Transcript included below…
Today, I want to welcome you back as we continue with part 2 of 2 of “Guitar Through the Seasons.” If you haven’t had a chance to experience part 1, I do encourage you to do that, because we’ll be building our discussion on what we talked about last week. Let’s get started.
The Guitar Journey is not Perfect
Up until this point, we’ve talked about seasons of practicing, collaborating, worshiping, creating, performing, recording, and teaching. All of those seasons can happen simultaneously in someone’s life, but they may not happen at the same level.
For example, practicing, though an essential part of our development, may be limited if we are in a season of, say, having young children at home.
I remember giving my kids their baths when they were in the first year or two of elementary school, and sitting crisscross applesauce on the bathroom floor next to the tub, strumming my guitar.
They were within arm’s reach, so I could get them anything they needed…but my guitar practicing was limited to what I could do in that setting.
Unless I got up early to practice before everyone was awake, or stayed up late after everyone was asleep (and I did both of those things for a few years,) my practicing was only going to be while I was hanging out with the kids. And therefore, it was brief, and not very in-depth.
And that was fine. At least my hands were on the instrument, and I was making progress, no matter how small.
Plus, my kids felt like a priority, which they most certainly are. And if my guitar was the soundtrack to bath time, my kids usually enjoyed splashing about to my guitar grooves.
For some guitar players, consistency may mean practicing each weekday morning for 15 minutes before the day kicks into gear.
Some may take a short lunch break at work, grab their guitar, step outside, and play for a few minutes in the sunshine.
Others may work swing shift, get home around midnight, and before tumbling into bed, they play some guitar to unwind.
Still others may find themselves in a full season of life, playing only on the weekends.
Practice is decided by the one who practices, but results are waiting for those who take the time to invest in cultivating their skills.
As for collaborating, my hope is that you have some people in your circles with whom you might enjoy making music, whether worship music, covers, or whatever you might want to play.
I was invited to a picnic with some friends, and the hostess encouraged me to bring my guitar. I brought two.
So, at this picnic, another person and I played songs we knew, we covered some Beatles songs, and we led the group in some praise songs. Having a couple guitars available really added to the gathering.
While visiting my sister a few months ago, she took me to an open mic. I ended up playing a few songs, singing with her, and jamming with a cajon player who was there whom I had never even met.
People peeked out of storefronts to enjoy what we were sharing. This is the stuff of informal collaboration.
As for more intentionally planned collaboration, we can serve on a worship team. Seasons of worshiping at church can happen as some of us rotate into the worship team schedule, whether we’re leading or supporting.
Being a part of a worship team is a great way to stay plugged in spiritually and offering our gifts musically.
I mentioned in last week’s episode that creativity can be scheduled. One book I’ve read that I consistently recommend is “The Creative Habit” by Twyla Tharp. This book helps provide a model where creativity happens around a more structured framework, leading to more consistent results.
There are various seasons of creativity. Sometimes we experience monsoons of ideas…other times we go through seasons of drought. So, I keep an idea book, as well as some digital files of titles or descriptions, to get me started.
I do feel, though, that inspiration can happen in some of the most unlikely circumstances, even in seasons of loss. When a loved one passes away, our hearts need some form of expression.
In an interview I hosted for GuitarSuccess4U, I got to speak with pastor and blogger Sean Higgins about Music as the Adornment of Time. Sean spoke about how “Laments in song have that shape and form that really direct us on how to even have sorrowful experiences as well as to connect with others who might also be grieving.”
It’s my conviction that some songs have to be written when a loss happens. Perhaps it’s so that we can express our feelings in music and words.
It may also be because the Lord plans to use our tears and mourning to bring comfort to others in their season of grief…by having them experience the songs we write.
When my younger sister passed away at the tender age of 15, I was devastated. But on the fourth anniversary of her death, as I prayerfully turned to my guitar, a song for her emerged. This song, which I call “Amy’s Song,” has gone on to comfort more people that I may ever know.
If you experience a loss, be open to the idea that the Lord may have a season ahead for you that involves capturing your heart’s cry in a song.
I have a friend who is a very gifted songwriter. When I last connected with him, his marriage had ended about a year before.
I asked him if he had been doing any writing. “Not since the divorce,” he said. But it occurred to me that perhaps writing might have been a cathartic outlet for some of his sorrow…if only to write songs for his own self-expression.
I believe that songs can communicate what spoken words cannot. And maybe a season of grief can be a season of creating as well.
In terms of performing, my calendar year is pretty predictable in terms of the types of bookings that appear.
Springtime includes school chapels, and concerts well before or well after Resurrection Sunday, because of all the programming for that special weekend.
