The stories this well loved notebook full of guitar songs could tell 🙂 The friends who have sang along with the songs played from this book by the campfire. The coffee spilled on the pages while starting the day with “Morning Has Broken”…Cat Stevens style. The beer spilled on the pages during the 5th time through the chorus of Don McLean’s “American Pie”.
It was a couple of weeks ago when David, a new private student of mine brought in “THE BOOK” to his guitar lesson. I immediately fell in love with it. As soon as I saw it peaking out of the backpack used to transport it’s precious cargo …without losing a page that might contain the 7th verse to Gordon Lightfoot’s “Wreck Of The Edmund Fitzgerald”, I thought …this is the ultimate “Pickin’ and Grinin’ Book”.
It was originally his wife’s who has played guitar for years, but he now shares joint custody of this one of a kind collection of songs.
The songs have been assembled over the years from everything from sheet music purchased in a local music store, to hand written lyrics and chords. With chords scratched out, and alternate ones added…and the occasional capo fret scribbled in to put a song into a more user friendly vocal key.
I guess more than the actual cool looking massive physical notebook, it reminded me of the spirit of when I first learned to play guitar. As my Dad showed me my first few chords sitting outside in the summer at my Grandpa’s camp. I played them for hours…it was that Gordon Lightfoot classic.
So beyond the scales, and the music theory…the heart of playing guitar is about playing some songs that have touched our lives. Or maybe even creating the music that touches the lives of others….that one day might find their way into “THE BOOK”.
Thanks David for the pictures, and letting me share this.
–Shawn
