Recharging

Everyone thinks I'm the Energizer bunny - I'm always bouncing around,
and being hyper (and usually wearing weird shoes...)

But even I need to recharge my batteries.

I think it's important for musicians to keep this in mind. We are always hammering away at something, be it sweep picking, learning that song, or trying to figure out how the heck to tune the guitar.

But sometimes we need to completely step back, breathe in, breathe out, listen, and then pick up the guitar and play.

I just got back from a day trip in the mountains. Boy, it was good to be out in the fall, and get recharged. One of the things that always intrigues me as a person, and a musician, is how quiet it can be out in the woods.

Living in the Washington, DC area, it's never quiet. There's always a radio, engine, siren, or in the case of this particular city, the ghosts of integrity in the graveyard of the politicians' ethics. (Actually, I'm in the suburbs, but hey, those spirits holler preeety darn loud!)

In Shenandoah mountains - there's nothing! Quiet. Just the wind, and the ravens croaking morosely to the rocks. And my mind, incessently offering it's commentary on life. (If you think my blogs are bad, try being me!)

And here's the musical/philosophical thought for the day, brought to you by the quiet of the mountains, and the noise of my brain:

It's in two parts:

1. If one can truly quiet oneself, then they can play from an uncluttered square one. No static interfering with the signal. Just...music.

2. Find out how you recharge your batteries, and make sure you keep 'em charged. Especially when you hit a wall with your guitar progress. Stepping back can make all the difference.

And by the way, as musicians, perhaps it's important to learn just as much about silence as it is about the noise. I observe that most people are scared to put a long rest in the middle of a solo - we've gotta fill up the space.

Maybe it's because we don't understand the space?