the vaguaries of vanity

I love music. I used to play several instruments. Piano (still can) drums, blues bass (left handed) 1 song on the sax, and a tune on an oboe. it's been a few decades but camping made my fingers itch for a guitar.

Fancy that, I'm at my niece Autumn's birthday party and I ntice this guitar case covered in dust ... it's my neice Ashley's, and she doesn't play it anymore - never quite got into it, but she's a slammin drummer. Autums has one too. And my brother-in-law Brian is going hard on his.

Autumn lent me hers last Thursday. Hah! what a fiasco... you would have howled to see me. It's right handed and feels all backasswards. I tried turning it upside down - no go. So I settled into relearning how to play the guitar - with no pick, but I have great nails so it wasn't too awful for a rank amateur like myself. Half an hour and my fingers were killing me. I'm weak! and my nails were chipped in 2 small spots. I might have to trim my beautiful long pink nails. One of the few characteristics that I really like about my physical self. Well, maybe not - it's just the guitar.

Friday was a wash for practice - 20 minutes maybe but then Kev gave me a pick, now I was in business. G chord strum strum strum - how do I do that, which strings should I be strumming ... thank the hundred little gods for the internets. Found a How To site, with finger charts AND AV of what I should be doing - much better. Tried 5 chairs till I found one the right height, well almost. D chord strum strum strum - don't strum the 1 string - I know it has a key ... damn my nails are in the way of holding down the chords ... bend the knuckles more, can't reach the next fret for the B chord.... damn ... it's going to look really stupid with one hand of short fingernails and one long ...

Tonight I managed D G C A and I can't do F - out come the clippers and off go the nails on the left hand. Much better, I even managed a few transitions this time without the twanging caused by a too long nail in the middle.

But I love my long nails. Oh well, sport length it is. Then I realized that though I may not have to trim the right hand as short - I can hardly leavw the long Barbie nails on one hand and have Ken nails on the other ... clip clip clip - oh the TRAUMA!

but I play better. I think I'll put more shiny things n my toenails ;)