As a preface, I write this not as an “accomplished guitarist” worthy of offering tips, but one who has embarked on a learning journey over the past 20 months. Hopefully, the following will aid anyone in taking up the instrument. 

You know someone who knows someone that simply picks up an instrument and they can play naturally “by ear”. I say “good for them” and this is certainly not I and will not be the majority of aspiring players. In fact, even for those who are gifted with musical intuition, there will be short cuts they will encounter in orchestrating melody, resolving a phrase, or identifying an appropriate chord should they obtain some kind of training. 

The sixth and fifth strings as bass notes, interval distances between notes and between strings, higher and lower octave notes as designed on the fret board through pattern, the CAGED system utilization as a means of deploying different chord voicings, basic open chords, barred chord structures, and scales up and down the neck are all guitar elements that very few will be able deploy without becoming versant through some training.

I suggest that the most enjoyment will come from applying mechanical fret board principles with some music theory and one’s inner sense of discovery. However; relying on the inner sense alone will simply lead to unnecessary barriers given the intricacies of the instrument. 

The good news is that the task is not ominous. There will be some memorization which is absolutely tenable. There will be some frustration in getting the fingers to go where they need to go. However; with practice, the neural system establishes the pathways. There will be a question regarding the time commitment to improve. You’ll conclude that part of your spiritual sustenance flows from a pursuit distinct from family and career. You’ll be wondering where to turn for your next nugget of fret board magic culminating in the arrival of new like-minded friends. You’ll also become fascinated by the equipment and accessories which produce varying sounds from the same notes. 

The biggest take away….you’ll learn humility if to date it’s been elusive!

Should Canadian farmers be selling wheat and barley to Saudi Arabia when Saudi Arabia has historically oppressed women and still does to this day? Does a country conducting international trade compromise its values if profiting from a country from which values conflict? Should politicians in high office frustrated by diplomatic overtures abroad turn to twitter to voice grievance? Should a Canadian confident in his /her position that we have a weak Prime Minister contend that all policy initiatives by the federal government will commensurately be weak? Is it fair to impact the livelihood of commercial operators because of international political grievance?

The above questions arise in the context of a spat between Saudi Arabia and Canada over this past week. It’s frankly unsettling to witness such weakness. My position is that Canada has been compromising its values over time with respect to trade and shouldn’t be surprised that a peculiar twitter remark should be received with outrage from an internet platform limiting in its communicative power from a nation bereft of bestowing respect upon women. What’s even more surprising is that Ms. Freedland seems like an intelligent woman who should have known better. She should have know that the incarceration of women’s rights advocate is a sensitive matter and that a frustrating social media appeal could actually undermine diplomatic efforts to liberate the woman.

Our country, Canada, has some soul searching to do with respect to trade policy in the context its values and protectionist sentiment arising from the U.S. New alliances are forming and Canada has a place at the tables but must affirm its position with clarity complemented with trade deals rooted in the fabric of cooperation with partners of whom it can look dead straight in the eye.     

Here you are. It’s summer and you think you owe yourself more idle time because the young ones are out of school. Wrong. It’s actually time to roll up your sleeves and show them what work is all about. There are those outstanding odd jobs around the house and the pet projects deserving of attention as well as the pursuit of continuous learning. Learning is growing and we should be doing some of it every day in order to keep the creative and inspirational juices flowing. We are inundated with stories of troubled minds through the media and at every turn there are references to chemical imbalances or hereditary predispositions when perhaps the biggest contributor to mental aberration is idleness.

The summer of 2018 will depart us and when you look back, let it be a time of productivity as well as play. Throw yourself into something worthwhile which will bring you pride. Capture memories of family adventure while incorporating engaging activities. Stimulate yourself intellectually because as the old adage goes, “leaders are readers”.

Additionally, I encourage you to reflect on your place within the economic system in the context of who you know you to be.  Nobody really knows you better than you. We fool ourselves into thinking that constructive feedback from those close to us should form a larger barometer of our being but this strategy is really rationalization for delay when in actuality the fear of execution persists.

If you are serious about taking a hard look at yourself and your current participation within the economic system, you may pick up a copy of my ebook, “Your Business Mind”.