Dear Elizabeth

I'm back at Pearl's. We're having a heat wave (108 yesterday) and I can't take her for our usual after dinner walks, so I've just been staying inside and practicing my recorder. It's fun, and this is the first chance I've had to really try it out, since it's way too loud to practice in my apartment. I found some Youtube "learn the recorder" videos, and I've been having fun learning the few finger positions I've mastered thus far (haha, yeah right).

My recorder is just a seven dollar cheapie, but it's a Yamaha, so it sounds okay, when I have my fingers placed properly over the holes. I've discovered that if any of your fingers are "leaking", i.e. not covering the holes completely (which is harder than you might think) the resulting sound will be a squeak, no matter the note. My Dupuytren's condition requires some adjustments to the normal finger positioning, but if I can adjust on guitar I can do it on the recorder. The hardest part so far, besides the "leaky finger" problem, is that the notes on a recorder are counterintuitive. Think of a piano, where all the notes are lined up in a row, or even the guitar, where you go from the low end of the neck to the high end. With the recorder, from my beginner's point of view, all sorts of stuff seems to be happening, depending on how many fingers are down, and in which combinations. It seems to be "all in a row" if you're playing the first six notes, but after that, all bets are off.

But so far, I think I've learned enough to at least become a Snake Charmer, with some practice.

I hope you had a nice weekend. I guess I sure said a mouthful with all the recent blogs I wrote, but I stand by them. I hope you've been reading, and I know it's been a lot to absorb, but I'd love to know what you think about everything I've said.

I've got to go into Drill Sergeant Mode just for a minute, to urge you once again in the strongest possible terms to keep going with your most recent style of songwriting. You have a knack for vocal melody, which is the most important element of a song. Delivering that melody with feeling is just as important, and you've been able to do that too, in a big way. And it's not just vocal melody, as important as that is. It's that you have a unique voice. You deliver the emotion in your songs, and I can't emphasize this enough. And you have the words to go with it. So........write, write, write!  :):)

Think of the great songwriters who had just an acoustic guitar and their own voice. How did they start out, if not from belief in themselves? (and a heap of talent and inspiaration, which you've got!)

As your Drill Sergeant, I don't believe I've ever steered you wrong before. So write.

Sweet Dreams and I'll see you in the morning. I love you.

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo  :):)