Questions
The waxing gibbous moon is still pretty, big, and bright over the pasture. The northwest wind is gusting, and the air is clear and cool. It should be a good day weatherwise, or any other wise. Not much on the table today for me. Maybe a long walk, or a good book. Currently, I am re-reading the introduction to a book on the geology of Big Bend. Lots of big words about time scales and other things with which I am unfamiliar. But that’s why I’m re-reading the introduction. I want the words to be familiar because I want to understand the park’s geologic history.
Call me crazy, but I like to know how things work and why things are as they are. The other current investigation of mine is the guitar fretboard. So, I’m knee deep in scales and modes and perfect fourths and fifths and all sorts of odd Greek names like Mixolydian. Luckily, a guitar is mostly math and I’ve already figured out a few things, like where the third might be when I put my finger on a root note. I hope all of this informs my playing for the better. We’ll see. I’ve already added a Bdim to my repertoire, the seventh chord of the C major scale. Nice chord.
The other nice thing about the guitar investigation is that I have collaborators. My oldest son and I talk almost daily about music, and a good friend came over yesterday and we plucked around on our guitars and ran scales before going to eat lunch. And I also have professional music friends who are willing to answer my stupid questions. I know they say curiosity killed the cat but I’m not digging into someone’s private life, I’m just trying to figure out how my instrument works so I can get the most out of it. And it’s the same with Big Bend. The next time I go, I’ll know things, and I’ll get the most out of my visit.
John W. Wilson is the author of The Long Goodbye: A Caregiver’s Tale