Summer continues forward with festivals, camps, Vacation Bible School concerts, and more public performances.
Fall is when school is back in session, so I’m making appearances in school chapels and assemblies again, as well as family-friendly concerts and harvest festivals.
Winter includes the Advent season, for which I have developed a highly dynamic Christmas set that points to Christ.
And then, around the first part of the year, I take a little time to get snowed in with my family and to reflect on the past year, as well as to think and pray about what the Lord might be preparing me for in the next season of my performing.
As for recording, it’s been interesting to see how the Lord has orchestrated the timings of each of my albums. My first album was completed in a few days, just as I was finishing Bible School.
My second album was a labor of love that took the better part of 18 months off and on as I worked to fund the project and bring in multiple musicians.
My third album took place just two years after I had gotten married, and was again a huge labor of love.
Then, my wife and I had kids. One the year following, and another four years later. My fourth album took place a year after the birth of our second child.
So, if you’re checking the math, you’ll observe that it made sense to me to record albums before or after big life events, like a wedding or the birth of a child. Before or after. Not during.
I know there are people out there who do great artistic work during an intense season of life, like childbearing.
In fact, I’m always fascinated when I watch the credits roll at the end of a Pixar movie, with the huge list of the names of all the production babies – children born to anyone involved with the making of that Pixar film.
Life happens. Kids are born, big events take place. But it’s been my preference that focusing on my loved ones and our needs during those special seasons of life has taken priority over embarking on a recording project.
And of course, marriage and fatherhood have been tremendously inspiring seasons of my life, resulting in several songs, including “When the Rain Pours Down” – a song of marital commitment, “Second Glance” – a reminder to slow down and look at the details around me, “One More Stroller Ride” – the opportunity to treasure moments, and “Flash Forward” – a song about the swiftness of time and a glimpse of the future.
Teaching is something that can move concurrently with performing, recording, and worship leading. Imparting knowledge can be offered on a schedule, or in the case of my guitar membership, on your schedule.
I have students who are learning from me…wait for it…while I am asleep. And knowing that makes me smile.
What About Your Journey?
These various ways of pursuing and enjoying the guitar may or may not apply to you.
You may be practicing like crazy, or you may be currently working to weave a modest amount of practicing into a very full schedule.
You may feel creative, with a view to crafting original music. Or, you may prefer to enjoy the creativity of others and be uplifted by what they have created on the guitar.
You may have the desire to get out and see part of the country in a touring capacity, sharing your music in concerts for people you’ve never met. Or, you may be a homebody who simply enjoys strumming in your living room.
Perhaps you have dreams of recording original music, or, perhaps your enjoyment of the recordings of others is where you find fulfillment in that aspect.
When it comes to teaching, it’s possible that you may put on the shoes of a teacher and run a long race, becoming a guide to others.
Or, you may just lace up those shoes for a short jog around the block as you teach part of a song to a young guitar learner.
But for those who desire to teach, it can be very exhilarating to see someone humbly receive what you’re offering, and then to apply it to their journey.
When to Play the Guitar in Life
We may have strong hands, or our hands may be growing weak. We may be in excellent health and shape, or we may be recovering from an illness or injury that prevents us from playing.
We may have precious young ones at home who need our attention and care for most of the day, or we may be empty nesters with more discretionary time for our musical pursuits.
But if our love for music is strong, and our faithfulness to the Lord is undergirding our musical pursuits, we will find a way.
The Lord will grant us the time we need to develop our gifts for His glory. He has an amazing supernatural way of somehow multiplying our time, even in ways that we cannot comprehend or describe.
As I mentioned at the beginning of these reflections, my hope is that our guitars will consistently make music, regardless of which season we may find ourselves in.
Please observe my wording, though. I said consistently. Not constantly…consistently. And consistency has a different rhythm of frequency for each guitarist. Some practice daily, some practice weekly. But consistency is key.
Deep, rich music can emerge from our guitars, no matter what’s happening. So, let’s be in the moment, let’s set aside a reasonable amount of time to enjoy the gift of music on our guitars, and let’s have some serious fun through the various seasons of our guitar journeys.
Last week and today were some great opportunities to reflect on “Guitar Through the Seasons.”
Each person’s journey is unique to them, but we can all invest consistent time and focus to bring songs to life on our strings and frets, in whatever season of life we find ourselves. I hope today’s episode has brought some closure to our discussion, and encouraged you to make some music on your guitar.
P.S. Perhaps this is a season for you to grow in the learning aspect of your guitar playing. We may have something special for you at www.GuitarSuccess4U.com. Consider taking a closer look!
Guitar Through the Seasons (Part 2 of 2)