January 2 - Off to a slow start

Watching an episode of Downton Abbey last night, I was amused to hear a character say "Live every day like it's your last day on earth."  If so, I hope I don't die on New Year's Day.  Not every day is a "carpe diem" sort of day, but New Year's Day is usually one of the biggest wastes of time I can think of.  Like so many others, I end up watching too much football, spending too much time on the couch, and eating too much.  Perhaps we're all allowed a down day once in a while, but it always seems to be a down day that kicks off the new year.

As for music, I did find that having a guitar by the TV does come in handy.  Not that I practiced that much yesterday - "dabbled" is more the operative word, but I did find, in the recent copy of Banjo Newsletter, a transcription of a solo for "Autumn Leaves."  The chords were printed, so I took time to play the chords, enjoying the sense of my fingers returning to patterns that were once so familiar.  And playing those bar chords helps strengthen the index finger.  Now, to get Judy to take a stab at the tablature of that solo.  Something to get her doing something a little different from "Li'l Darlin Pal of Mine" and the other songs that she's becoming rather familiar with (and getting good at, I have to admit).

Today I found on-line the chords to David Sylvian's "The Boy with the Gun" from his great Secrets of the Beehive album from 1987.  I tried the chords out when I got home.  Just like the internet to offer a transcription that was quick, easy - and sounded so wrong.  I'm sure some of the chords are correct, but some of them I just don't hear.  I guess the next step is to play the chords along with the song itself and listen to see how on the mark they are.  I wouldn't mind playing that song at an open mic sometime - if I'm going to start playing more guitar, it would be nice to get out once in a while and play in front of some folks.