I have played classical and flamenco guitar off and on for most of my life . And when I retired ten years ago I decided to treat myself to two luthier built guitars ..... A Flamenco Blanca with wooden tuning pegs pegs { $4000 } and a classical double top { $8500 } ...... I was enjoying getting back into it now that I had unlimited time ....
Then I got sick and went to the hospital . What should have been simple surgery became a .... " We're not sure if he is going to make it " notification to my family followed by a month in ICU and a month in a ward ..... And I had surgical trauma . I thought I saw the pope { Catholic hospital } I thought I was a character in a book and if I found out I was a character in a book I would die { Something Kafkaish about that } . The guy visiting his wife in the next bed from Argentina invited me to visit him in South America ..... { a nurse later told me that I often had a conversation with someone who wasn't there. and there was no bed next to me } .....These are very real memories to this day though I know they did not happen .....My arms were tied to the bed railings to prevent me from escaping . Trust me on this . If you give someone 24 hours a day with no other mission than escaping he's going to pull it off a few times. And I did which resulted in one or two footsteps and crashing to the floor . And the resulting trip down to X-ray to see if I broke anything ......
Then I got out . And about a month later I pulled a guitar out of it's case . Everything was gone. Not only could I not remember how to play. I couldn't remember anything to play . I just sat there and stared at it ..... Disgusted I put it back in it's case and there they have sat for five years. About two months ago I tried again with the attitude that if I had to start from scratch I would .......I found that there is lot of lessons one can take on line . At first I investigated local teachers and sure enough many of them teach on line . I have a camera in my monitor so that would work out well . Then I discovered several on line programs that looked pretty good from their free demos . I signed up for three of them and started to practice ...... And then this happened .... After adopting a somewhat irregular practice schedule . One of the pieces I had forgotten came back . It suddenly appeared in my head and I quickly played it over and over to make sure I didn't forget it..... A simple three finger tremolo used in flamenco came back though no piece to use it in did ...... Then another classical piece I suddenly remembered how it sounds . Though I once knew it well I now need to practice a reverse arpeggio and still only remember bits and pieces of it ..... But there is an online lesson for the piece as well as reverse arpeggio exercises ...... I'm going to tackle it ......
So am I a victim of old age memory { 71 years old } or still experiencing surgical trauma ? ......I fully admit to still crossing to the other side of the street when I pass St. Paul's hospital out of the fear that a giant hook will shoot out the door and drag me back in ......
Then I got sick and went to the hospital . What should have been simple surgery became a .... " We're not sure if he is going to make it " notification to my family followed by a month in ICU and a month in a ward ..... And I had surgical trauma . I thought I saw the pope { Catholic hospital } I thought I was a character in a book and if I found out I was a character in a book I would die { Something Kafkaish about that } . The guy visiting his wife in the next bed from Argentina invited me to visit him in South America ..... { a nurse later told me that I often had a conversation with someone who wasn't there. and there was no bed next to me } .....These are very real memories to this day though I know they did not happen .....My arms were tied to the bed railings to prevent me from escaping . Trust me on this . If you give someone 24 hours a day with no other mission than escaping he's going to pull it off a few times. And I did which resulted in one or two footsteps and crashing to the floor . And the resulting trip down to X-ray to see if I broke anything ......
Then I got out . And about a month later I pulled a guitar out of it's case . Everything was gone. Not only could I not remember how to play. I couldn't remember anything to play . I just sat there and stared at it ..... Disgusted I put it back in it's case and there they have sat for five years. About two months ago I tried again with the attitude that if I had to start from scratch I would .......I found that there is lot of lessons one can take on line . At first I investigated local teachers and sure enough many of them teach on line . I have a camera in my monitor so that would work out well . Then I discovered several on line programs that looked pretty good from their free demos . I signed up for three of them and started to practice ...... And then this happened .... After adopting a somewhat irregular practice schedule . One of the pieces I had forgotten came back . It suddenly appeared in my head and I quickly played it over and over to make sure I didn't forget it..... A simple three finger tremolo used in flamenco came back though no piece to use it in did ...... Then another classical piece I suddenly remembered how it sounds . Though I once knew it well I now need to practice a reverse arpeggio and still only remember bits and pieces of it ..... But there is an online lesson for the piece as well as reverse arpeggio exercises ...... I'm going to tackle it ......
So am I a victim of old age memory { 71 years old } or still experiencing surgical trauma ? ......I fully admit to still crossing to the other side of the street when I pass St. Paul's hospital out of the fear that a giant hook will shoot out the door and drag me back in ......
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