I woke up in time to wash my hair and put on some make-up. It was a Skype session after all. If I was going to make a fool of myself by not knowing what the five chord was, or by not being able to reach my left hand across enough frets, at least I wanted to look my best while I was doing it! I had watched enough David Wilcox videos, and seen him play live enough times, to know that his guitar playing was mysterious and tricky.
I prepared a wish list ahead of time of what I wanted to cover during the lesson. It was an ambitious list for forty minutes. That was the time I was told I would have, although it ended up being longer. The spirit of the list was that I wanted to be introduced to new “songwriting palettes.” I wanted to learn a new tuning or two and a bit about the magic he creates with capos, and there was a song of his that I wanted to learn my way around…
He showed up on time, welcoming and kind. He graciously permitted me to record the lesson, so that I would not have to take notes. He understood the spirit of what I was after, and the lesson was deeply satisfying. We laughed and talked about songwriting, and had a good time. He even gave me his address and welcomed me to send him my new CD when it is ready. Oh, and without me having to ask, when he got to the big left hand stretch in Deeper Still, he told me the trick of getting it to sound clear.
The biggest lesson of all was once again being reminded that magic exists outside of my comfort zone. I wanted to win the lesson! When I did, I was thrilled, but then anxiety set in. I was both excited and scared. The fear was unfounded. I need to remember that. I need to remember to run toward what thrills me, and to not be held back by fear. Some fears keep me safe, and some fears keep me bound. I can always tell them apart, even when they feel the same. My intention this year is to be brave, even when fear makes me want to stay where I am.
Thanks David!