The goal of this Blog is to share how “Into the Flow” came to be. But we undoubtedly will have digressions along the way.
Our story begins when Bill T’s wife -- Becky -- bought him an electric guitar. She did so with tongue firmly planted in cheek. It seemed like a relatively low cost practical joke. The new Costco Starcaster Special was a complete surprise. Since he never played guitar before and never displayed any musical proclivity or talent, she made sure that she did not spend too much and that lessons came with the new guitar.
"Here's a guitar. You start lessons tomorrow."
From there, Bill T’s obsession, compulsion, doubts, fantasies, propensity for foolishness, and determination displaced rationality. He became hooked on trying to gain some proficiency. As he took lessons and attempted to play, questions swirled. Can sheer desire overcome an apparent near-total lack of talent? How long should a person keep trying at something for which he has no natural talent? Once something is started, when is “good enough” really good enough? Can old dogs learn new tricks?
After all, Bill T was not some teenage boy picking up guitar as part of the pubescent rite of passage. Instead, he was a middle-aged man who was undertaking a new art form. He has been told that, if he had talent to begin with, he would have been playing all along.
Over time, he developed a relationship with the guitar that defies nomenclature.
We know now that he is a guitar something. Is he a guitar wonk or geek? Probably not as he is not immersed in the arcane aspects of guitar or music. And he has a real life which includes a profession, wife, children, and a dog -- the original Lava Pup. Initially, we considered “guitar nebbish,” but a visit to the Yiddish dictionary put an end to that. Bill T is not pitiful, weak-willed, or a loser. Rather he is strong-willed and succeeded at every endeavor he ever took up in earnest.
Quixotic? No. Guitar playing is not noble or idealistic.
That leaves us at a loss to fill in the blank in “guitar _____.”
Even though we cannot find a single word which describes Bill T’s relationship with the guitar, we believe that one exists. That word must combine many diverse concepts. Little talent. Little sense of rhythm. Frustration at times. Belief that skills can be learned. Belief that hard work will be rewarded.
We know that Bill T is a middle-aged guitar something. He says that, no matter how bad he is at playing guitar or how little he really understands, playing has helped him weather many of life’s crises and provided a common bond with many people -- both young and old. So maybe we should think of him as a “guitar devotee” or “guitar enthusiast.”
As time passed, the question of how to fill in the blank disappeared. Or at least it no longer was important. It was replaced with a new question. Can writing songs and recording them be fun?
You get to help answer that question. We hope that you enjoy our story.
Our story begins when Bill T’s wife -- Becky -- bought him an electric guitar. She did so with tongue firmly planted in cheek. It seemed like a relatively low cost practical joke. The new Costco Starcaster Special was a complete surprise. Since he never played guitar before and never displayed any musical proclivity or talent, she made sure that she did not spend too much and that lessons came with the new guitar.
"Here's a guitar. You start lessons tomorrow."
From there, Bill T’s obsession, compulsion, doubts, fantasies, propensity for foolishness, and determination displaced rationality. He became hooked on trying to gain some proficiency. As he took lessons and attempted to play, questions swirled. Can sheer desire overcome an apparent near-total lack of talent? How long should a person keep trying at something for which he has no natural talent? Once something is started, when is “good enough” really good enough? Can old dogs learn new tricks?
After all, Bill T was not some teenage boy picking up guitar as part of the pubescent rite of passage. Instead, he was a middle-aged man who was undertaking a new art form. He has been told that, if he had talent to begin with, he would have been playing all along.
Over time, he developed a relationship with the guitar that defies nomenclature.
We know now that he is a guitar something. Is he a guitar wonk or geek? Probably not as he is not immersed in the arcane aspects of guitar or music. And he has a real life which includes a profession, wife, children, and a dog -- the original Lava Pup. Initially, we considered “guitar nebbish,” but a visit to the Yiddish dictionary put an end to that. Bill T is not pitiful, weak-willed, or a loser. Rather he is strong-willed and succeeded at every endeavor he ever took up in earnest.
Quixotic? No. Guitar playing is not noble or idealistic.
That leaves us at a loss to fill in the blank in “guitar _____.”
Even though we cannot find a single word which describes Bill T’s relationship with the guitar, we believe that one exists. That word must combine many diverse concepts. Little talent. Little sense of rhythm. Frustration at times. Belief that skills can be learned. Belief that hard work will be rewarded.
We know that Bill T is a middle-aged guitar something. He says that, no matter how bad he is at playing guitar or how little he really understands, playing has helped him weather many of life’s crises and provided a common bond with many people -- both young and old. So maybe we should think of him as a “guitar devotee” or “guitar enthusiast.”
As time passed, the question of how to fill in the blank disappeared. Or at least it no longer was important. It was replaced with a new question. Can writing songs and recording them be fun?
You get to help answer that question. We hope that you enjoy our story.