This is the sad state I've gotten myself into. One of the things on my perpetually expanding "goals" list is to start playing guitar again. But my immediate goal, a couple nights ago, was "simply" to change the strings.
I've been putting this off long enough. The last time I picked up the guitar, I couldn't tune it. I knew I needed to put the new strings on, but (I'm embarrassed to admit) I have never changed them without help ... um -- I've never changed them myself.
How hard can it be? I thought. Just do one at a time, keep looking at the other strings and see how they they wind around the tuning head, follow that direction, snip off the end with the wire cutters.
How hard can it be? -- How hard?!! -- it simply was not working! The strings were not behaving; they were all over the place! I managed to get THREE into place before stopping for the night (and I haven't started up again yet). But look at this! Does this LOOK right? Look at how nice and neatly the string on the left is wound. Look at the one I did. Arggghhh.
Okay, Sandy. Calm down. It will be okay. I will try again today. I will ask for help. It's okay to ask for help. I know a bunch of musicians, any one of them would gladly pitch in with a lesson.
Sigh. I always think things SHOULD be easy, that I SHOULD simply figure how to do them, and if I can't, I have failed somehow. This seems to be the default my brain is set on. Why do I beat myself up like that? Why do I go in that direction? Stop ... before I start beating myself up for beating myself up -- that could get ugly. And besides, that's Rad's job, right?
3 comments:
We can be so critical of ourselves over something that seems really easy, but in reality is not. All those DIY people who redo a room in 30 minutes with commercial breaks have years of training. I'm thinking there is something similar with your troublesome guitar strings.
Even your musician pals had days where their strings went all nutty. I admire your tenacity tho. Have fun with those last strings.
And of course Rad should be the one doing the beating. :-)
yes... well, it's late and I'm not going to start it now, but I have some video links that should help me in the restringing.
Laura is right-- as usual. Or is it as always? :-)
Sandy, I hope your guitar strings end up being kind of like some recipes I've tried that fortunately taste better than they look....
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