Student , Student, Teacher, Student, Student, Sit down class!

Taking a look back I forgot to mention something I should have. I don't know how many times I have heard over the years about people taking "lessons" for instruments they learn. Then others that seemed to be virtuosos at their instrument who never took one lesson. Is taking lessons important? I can say that it definitely is. I only wish I would have done it more.

I took guitar lessons from one teacher for whom I paid to take lessons. I think I must have been 16 because I remember driving an old Chevy caprice through Marion at mid afternoon. I must have been 16-17 years old. This instructor J. Dowdall was in his own right an accomplished musician and his wife played flute in the Cedar Rapids symphony which is why I got pushed in his direction. (My mom played violin in the Cedar Rapids symphony orchestra) They (he and wife- A. Boland) also played together in a medieval guitar/flute duo which was somehow funded by the state because it fell into the "resurrecting the dead arts" part of the state's budget. At first I took lessons from him at a classroom at Coe College and then later at his home in Marion. He taught me finger style playing. More specifically he tried to teach me flamenco guitar. It's more of a rhythmic Spanish style guitar which embodies percussive right hand technique. I learned a lot, but I forgot just about as much. I wish I would've kept it up, but I really wasn't the type to assimilate myself with that type of formalization. I learned a lot later from other teachers when they weren't really in their "teacher mode".

I remember I tried teaching guitar lessons a few times. I taught my friends K. Dodd and C. Anderson to play some things on guitar over a period of lessons. They always paid in beer, usually MGD, which was quite affordable for college aged guitar students. I also taught my younger brothers’ friend Travis some things. I spent a bit more with him on theory. (Diminished scale and its uses, etc.) Altogether I could probably do that again, but it's not my strongpoint.

Tsunamis vs. Sand Castles

Here's a track I put together quick tonight. Sorry for the weak parts, I really just wanted to get this one out of the way before I forgot it. I wrote these terrible lyrics and so-so melodies and rhythms and recorded within a half hour. Not bad!