Previously, I wrote about how I received the directive to invest in learning to play the guitar. Creating music is one of the most important things to me...I just seem to do so very little of it lately.
Slight problem: I wasn't sure where the funds would come from. A decent guitar is 300+. I wanted something that would be unique and that had a high quality sound.
I prayed and asked that somehow it would be possible for me to not make a student loan payment for one month, because that amount more than equals the price of a guitar. But of course, you can't just decide to not pay your federal student loans. It just so happened that when I checked my account on November 25th it said I did not have any payments due, which would have been a few days later. I was in the clear until late December. = ) I emailed them to make sure and it was true! It said I was still in school until November 30th, which isn't true but I wasn't going to question it. Actually, the just reconsolidated things and somehow that added up to me not having to make a November payment.
I went to Guitar Center on black Friday. However, I was overwhelmed with the selection and the salesperson was not super helpful. I thought I would be able to figure it out on my own, but I was not able to. Also, I had a lingering thought that it would be cool to get a little extra help since I know it is God telling me to learn to play the guitar. And I was feeling a little lonely going in there by myself.
Suddenly, an old friend, Fred Girard, appeared who just happens to be an expert guitar player and buyer. I haven't seen him in a year or so. I knew him from NorthRidge. He's been playing since he was 6 and now he must be old...not sure how old. But old enough. He has a blues / jazz band and is the worship leader at a church. He even plans to start teaching free lessons in January and is writing his own method books.
He encouraged me to spend a little more and showed me how this Dao wood guitar sounds like a guitar that is at least triple the price. He bought a similar guitar a few weeks ago. I wasn't convinced at first, but then he brought me into the really expensive acoustic guitar room to compare the sound. Then, I was able to hear the quality of the tone and I was convinced. I was very much opposed to getting something that didn't have a unique look. Plain spruce is so boring. So vanilla. It took me a bit to appreciate the wood grain, but now I love it. I also like that it has a highly polished finish. I didn't want a matte finish.
I wasn't sure how to convey my feelings about the quality of the Dao wood sound. Dao is a fruit wood tree from Vietnam. I found this quote on a British web site that is perfect. I really like how he mentioned that it is good for singing along with because it blends well with the voice and it's also good for finger picking.
"The unique properties of Dao wood produce a really subtle tone... this is not a guitar to give you massive volume - but it will give you a stunning light and pure acoustic sound. It is a great guitar to sing with as it does not over power the voice.. rather it blends with you. It particularly likes to be finger picked! ... it just seems to flow with lightness!" - anonymous British guy from a website
It was also such a blessing that Fred was there, because he even prayed over the guitar before I bought it. It was nice to have it blessed like that. He gave me his old gig bag and helped me negotiate with the sales people. He also made a quick fix on this one minor problem the guitar has. I can also take some free lessons starting in January.
So now I must practice a lot and toughen up my fingers. I have to overcome the idea that string instruments and I do not get along.
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