Over the holidays I spent a fair amount of time playing the guitar. I had friends and family around and played some Christmas songs and other songs for them and I also found practicing much easier than before for some reason. A couple of things have fallen into place lately in my brain that has made it easier for me to think about music (now if I could just get my fingers to follow what's in my head). Making it easier to play is what practice is all about for me now. So I have been trying to continue daily one-hour practices even after the time when I had a lot of time off. I do not always make it for an hour a day, but it always makes the theories I'm learning about music more practical. I've decided that's why i'm going to call it "practice.".

It IS practice if you're thinking about what you're doing. I'm on the road a bit and I am learning to call up the fretboard housed in my head.(the "fretebellum" And I'm listening to songs on the radio in a different way now - where's the IV, where's the V, where's the I, was that a pentatonic scale I just heard?

I have had a lot of things happening that have prevented me from being in class over the last couple of months. I was out-of-town on vacation, then sick for long time. After I went on vacation, I expected that practicing upon my return would be difficult, that my fingers would hurt, that I would forget a lot. But this time, I found myself right back in a groove with my practices, as if I had not left. I did have some pain from my out-of-practice fingers, but my attitude had actually improved. A happy surprise!

Welcome back Ispencerini

Amen!!