Learning a New Skill

As a mother, I can do many things. I can multi-task like nobody's business, I can work, I can run a household, I can be a chauffeur, a fan, a nurse, a psychologist, a secretary, a cook (ok, well, sort of), I can sing in my band, be a den mother, an event organizer, a fixer-upper (when necessary)...you get the picture. I want to learn something else. Something not related to being a mom. Ok, so the band thing is not directly related to being a mom, but still. I want to learn to play the guitar so that I can play every once in a while in the band. Actually, there's a song that I REALLY want to learn how to play. PC, the wonderful guitar player that he is swears that it will be easy to learn, so I asked him to teach me the basics.

I gotta tell ya, the basics are HARD!!! He's teaching me on his electric guitar since the neck isn't as wide as the acoustic, which is what I ultimately want to play on, not electric. We started with a G-chord. I didn't think it possible for my fingers to stretch that far. Then we went to a C-chord. After I practiced for a while, I managed to make something that sounded like music! I was so proud of myself.

It's almost like piano lessons, though. You have to remember to keep your hand curved, even though it feels awkward, and to always keep your thumb in the right spot, and to not put too much pressure on the top finger on the chord or there won't be enough on the bottom finger. Oh, yes, and my fingers still have string indentations in them this morning. PC did say, though, that for now, practicing will be a simple thing. He said, "Just grab the guitar when you're watching the news and keep trying the positions until they don't feel awkward anymore." It will help to make it feel right, get the fingers used to stretching, and help to get the right amount of pressure on the strings...too little and the chord is wrong, too much and you mute one of the strings.

I WILL do this. I WANT to do this. SmallBoy wants to learn guitar too. They say people with Asperger's typically have wonderful musical ability. He would pick this right up. So, I promised him that perhaps for Christmas we'll get a guitar for him that's his size and I will teach him what PC teaches me....and that, in turn, will keep me practicing. I think I can do this! I even cut all of my fingernails down. I LOVE my fingernails, but, they grow so fast that if for some reason I decide not to pursue the guitar, which I won't decide, but if I do, they'll grow right back. So, seriously, do you think that a 30-something mother of three can learn to play guitar this late in life?