Hey Friend,
Well, the nerves are already starting to ramp up…
I’m meeting a couple people for lunch tomorrow and then going to a Guitar Center to “scope out” the toys.
Last week I had a conversation with a client at work and we got to talking about music. Turns out she knows a lot of people in the music scene here in Orlando, and her boss also plays guitar.
You know how things can escalate quickly in any situation…
Before I knew it, I was agreeing to an impromptu jam over lunch.
Besides the undercurrent of thoughts telling me I’m overextending myself - AGAIN - I’m actually going to have to play in front of people.
I’m trying to keep the “freak out” at bay, but any time you go into uncharted territory, the old "anxiety brigade" pops up with the same old song and dance… - You’re so rusty…
- when was the last time you jammed with someone?
- they’re going to be so much better than me...
- what if they think I suck?
Of course, I’m being a bit ridiculous.
If I think back to ancient history (mine, that is), most players are pretty cool and accepting. Even drummers…
JK, drummers! Love you too.
But we all have that gremlin rattling around our brains, planting bombs of fear and discouragement.
WTF, brain!? Why do you let that little sh!t run around doing whatever it wants?
That’s your amygdala, a tiny, prehistoric part of your brain whose function is to keep you safe from danger.
It’s responsible for the “fight-or-flight” mechanism, the "sixth sense" that helped to keep us from getting eaten by bigger, meaner animals way back in the caveman days.
Despite the fact that we humans have proven we’re the baddest animals on the planet (okay, I concede that sharks may still rule that title), that little sucker is still on guard every second of the day, ready to warn and prep us for danger.
And whenever we get put into an unfamiliar, unknown scenario, there he is, warning you of all the reasons why this maybe isn’t such a good idea.
It’s like you have your own personal “Shaggy and Scooby Doo” duo trying to talk you out of heading into that spooky old house…
Of course, if Fred, Daphne and Velma always listened to Shag and Scoob, they’d never figure out that it was just crooked "old man Jenkins" behind the mystery that had everyone freaked out.
Nope, they just jumped in and went to work, instead of dwelling on the fear of the unknown.
I’ll do the same, even though my gremlin is screaming at me right now…
And that’s what you should do, too.
Whenever you get a chance to jam with another person, there’s a whole new dynamic to playing that you can’t experience on your own. Not even playing along with backing tracks or songs.
MP3s are static - they will never change the tempo pr rhythm, or make some mistake that sparks some inspiration. You only get opportunities like that when you’re interacting with other humans.
Music isn’t meant to be isolated. It’s a shared experience, and when people get together, magic can happen.
So I’m forcing my gremlin into the corner and tying him up.
It’ll be okay, it’ll be okay, it’ll be okay...
Maybe a Scooby snack (or two) will give me courage… ;-)
Peace~
Dave
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