#205 The Truth About Becoming A Rock God

"More Time...That's what we all want..."

I've always loved music; some of my finest memories come with a soundtrack.  Music is in my blood.  My mother is a singer and a pianist.  My Uncle Stann Champion is a well known musician and artist.  Even my oldest daughter plays an instrument.  Music is a major part of my life.

Recently I have taken up one of the most fearsome of instruments; the guitar.  A complex tool of strings and frets.  I never realized how hard of an instrument a guitar is to play.

The truth is, there is a chance that I may never be any good.  It takes years to develop any real skill. The muscles needed to develop are best formed in ones youth.

Our muscles and our minds are more pliable in our teenage years.  When we are young, we are  capable of adjusting to new things.  We tend to bounce back from new experiences, new...torments.  That's one of the benefits of being young.  There is so much youth spilling out, that you feel ready to take on the world.  Being young, you feel that you could do anything.  Learning a new skill with the proper dedication appears easier when you are young.  In truth you don't have the ability to say, "well I'd like to see how tough this is as an old person." 

If one was to become a Rock god, this would be the best way to do it.  It is unfortunate, there are those like me who no longer have that option.

At the tender age of 37, my days of youth are gone.  I'm no longer the young man I once was.  Now is the time that real life problems appears with great frequency.  

Kind of disheartening isn't it?

It shouldn't be.  Age, time; those are factors working against you.  They do not have to diminish your desire.  The human mind is a complex tool.  It does miracles when we push it to it's limits.  Having the desire to overcome, is inherent in human beings regardless of age.  We will face limits at every stage in our lives.  The willingness to transcend and improve yourself defies the conventional notions of age.  Limits make us better, because it gives us a target to strive for.

I can't think of any limit that I would love to push more than the ability to create music.  Music is the language of humanity.  It is the order and chaos of physics and sound.  It is a force unto itself and one that is capable of magic.  A baton or a guitar are the same as a magicians wand. The greatest and most wizards and witches are always the ones who are oldest.  

Some people will start at an early age, but some are not so blessed.  Even then, if we practice and work hard, anyone can become a master.  

Life appreciates as we age and in spite of all that we lose, we still have the capability to do more.  We can still develop. Learning to play guitar at this age, is something that many people can do.  In fact it's something they should do.

I may never reach the level as Arch-Mage of the,  Axe Axl Rose.  I may never shred as well or as proficient as Slash. (his name is so awesome, it doesn't even need an epitaph.)  I may never play that well, but I'm aiming to try. 

As I promised, here's that video.  It's not a song, but more of me getting the hang of the rhythm.  Strumming was something that needed a lot of work, but I found a method that works for me.  See if you can tell what I'm doing.