Monday, April 17, 2017

Variables, Granularity

I was chatting with a friend this morning, and we got onto talking about different variables in guitars - woods used in the top, back, and sides, body shapes and sizes, number of strings, etc.  It was very cool (Thanks, Patrick!)  I have also been experimenting with different picks and materials for playing the guitar.  Both of these things make me think of how many different ways and different depths we can look at and experience life.  There are literally millions of ways we can do things in the minutest of details.  With guitars I have found that all the different body shapes, woods used, construction techniques, and combinations thereof make some guitars more expressive in different ways than others.  With my picks I have found that all the different materials - woods, stones, plastics, bones, metals, horns, shells, even hoofs, have a different sound on the string.  And holding the picks in different ways or attaching them to my thumb and fingers with different contraptions makes a huge difference too in the tone and attack - not to mention combining them with fingerpicks or bare fingers with some or no nail protruding to pick the string with.  This is a level of granularity in both guitars and picks that is fascinating to me, and helps me to feel a song and the connected emotion in exquisite relief.  It reminds me just how amazing this life is.  Everything in this life has endless variables and possibilities just waiting to be found and experienced.  And therein is part of the purpose and beauty of this life - to live it to the fullest and with abandon, exploring all these variables in the fine grains of life.

What have I been up to?

Magpies a couple Fridays ago was great fun.  I only brought out three guitars (steel string, nylon string, and electric), and the evening was full of variety and good friends.  I love it when we can take all the ingredients of different requests, backgrounds, and sounds and make a tasty musical dish out of it!

Last weekend I had two private parties (one of which was postponed) that were great fun.  Best to Ron and Pat on their birthdays!

What am I up to this week?

Friday night is back to Magpies for our next-to-last outing of the season.  I always talk of how much fun I have there with the wonderful folks and staff, and if you haven’t experienced it I’d love to have you in the audience.  The first Friday in May is the last time I’ll be there until mid-October, so come on out if you want to join in the good food and good friends.

Saturday night was supposed to be at the La Veta Inn, but they had to cancel due to kitchen difficulties.  I wish them the best as they work through their problems.  The Inn is a wonderful place that can be a handful to run.

What’s on the horizon?

I just booked the third Friday of each month at PDub Brewing Company in Pueblo West May through August.

I also booked a few extra weeks at the Yellow Pine Guest Ranch in Cuchara for the Thursday-night barbecue.  We’ll now be going June 8 to August 31.  This is a wonderful old barn and great place for music and barbecue.  More as the season approaches.

That’s it for this week.  I surely do appreciate you all and the variables and granularity our friendships and experiences bring to each other!

Best always,

Tom

Details this week:

Who:  Tom Munch
What:  playing & singing
Where:  Magpies, 229 S. Union, Pueblo.  719-542-5522
When:  Friday, April 21, 7-10 pm

Monday, April 3, 2017

What to Do Next

I’m contemplating the future again today.  It’s something we all do from time to time.  It comes in many forms - from what to do next in your career, to what to do next for travel, to what to do next for your family.  You know that we lost our little cat Nisi a couple weeks ago.  Each time we lose a pet we go through a period of grieving that also includes when and whether to get another pet or pets.  Our lives are endlessly enriched by having little beings around us who show us a different perspective and offer love in new and different ways.  But they also bring the responsibility of caring for them and making time for them.  The one thing in life that seems to be the most precious is time.  I believe it is why we come here to this world - to experience time that is endless in the great beyond.  And how we deal with the choice of that time is what makes up our life.  So I won’t go into the details of mine and Jen’s life and what we want in the future - mostly because it’s a work in progress that we work through from day to day.  But I wanted to touch on the dilemma that time presents us with and the knowing that no matter what decisions we make with our time, the important thing is to live each moment to the fullest and with abandon, seeking love and joy always.

What have I been up to?

The online concert last night was truly fine!  I had several good friends listening and joining in the evening.  I was a little frazzled with too many things on my mind (par for the course when dealing with technology and still trying to be in the moment), but it seemed to go very well.  If you missed it there is a sample on YouTube here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rjI3So_HEq0

We used the beautiful quilt my sister Carol made me as a gift a couple years back for a backdrop, and I switched off on different guitars for different songs.  Thanks you to everyone who tuned in!  The next first-Sunday show will be on May 7 at 7:00 pm MDT.

What’s up this week?

Friday I’ll be back at Magpies 7-10 for another night of good friends, good food, and good music.  I’m sure I’ll bring some different guitars and have some surprises for songs.  I haven’t really tried to do themes this year at Magpies like I’ve done in the past, but I may just do some a couple this time out.  I haven’t decided what yet.  You have to know that we’ll end up doing some ’60’s tunes at some point in the night like always. :-)

What’s on the horizon?

I’ve booked one date at the La Veta Inn on April 22nd.  We haven’t decided on the time yet, but this promises to be a wonderful evening of music.  We’re still looking at a date in July as well.

Also I’ve booked three more weeks at the Yellow Pine in Cuchara for the Thursday-night barbecues.  I’ll be there from the 2nd week in June through August.

That’s it for this week.  I’m so grateful for my life of music and for having such good friends.

Best always,

Tom

Details this week:

Who:  Tom Munch
What:  playing & singing
Where:  Magpies, 229 S. Union, Pueblo.  719-542-5522
When:  Friday, April 7, 7-10 pm