Funny thing: when I was studying guitar at university, I told myself I would have oodles and oodle of time after graduation to 'follow my nose' - do a little composing, improvise with my friends, learn those pieces that I had to ignore in favour of learning music for my juries. "Someday", I'd say, "someday soon..."
After leaving school, my life quickly filled up with students, gigs and all the 1000 things I had to do to make a living, not to mention spending time with family and friends.
It seemed I had less time to play guitar than I did in school, and most of that was taken up with learning event-driven music. It took many years to realize how important 'me time' on the guitar was, and that I was the only person who could make that happen.
I began to cultivate habits that nurtured the curious and creative side of guitar playing: saying "No" once in a while to carve out a bit of time, evaluating projects in terms of creative satisfaction, not just money, and starting my practice sessions with a little noodling.
It felt good, and that's what I'd like to share with you: the joy of curiosity, sharing, and goofing off now and then. In short: play!
Attached to this newsletter is a universal "Permission Granted" slip for you to use whenever you need to 'go to the well'. Put it up in your studio and use it often, use it until you can't stop smiling when you play your guitar...
Kevin
We have hundreds of scores for violin and guitar - what's your style?
Traditional: Skye Boat Song
Dreamy: I Dreamt I Dwelt in Marble Halls
Courtly: Extrava-Sanz-a!
Bluesy: Mean Street
Fiery: Spanish Dance No. 1
We love to see and hear you playing our music! Let us know about your videos and we'll add them our YouTube channel. In the meantime, have a listen to the latest offering from the Artamus Guitar Trio: "Summer Rain".