10.28.2009

The Pick Broke

Those of you who don’t ardently follow my Facebook status probably don’t know that I did a super cool knew thing yesterday. I wasn’t even trying. It just sprang up on me unbidden but welcome, like a complementary appetizer sent from the kitchen at a restaurant where you know the chef, or a storm that rolls in overnight right in the middle of the hottest summer month. Or the chocolate that Sandra will sometimes bring into my office after lunch…

Music has been consuming me lately, which is a good thing, but it has taken me away from other things, namely, this blog. I apologize to those of you who care, or pretend to care because you love me.

This week’s new thing is probably my favorite new thing so far. I have been working a lot on my guitar technique; writing music and playing every chance I get. So, last night I was working on a song I’ve known for a bit but still can’t play right, and I was concentrating really hard. It was sounding really really good, when all of a sudden it felt like I was playing with a soft pick, instead of the mediums that I prefer. The pick felt really flimsy and the sound changed, so I stopped to see what I was doing wrong and that’s when I realized it. I was rocking so hard I broke the pick in half! I’m not going to try to lie to you. I felt a little bit rock star at that moment and not just a little cool. I felt super cool. Yes, I realize saying “I felt super cool” makes me not cool at all.

As my friend Billy put it, I’ve graduated. I am now part of that group of musicians that has played with such enthusiasm, such commitment, that the pick broke in their hand. Next, I aim to break a string.