Jazz Chords

Happy Late Night, Sweet Baby,

Not much to report today, just hanging around The Tiny Apt. mostly. I had some fun with my guitar, though, because I learned some jazz chords and kept playing 'em over and over until I could play a progression that sounded pretty cool. I'm not a big jazz fan, but I have great respect for the musicians who play it, and I have been wanting to learn new ways to play chords because of the condition of my left hand, which is all messed up because of Dupuytrens. My ring finger is about 80% bent downward, so I can't really use it in playing, except for a few minor things. But the good news is that I have learned how to "ditch" the ring finger, to hide it behind the neck, and I have trained my pinkie (which is partially bent but still very mobile), to do all the work the ring finger used to do, i.e bends, sliding up a string and stuff like that. It's been a nice development because for a while there, I didn't know if I was gonna be able to play guitar anymore.

But some chords are still hard to so, mostly barre chords, so I have been looking to learn a bunch of three note voicings. So I stumbled upon this jazz chord website, and had a blast learning a lot of stuff I can play with two fingers.

You never know what will happen : I never knew I'd wind up singing in a choir, and getting good at it. And now, I never knew I'd end up relearning my guitar techniques, and learn Beatle songs and jazz chords in the process.

As for singing, that is something I wanna keep getting better at. I would love to have an opportunity to record my voice, and harmonize overdubs either with my own vocal or with another singer. Just to practice and improve. My friend Ono posted a video today of David Crosby and Graham Nash singing with David Gilmour on a Crosby, Stills & Nash song called "Find The Cost Of Freedom", and it is the epitome of harmony singing. That is my favorite kind, when the voices resonate off each other.

I could even learn some jazz vocal chords, haha.

It's just a "wish list" thing right now, because I don't have access to any recording equipment, nor do I know all the computer stuff everybody uses nowdays. And, I live in a Tiny Apt. Excuses, excuses, I know. But - the way things work in my life, is that Things Just Happen Out Of The Blue (or something like that), so I know I will get a chance to sing and record at some point. 

I did go up to Aliso for an evening walk, and then when I got back I walked over to the CSUN Parking Structure and went to the roof for some Summer Sunset shots over the Chatsworth mountains. I can't resist a cloud-strewn sunset, even though Mr. Ibach wouldn't approve.  :)

No movie tonight, but I did watch the seventh episode of "The Prisoner", the classic series from 1967 with Patrick McGoohan, which I am rerunning this Summer.

I like to do a lot of stuff every day, all kinds of stuff, as my free time permits.

One day I hope I will have somebody to do stuff with.  :):)