Update:
In the ER again yesterday. More IV cocktails & such & another prescription, then sent home.
finally slept the night through last night for the first time this month…felt good.
Doing OK this am. Pain is within tolerable range.
Did manage to get new strings put on guitar & fiddle, but that’s about all I could do music wise the last four days. At least the instruments will be ready when I am.
Recovering slowly. Many messy accidents will spare you all the details. Trying to figure out a suitable diet. Major life and activity changes
Hang in there, @Archie! Hopefully, you are making some good progress getting your strength back!
Wow, I thought between all the time off and the health problems lately that my playing had really deteriorated.
It’s amazing what a new set of strings can do for an instrument (and peace of mind)! I may start changing them more than yearly…duh…
thanks.
Not a lot better, but adjusted timing of meds so I just have a bad headache all day & night instead of being incapacitated for 6-8 hrs each day & getting no sleep has helped some.
Not supposed to see a specialist until March 3rd, so it’s gonna be a long haul.
If things stay as they were today I think I’ll make it without ending up in the emergency again. It’s not fun at all, but I believe I can manage it.
Am managing to get the fiddle out for a few minutes each day so I’ll put things in the “tolerable” category.
@Fiddle_wood, hope this song lyrics could boost your faith in the meanwhile! Another lovely rendering by Living Stone Quartet. As you may know, “The just shall live by faith!”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pUmuwfCUYwA
To @Archie as well.
Felt the best I have in awhile today. Even Played a couple hours.
Been tearing apart an advanced version of a simple song…Sally Goodin, for about 5 weeks now.
Haven’t been able to play much in the last couple 3 months so really went back to the basics: Slowed way down, concentrate on tone, intonation, relaxation, & just producing good notes in general.
Today I got some payback & rocked the feel at a very mellow 125 bpm.
The advanced bowing I’m learning on this piece really puts the push in the right place to help feel the pocket to the beat…even just playing with the metronome.
So far I’ve only gotten a break & 1 variation to both A & B parts, but the time spent was so worth it. It’s like I’m approaching a new understanding in the music.
Took an hour & played with whatever popped up on the .net. Just improvising or inventing. Playing longer drawn out things to the faster stuff just looking for a “fit”.
This all went really well also: I was able to utilize a surprising amount of things I’ve leaned the last couple years and make up things to fit, stay relaxed & feel fairly in control.
That’s my current report.
Today was a good day here for music…
Happy to hear that Dave!
Ahhh! glad to hear someone else also does this 
! I do that with ‘random search next station function’ on the radio, call it “Radio Roulette” - and sometimes with autoplay on YouTube (I usually don’t like autoplay on the tube but it’s tolerable for this purpose). Sometimes even count points: a point for figuring out the key, another point for playing the melody, another for backup, maybe another if it’s a really funky rhythm, perhaps 2 points if its a break that fits, but is different from what ‘they’re’ playing - any song or genre that comes up next is the challenge. Sometimes I crash & burn miserably, other times ‘I’m almost proud’ haha!
And ole Sally Goodin- been going around and around trying to work on that one off and on too. Glad you’re doing well on it, & hope you’re feeling better soon.
Thanks,
Plans are to continue for the duration of winter on this tune and see where it gets to.
It’s a Justin Branum lesson w/about 10 parts to it.
I very rarely just jam/improvise with things.
I’m usually diligent;y skipping from tune to tune that I already know, just trying to remember what I’ve learned the last couple years & iron out trouble areas that I continue to find.
I normally have a new measure or two of something, or musical idea I’m working on also. I skip tunes whenever I get bored or frustrated with progress on that.
I wouldn’t get many points…
If I get just one good idea out of each song I jam with I feel like I won the battle big time.
Got the guitar back out today.
Trying to remember how to play this. I had all the parts but the solos worked our at one time, like way back when it came out.
I was surprised I could remember as much as I did. Have to slow down a couple measures yet to make sure which string to hit on a few of the upstrokes, and get to remembering the arrangement, but other than that I just need to woodshed on my cross-picking a LOT.
I seem to have lost a slew of chords in the solo progression too…got me to wondering if I ever did figure that part out…
Always been one of my favorite guitar tunes:
Tinkering inside a guitar. First time. Daughter daunting request for an acoustic pickup in her dreadnought cutaway. I decided on a K & K Pure Mini passive. It was a total success and pure delight to have accomplished. She hopes to busk with it at some point, pop music covers.
Been working hard on the español here lately. I’m scheduled to teach a systematic theology class to a group of pastors in Tapachula, Mexico, this November. I’ll have a translator but would like to do as much as I can without one. I’ve been studying Spanish off/on for over a decade, comprehension is ok but expression is lacking for sure. Improving my Spanish is a big goal for 2023.
I’ve started weekly in-person lessons with a super kind lady, the wife of the pastor at a Spanish Baptist church. Today was my 3rd lesson and she’s kicking my butt with homework and it’s awesome. I’m going to church with them tonight to up the game…and enjoy some excellent fellowship, I’m sure.
I’m also enrolled in a masterclass at https://coffeebreakacademy.com/ which has been great, especially for idiomatic expressions.
@BanjoBen My granddaughter is a Modern Language ( French & Spanish) Student Teacher in her final year at University. She complements her studies by watching French & Spanish movies on Netflix. It would seem it helps with her pronunciation and conversational skills
That’s wonderful!
I took two years of Spanish in high school… no recuerdo mucho…
Don’t remember much? Guessed without looking up.
Would love to get better at Spanish.
I would guess so too. Here is all my spanish - adios amigo, numero uno.
Church was great last night. I was able to comprehend 50% of the sermon, mas o menos. I was terrified when they asked me to pray for the church in Spanish, but I gave it a shot and got through it.
They have a praise band and asked me to bring an instrument, so I guess I am now la mandolina picker for the Primera Iglesia Bautista praise band.
This is so cool Ben, I’ve thought about giving Spanish a try. I only took Greek for language in high school and I don’t remember any of it 
