I've been reminded lately that it's not always easy and certainly not always comfortable to be a student.
And there's nothing quite like pursuing a new skill to keep you humble.
A week or so ago I posted about King Curtis' song 'Soul Serenade', and my attempts to tackle the sheet music for it. Well....
I brought the music to my teacher last week, and I found out a couple new things:
- As it turns out, that particular treasure map was for a very specific version of the song, one with a lot of fills and flourishes, and not the version I had in mind. My teacher transcribed the 'my' version.
- It's in a different key.
- I get to learn some new neighborhoods on the fretboard, as in, there's a bunch of new-to-me notes.
- It's a pretty simple bass line that will give me the chance to practice slower pacing between some notes. Slower, consistent rhythm is a challenge for me.
- As someone with child-sized hands, there's a couple stretches on fretboard that will give my pinky a workout.
- Sometimes, when I get frustrated, I wonder why in the world I'm doing all this....
In the plus column, I'm learning how to play one of my current favorite songs, which is just plain fun.
I wish I was progressing faster, but you know what?
Every little step forward that I make feels great, and it sure feels like I've earned it.
And as it turns out, adults who decide to take up music have some advantages, according to this 2008 NPR article, 'Never Too Late to Learn an Instrument'.
"They can see and hear things in the music that completely escape children."
One adult student "... spends hours analyzing the music before he sits down to play it. He wants to understand the chords and rhythm and structure of the piece, to figure out what the composer is trying to say."
Kim Gordon
Here's another encouraging article about picking up an instrument later in life, from Kennedy Violins Blog.
Now, please excuse me while I go practice some more....
I've got some inspiring women bass players to live up to.
I never would have thought of those last few points...about the advantages an adult can pick up on from learning to play that would totally go over the head of a child. Interesting indeed! And keep at it, your adventures in learning WILL inspire and motivate others who have always wanted to and now deem themselves too old.
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