As a former guitar teacher, my method was simple - get them having fun and everything else is secondary. That being said the first days of learning the guitar is the hardest. Your fingers hurt and it takes some practice to get it to sing for you. I hope your joy of guitar increases with each new callus on your fingertips. Thanks for everything Uncle Chris!
p.s. Could I get that discount code for the pixel?
It's a great coincidence that you write about silence around the time that everyone is sharing their Spotify Wrapped, and basically celebrating the amount of music they listen to. A friend shared that she listened to the equivalent of 4.5 hours of just music a day... not counting podcasts. Of course, music and noise are two very different qualities of sound and experience to have regularly, but I think it there is a similar point (tangential, one could say) here. Like a spectrum from sounds to listen to actively (music), passively (your noisy machines), and silence.
With the general acceptance of listening to music while one works at the office and elsewhere, the ubiquity of podcasts that fill one's commute or morning routine, and the "background" tv movement (people throw on the Office for the fifth time while cooking, just to have something), it seems more rare that people spend significant chunks of their day without some imposed sound they put on purposefully. It's disconnecting even from the "natural" sounds of urban life. You no longer hear the chatter of people passing you in the street. You miss dogs barking. To Mr. Krippner's point, you don't notice kids playing or doing something funny. I found myself guilty of this. Before the pandemic, I did all of the above, and felt that some of my podcasts had effectively replaced the background chatter or traffic noises of daily life. So much so, that I even began to engage with my selected choice of sound less. Some of my music and tv became the noise that I wasn't really paying attention. But your brain needs that space of less stimulation.
When I realized this, I tried backing off. I forced myself to take breaks from music at work. I turned off the radio in my car. The grocery was no longer a place for earbuds. Exercised without it. In a strange way, it was refreshing and I felt able to focus more on what was in front of me, and my surroundings in general. I thought a bit more actively throughout the day during the periods without music. After a while, I'd like to think I paid closer attention to music and podcasts when I did have them on...
The whole spectrum of sound is important. And to tie back to your point, people seem to be moving further from the quieter experiences.
If you're considering playing an instrument at all, do it! Too many good reasons not to. A free guitar basically fell in my lap a few years ago, and it was the best things that could've happened. Wish I had started sooner. I have a friend that says "It feels good to be absolutely shit at something". It's a refreshing experience to start learning something from zero as an adult. Only thing I'd recommend is get a few in your hands before buying one. Go to a music shop, and pick a few up. Different brands, and different shapes. See what's comfortable and what's appealing. Looking forward to hearing about it!
Yes! That's exactly how I felt when I was hiking on the Devil's River trail. Essentially a desert trail in south Texas. Hearing nothing but your own heart beat is profound and makes you realize how much stimulation you experience without realizing. It's startling to be reminded and I still remind myself today.
I can certainly resoinate with the poem, and with your comments. Simon and Garfunkle's song "The Sounds of SIlence" certainly resonates. I am so hard of hearing that I miss all the traffic sounds just outside my front door. And it is a relief to go into a restaurant and not hear the sounds coming from the almost ubiquitous TV sets on the walls. But I miss the sounds of raindrops hitting my window. I miss the sound of neighborhood kids olaying. I can see them but I cannot hear them. And I miss the
sounds of my CD and LP music collections. This may be the worst loss of all; I can put my hearing aid microphone by the speakers and I can hear the music, but it comes through in such a strange distorted fashion that I am better off when it is silent. So I just gain a few and lose a few.
I think it is pretty cool that you are thinking of learning the guitar. I am learning the banjo and find it incredibly rewarding. I also have a deeper appreciation of music and musicians now that I am learning myself. I am sending positive and encouraging vibes your way : )
As a former guitar teacher, my method was simple - get them having fun and everything else is secondary. That being said the first days of learning the guitar is the hardest. Your fingers hurt and it takes some practice to get it to sing for you. I hope your joy of guitar increases with each new callus on your fingertips. Thanks for everything Uncle Chris!
p.s. Could I get that discount code for the pixel?
Cheers, Kyle Crew
It's a great coincidence that you write about silence around the time that everyone is sharing their Spotify Wrapped, and basically celebrating the amount of music they listen to. A friend shared that she listened to the equivalent of 4.5 hours of just music a day... not counting podcasts. Of course, music and noise are two very different qualities of sound and experience to have regularly, but I think it there is a similar point (tangential, one could say) here. Like a spectrum from sounds to listen to actively (music), passively (your noisy machines), and silence.
With the general acceptance of listening to music while one works at the office and elsewhere, the ubiquity of podcasts that fill one's commute or morning routine, and the "background" tv movement (people throw on the Office for the fifth time while cooking, just to have something), it seems more rare that people spend significant chunks of their day without some imposed sound they put on purposefully. It's disconnecting even from the "natural" sounds of urban life. You no longer hear the chatter of people passing you in the street. You miss dogs barking. To Mr. Krippner's point, you don't notice kids playing or doing something funny. I found myself guilty of this. Before the pandemic, I did all of the above, and felt that some of my podcasts had effectively replaced the background chatter or traffic noises of daily life. So much so, that I even began to engage with my selected choice of sound less. Some of my music and tv became the noise that I wasn't really paying attention. But your brain needs that space of less stimulation.
When I realized this, I tried backing off. I forced myself to take breaks from music at work. I turned off the radio in my car. The grocery was no longer a place for earbuds. Exercised without it. In a strange way, it was refreshing and I felt able to focus more on what was in front of me, and my surroundings in general. I thought a bit more actively throughout the day during the periods without music. After a while, I'd like to think I paid closer attention to music and podcasts when I did have them on...
The whole spectrum of sound is important. And to tie back to your point, people seem to be moving further from the quieter experiences.
If you're considering playing an instrument at all, do it! Too many good reasons not to. A free guitar basically fell in my lap a few years ago, and it was the best things that could've happened. Wish I had started sooner. I have a friend that says "It feels good to be absolutely shit at something". It's a refreshing experience to start learning something from zero as an adult. Only thing I'd recommend is get a few in your hands before buying one. Go to a music shop, and pick a few up. Different brands, and different shapes. See what's comfortable and what's appealing. Looking forward to hearing about it!
Yes! That's exactly how I felt when I was hiking on the Devil's River trail. Essentially a desert trail in south Texas. Hearing nothing but your own heart beat is profound and makes you realize how much stimulation you experience without realizing. It's startling to be reminded and I still remind myself today.
I can certainly resoinate with the poem, and with your comments. Simon and Garfunkle's song "The Sounds of SIlence" certainly resonates. I am so hard of hearing that I miss all the traffic sounds just outside my front door. And it is a relief to go into a restaurant and not hear the sounds coming from the almost ubiquitous TV sets on the walls. But I miss the sounds of raindrops hitting my window. I miss the sound of neighborhood kids olaying. I can see them but I cannot hear them. And I miss the
sounds of my CD and LP music collections. This may be the worst loss of all; I can put my hearing aid microphone by the speakers and I can hear the music, but it comes through in such a strange distorted fashion that I am better off when it is silent. So I just gain a few and lose a few.
I think it is pretty cool that you are thinking of learning the guitar. I am learning the banjo and find it incredibly rewarding. I also have a deeper appreciation of music and musicians now that I am learning myself. I am sending positive and encouraging vibes your way : )