...meaning 2x4's. And shingles, and windows, and...
I earn my supper in the construction trades. These days that's a tough row to hoe - especially here in Michigan! But I've been at it a long time, and I'm good (if I do say so myself!). I work straight commission, and even in these times haven't gone in the hole in quite a while. Those of you who work commission will understand. Anyhow, the roof doesn't leak, and I don't go hungry...
By night, I design houses and write songs. Believe it or not, there's a lot in common between those two. The building blocks may be entirely different, but the object in either case is to create a thing of beauty, something that will stand the test of time. I suspect that some of my houses will outlast some of the songs - that's ok, they're made of more substantial stuff. Hopefully, they'll both be around for generations to come...
I got over being a "wannabe" musician a long time ago. Don't get me wrong - there's nothing like playing for a crowd. But let's face it - very few get to the top. And unless you're one of those lucky few, it's just no way to make a living! The pay stinks, the expenses are horrendous, and the crazy hours, cramped venues, and endless windshield time all get old in a hurry. Besides, I really am a "morning person" anymore. That's when I'm most productive, and most creative. I like my evenings at home, and nights in my own bed...
I'm not sure just exactly "what" drove me to taking up guitar, but I do remember the "when". High school - the summer between my junior and senior years - seems like I just woke up one morning and knew it was something I wanted to do. Called up a buddy who was a player and asked him to go with me to the local music store. The rest is history - and Mark and I have played together off and on, and in various bands, ever since.
Tried my hand at the "plugged in" guitars, but my real passion is for the acoustics. They're a lot easier to haul around, no need to find a power outlet just to pick it up and play a tune or two, and imo the sound is something that just can't be beat. My very first personnal loan wasn't to buy a car, like most of my friends, but to get my first good instrument - a Gibson Blue Ridge. Still have it, and even if it's taken second place to the Martin I use regularly now, it still gets played.
I've tried to learn other instruments, mostly unsuccessfully. I remember a brief stint with a flute - that didn't last long! Spent several years with a piano, and that turned out to be one of the few places where being left-handed was a serious handicap. I always wanted to run melodies and riffs with my left, and chords on the right. There are a few pieces written that way, but very few. On the other hand, one of my very best songs - Flyover Land - was originally written on, and for, the piano. Anymore I use the keyboard for sequencing midi stuff, especially passages where the timing is on the tricky side.
I mentioned on the home page that I'd taken up violin a couple of years ago - that's another one of those "don't know what made me do it" things. My grand-dad was a violinist (don't EVER say fiddler! - his words), I don't recall that I ever heard him play. I'm sure I must've, when I was very young. I know that my aunt still has one of his violins, used as a wall-hanger. Maybe someday I'll get to play it - that would be a treat! I do have to admit that it's a tough instrument to learn, at least for someone who insists on "self-teaching" (I'm one of those). It's not just that it's fretless - although that in itself is trickier than I thought it would be - but then there's the whole thing with the bow. It's sure harder than it looks!
I started writing songs shortly after picking up that first guitar, or at least shortly after I started feeling comfortable with it. It's a funny thing - I've never been a big fan of poetry. Yet that's exactly what lyrics are, and I love a well written lyric - especially a catchy one! I've still got a couple of my original notebooks of writings and ideas - almost all of 'em really bad, full of teen-age angst and the like. One did survive - it's on the "Easy Listening Songs" page, "Sittin'". As my writing skills improved (and matured) they merged with my love for telling stories and turned into ballads. To this day, that's the form I like best...
