Friday, August 10, 2012

The Guitar

As a teenager, learned guitar to impress girls
Objective never quite achieved

In my thirties, played guitar; my children sang
Memories, a treasure

In my fifties, play for myself
And write bad songs
_______

I still play the old guitar that I learned to play on.

I wrote this for Trifextra Week 28, where we are to write a 33 word composition about an object that has three purposes.

40 comments:

  1. ah, music! with you every step of the way. nice poem.

    best,
    MOV

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    1. Thank you so much! Music has been a big part of my life.

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  2. My husband is trying to learn. Trying. Keyword. Yet I LOVE it when he plays for me the few tunes he's learned. Keep on trying - she'll love you even more for it.

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    1. When you say, "she'll love you even more for it", we're you reading my mind? That's exactly my problem with my song writing. I'm still trying to impress the girl (note: only one in particular), and all my songs are sappy and/or sound like Hallmark cards! Thanks for your comments and encouragement.

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    2. No mind reading needed here. Men want to learn to play the guitar for love, just as they want a fast car for (faster) love. You know what I mean? I'm sure she loves even the sappiest of sappy songs...

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    3. Very true...about the love. I'm not sure about the fast car theory. I had a really fast car once and the only people who were impressed were men, and generally, they were missing a few teeth ;/

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  3. I think our talents change and mean different things over time, but they are always who we are. Nice, thoughtful entry.

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    1. Thank you. I don't play as much these days, but I do think of playing music as part of who I am.

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  4. No song written with feeling is a bad song. Now the accompanying instrumental...maybe ;-)

    Keep playing!

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    1. Thanks Gina, but you haven't heard one of my songs lol! Please see my response to Marie where I painfully describe my song writing limitations. But I hear what your saying and thanks for the words of support. I'll keep trying.

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  5. Oh! I want to listen. I love the sound of an acoustic. Great job on the challenge once again.

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  6. As long as you please yourself the time spent playing is worth it.

    Nice poem

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  7. You are so right. Thanks for your comment.

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  8. I think maybe you're being too harsh with yourself. Perhaps your songs aren't bad after all? I don't know about all women, but I like even the misspelled "I love you" text I got from my husband today. If he put it to music, I'd marry him. Wait. I already did :)

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    1. I think the "girl" I'm trying to impress would appreciate almost any effort. It's more about what I think is good. I'd love to know how your guy mispelled, 'I love you'. If he said, 'I live you', I'd give him a pass since the "o" and the "i" have a very close relationship on the keyboard. Thanks for stipping by. ;)

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  9. Nice history of his use of the guitar. Great job!

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    1. Thanks for saying that. I enjoyed describing the events and my long term "relationship" with this guitar. The history goes farther back, as my parents were professional musicians and they bought this guitar a few years before I was born.

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  10. I'm writing bad songs in my forties

    very relatable. I read it several times because how much I identify.

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    1. You've got me thinking. You've written some really cool poems and you'd think they would translate into a cool song, right? Somehow though, the song writing thing is different. Maybe it has something to do with the more confined structure of a song?
      Anyway, see what you have to look forward to? More decades of bad songs! Thanks.

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  11. This was awesome. I love that you still play the guitar on your own. I'm quite sure your songs aren't as bad as you think they are..

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    1. Thanks for your comments. Playing on my own is mostly relaxing, except when I'm trying to re-write a song that sucks!

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  12. That guitar must be quite a treasured keepsake! Nice way to pay tribute to it by telling its story here!

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  13. Yes. It is. Thanks for stopping by.

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  14. Oh well done! Lovely little history around your friend guitar.

    Anna :o]

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  15. I see some of my friends right now playing their guitars to impress the ladies, and I can very well see them in the future doing just the same as you did with yours. As long as you love to play, who cares if the songs are bad or not. (:

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    1. I think you are right on target. And what if I was a great song writer? I'd probably have been real sucessful in my own band, gotten all the girls, the mansion, the cars, and then gotten into drugs and booze, then in and out of rehab, an on and on. I'm a lucky guy ;) Thanks for your comments.

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  16. Mine is poetry. I write HORRIBLE poetry, and when I do, it's usually for poor Scott, and it's either too dirty to print, or so sappy that it needs to be burned.

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    1. Well, now I'm intrigued. I think you should post some poetry...maybe just the dirty ones! Thanks. I always enjoy reading your stuff.

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  17. That's lovely.. Your guitar has obviously been your life long friend..xx

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    1. Thanks for your comment. When I wrote this, my intent was to just tell the story of the different "uses" that I've made with the guitar, but, I guess, my affection for it just came through.

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  18. My husband plays, too. And, although he tells me he only knows chords, I still love to listen to him. The kids enjoy it as well. You are your own worst critic...don't stop playing. good job with the prompt.

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    1. John Lennon and Paul McCartney only knew chords when they first started. That shouldn't deter your husband. About the kids, that was everything! Even if I never played again after I played and sang with the kids, it was so, very worth it. They had so much fun with this. I still have a few cassettes (cassettes were the medium of recording in the seventies and early 80s) of all of us singing. Thanks for your encouragement and your comments.

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  19. And here I was thinking that a guitar can only produce music and just that. Nice take.

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  20. Love this - I've always wanted a guitar upon which to play bad songs.

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    1. You should get one. It's not hard to learn to play some easy songs. Then you can write some bad ones too! Thanks for your comment.

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  21. Ah now that's what I call a life long love the the guitar! And perfect for the prompt! :D

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