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One of my guitar students asked me, if I had to choose between playing the guitar or singing, which one?

His question took me by surprise, I’d never considered doing one or the other. Singing for me, has been easy for the most part, there’s the note, hit it and carry on. I did take a few voice lessons when I was 15, thanks to a kind Uncle who wanted to help me along my journey. Every Saturday, I hitched a ride to her home and she ran me though vocal exercises and made me learn songs I’d never heard of.

“Don’t raise your shoulders when you try to hit a high note…Breathe from your Diaphragm…Don’t slide into a note ~ hit it precisely, like placing a penny upon a shelf.”  45 years later and I still hear her voice in my head, now that’s a great teacher.

Due to being a troubled youth, defiant in many ways, my mother took away my voice lessons as a form of punishment, I still think there were other things she could have done, but it was her choice and my incredible loss.

I have a difficult time hearing my own voice, always amazed when I see a video of my Self performing and think, “hmmmmmm, I think I’d stay and listen to her.”

Getting back to the question of singing or playing, I lean towards playing an instrument.

I imagine myself off somewhere in the world, on a mountainside, with my guitar and it makes me feel happy, without it, not so much.

I imagine myself with other musicians with my guitar and it makes me happy, without it, not so much.

I imagine myself in this moment, as I write this Musing, with my guitar by my side and it makes me happy without it, not so much.

Today’s Musing: The voice is the only instrument God created.