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Guitar - Recovering From The Summer

I like the pivotal times that come up once every few months that set the tone for an upcoming time period. They are pivotal for a reason. Whatever it is, if you take advantage of it, it can drastically change the future.

One of these time is here now. Late Summer is one of these times, the weather changes the way we schedule our activities and view time. The days are shorter, the light levels change and little by little, the temperatures start getting cooler. Fall is a special time for me and I fill up my nights with special projects.

With the changing seasons come new opportunities to alter the ratio of how we spend and allocate our time. Even though it is hard to say good-bye to the warm long nights of Summer, we eventually will. When this happens the indoor activities gain a little more ground. I find it harder to undertake a big project in the Summer. For me it is a time of relaxing a little more and immersing myself in the natural world. And even though there are a few more big hikes and camping trips scheduled, eventually I will settle into a routine that reflects more indoor time and less outdoor time. Several areas of my interests will begin to get more time. One of these is my guitar.

The Summer heat can really make it harder to play and learn new pieces. It is just a little harder when the temperatures reach 90 degrees, but once the day time temperatures hover around 60 to 70 degrees, I become quite eager for some new challenges. This year I am going to spend more time playing exotic scales. I am interested to see how playing these scales will affect what I normally play. I believe I will start to see some new pathways and leads show up.

Once I start to play some new scales or chords, it doesn't take long for them to show up in impromptu ways. If I find a run or a progression that I particularly like, I will probably record it and see what might sound good on top of it. I don't know why, but late nights seem to be made for this type of thing. So I hope to create some new, unusual jazzy arrangements sometime throughout the fall. Forget about talking about Winter yet, it's just too far away. But sweater weather is just around the corner.

I don't know what the weather is like for you at this time of year, but for me, it is characterized by clear, warm days, sunny blue skies and cool crisp nights. We get a little less rain in the fall and the weather stays warm, crisp and dry. The first frost could come in early September and after that a beautiful Indian Summer kicks in. Even though the mountains will start collecting snow in the next few weeks, that will probably be relegated to the high peaks. There is still time to sit outside and recite some casual songs and watch the world go bye. Maybe I will change my strings and put off the real work for another few weeks. But sooner or later I am going to need to take on something new. New scales, new chordings and some new timing exercises are in store. I will probably even learn a few real songs rather than just massaging ideas.

Labor day is right around the corner. All my friends are talking about getting together this weekend for a cook out. I have not worn a pair of long pants for over 4 months now. Shorts and tee shirts are all I seem to use during this time. So there are still some lazy days ahead, but not many. Every day, the light levels get a little lower, the temperatures a little cooler. It won't be long and I will be searching for something new to play. No rush for sure, but more like a slow steady current drawing me downstream to more good music.

Enjoy the last of Summer, and eat from the garden as much as you can. The serious days are not far away, but they are not here now either. When the time comes, there will be interesting new paths to explore and fun things to develop. But right now there is some sweet corn calling me and maybe a friend or two that might want to sit for a while.

So when you get the urge, think about setting the tone for the Fall and beyond. Think about what new challenges you want to explore. What new skills would you like to put in place? What new songs are waiting for your time? Develop some ideas for how you are going to spend the nights and weekends. Think about where you would like to be by the end of the year and get ready to put the plan into action. Maybe you might want to play more holiday songs by the end of the year.

But not yet, there are a few more Summer nights that must be accounted for.