Oh, yeah... It's not ego when I say I can play guitar well. That's tens of thousands of hours of playing/practicing. I don't have any innate skill, that's just practice and dedicating the time to master it.
I don't need compliments. It's not ego. I'm pretty fucking good. As in, people happily give me money to play. I've never stopped playing since after I played for a living, at least not for long. I did stop performing for a while, but I still gigged every few months with a buddy or two or ten.
I'm a classical guitarist, by training. You're absolutely no obligated to listen, nor are you obligated to say you like it. I'm pretty indifferent, but I do like my ego stroked. Who doesn't? I'm also pretty used to it. I get it a lot. ;-)
I'm not cocky, I'm certain. There's a difference! grins again
Anyhow, if you want to hear me showing off, then I invite you to listen to a short flamenco number:
This is on a wonderful hand crafted, entirely custom, guitar. The reason you're hearing this is not to listen to me, but to listen to how fucking awesome this guitar is. It's a work of art, it truly is. I got it at a fair price and am very, very impressed.
So, that's why this track exists, but it's also an example of my showing off for the guitar goats. (They requested it.)
(But, back to humility-mode.) That's hundreds of hours of practice, just to learn that piece. It's still not entirely in memory and I read the music as I play it.
I replicate music. I can compose, but that's not my preference.
Either way, I'll tell ya all about how awesome it is to have dedicated a life to mastering an instrument! The guitar is awesome. It has given me back all that I've put into it. I'd have it no other way.
Very spanish sounding. I've always enjoyed that kind of music. Good to know you do requests 😉. I had a bit of trouble imagining the hand movements for that in my head. I've always loved music but other than a few things when I was young I haven't ever really played it. Honestly I was for a year or so in a West African Drumming Band but that is a story in an of itself.
Most of it's done with fingernails and the palm. It's a very aggressive attack at some stages, so I'll really dig into the strings to make them resound.
That's what I'm trained to play. Flamenco fits in with the classical and the techniques are largely similar.
That's a "solo flamenco" and, with it, should be a pair of dancers. It's meant to not play in a band, but to play by itself. So, it's more sharp and has a sound loud enough to cut through, punctuate, or enhance the sounds made by the dancers.
On very, very few occasions have I had the honor to have said pair of dancers. It was, without a doubt, one of my best days ever. I sometimes go play at my son's place, which is in Peru. They have a lovely community and that's where I get the dancers. I just don't get there nearly enough!
Ah well...
You certainly have lived quite a life Mr Buddha. I hope when I get to your age I can say the same.
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