see the music. When I returned, I couldn’t find my pick. Of course I have others, but still there was one woven in the strings, and it was gone!

I picked up the guitar and shook it and sure as shootin’, the pick was inside! This is no surprise, as guitar players lose picks in guitars always and have to play with them to get them out.

I shook it up and down for a while and played with it to make it work. I put the guitar down to answer a phone call and when I came back the pick was gone! Where did it go? I know I shook and shook but never saw it leave. What had happened?

I put the guitar back in its holder and went away to do something else and some hours later I returned and looked down and this was what I saw!

I play by ear mostly, so maybe playing by foot will work as well.