A flood of memories overtake me tonight as I gaze at my battered emerald electric guitar. Even though its marred by scratches and dents, this Fender Fat Strat can still bring down the heavens.
I first encountered this wondrous instrument while on an afternoon stroll through Guitar Center. And there it was-dangling from the wall in all its radiant glory. I had to have it. This was my dream axe! At the time I was a senior in high school and spent my nights working for the man. The big payoff finally came after receiving my tax return. I remember racing back to the shop with a pocketful of cash. I felt like I was buying my first car or something!
It was so easy to play! My left hand flew up and down its long neck with ease. My first guitar had been a warped cherry-red nightmare. The strings were impossible to work with and I'd crush my fingertips in the process. But I guess you've got to compromise. Jimi Hendrix learned how to play with a right-handed guitar. He was a lefty.
Soon after I was jamming at friends' houses. We'd play long into the night, armed with miniscule amplifiers. This was the best way to learn. I loved this communal feeling and sense of camaraderie. We'd light up the place with rough renditions of Metallica's immortal song, "Fade To Black." There were talks of assembling a band of some sort. But I think it was something of a running joke.
I once performed in front of a live audience at a local art house in Newburyport. It was one of the most nerve wracking/thrilling moments of my life. I walked onto that stage with shaky arms and a face covered in sweat. My friend and I put on a bluesy cover of Pink Floyd's "Any Colour You Like." It was comforting to see some familiar faces in the crowd. My sister Kerry and friend Nathan were there to pick me up from the floor in case I passed out. But we pulled it off. As the piece came to a close the audience cheered us on to our relief. It was fun to be able to interact with the crowd. Nothing compared to this!
So here I am, sitting here at 12:42 in the morning typing this. As of lately I've been putting together a few tunes in hopes of putting some sort of "band" together. I can dream, right? And my guitar Elektra is right here next to me.
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1 comment:
the Fender looks a little like my Fender Squire. I like it because the action is fairly shallow. My newbie fingers like that better than some of the others, like Ibanez electrics.
Cool story, it's good you had someone to play with and kind of learn together, that makes it more fun. I try with my son and he just bangs the drums and drowns me out lol
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