Hey Friend,

These days, you have to be quick on your feet to roll with the changes…

Changes in the economy...

Changes in technology...

Changes in the workplace...

It’s easy to get comfortable and let your guard down, but also dangerous. Circumstances can change in a heartbeat.

That's one reason I’ve always kept my eyes open to opportunities. You never know when one thing is going to dry up and you need to take a leap. 

I’ve got some of that going on right now with my job situation and fully expect to be shaking things up over the next couple months.

With change, there’s usually some added stress to deal with. If you don’t have something to help take your mind off the challenges of the day and recharge your batteries, you run the risk of burning out quickly.

That’s why guitar is a great hobby to pick up. 

When you need to take a break from the strain of the crap in your life, it’s easy to pick up your guitar and just start strumming. 

You don’t need to worry about playing a particular song or any sort of structured approach. You just pick it up and play whatever comes to you.

I do this a lot, actually. I’ll grab a guitar and drop my fingers on the neck somewhere - they know what to do (muscle memory, yeah baby!). I don’t even think about a particular note or chord.

From there, I just start playing random stuff. Eventually, something interesting jumps out and I go from there. It doesn’t take very long, either.

This kind of random playing might be seen as wasting time, but the purpose is to calm myself and get rid of that mental stress. 

A few minutes with my guitar is all it takes, and it’s a LOT healthier than a bottle of vodka or pack of cigarettes!

Now you might be thinking, “Wow Davey, that’s great for you - you’ve been playing a long time. But what about us newbies?”

Play what you know. Play two notes together and let your ears tell you what to do next. Explore. 

Don’t let lack of experience slow you down in the least. YOU CAN’T GET IT WRONG!

Music is such a creative endeavor. Just because there are structures in place shouldn’t keep you from discovering the sounds that can be made - even if those sounds make you cringe!

When you hear notes that DON’T sound right together, your brain is recording and learning. You begin to recognize what works and what doesn’t, and you start hearing how the notes work in music you listen to on a regular basis.

Also remember, everyone’s tastes are different, so don’ get hung up on what someone else might think. There are literally unlimited sound opportunities to explore.

We can hear frequencies between 20 Hz (Hertz) and 20,000 Hz - and every decimal point in between! Our ears are sensitive enough to detect a subtle fluctuation between two frequencies. 

Every culture on Earth created scales and tunings that were pleasing to their ears - Western music isn’t the only game in town. 

So just play. I suggest you get used to using standard tuning now, and once you’re comfortable you can start exploring other tunings (and even microtuning if your into it). 

Let me know if you have any questions.

Hope y’all have a great weekend. Rock on!

Peace~

Dave