One day I shall tell a story about a drunken Irish poet and the consumption of daffodils in Wivenhoe. Not today. However, said poet gave me his guitar for my 21st birthday – something I think he later regretted, but all his regrets are now moot, as he’s gone to be with the great poet in the sky.

In these fifteen years since possessing this rather nice guitar (Ovation custom balladeer – beautiful sound) I’ve had one serious go at trying to learn it, in the first two years after obtaining it, and I picked up about a dozen chords, and half a dozen songs. It then sat unused for a very long time, and I even tried to sell it on eBay three years ago, much to my wife’s disgust. As is often the case, my wife was right to be disgusted, and I am glad I still have it, because I took it out of the case the other night, for effectively the first time in nearly a decade, and I found it immensely pleasurable. I could even still play a couple of songs – Traci Chapman’s ‘Talking ’bout a revolution’ was the one that gave most pleasure. Now to move on to Johnny Cash, as one of my commenters suggested 🙂

I’ve got a long way to go with it, but I might post occasional things about the joys of learning a new chord. And I keep meaning to respond to Tim about folk music… all when I get the chance.