@Helen0609
Thanks for your kind words, Andrea.
Nobody lasts forever and Dadās passing was becoming increasingly inevitable, so it was expected. Iām okay though, we have a large family, including the wider family, who all pull together and also a huge rural community.
āThe music of my lifeā - thatās always been a thing. The music is in me and my aim is to get some of it back outā¦.so I know Iāll get back to guitar.
Hi David - my most sincere condolences for the loss of your father. Itās so difficult to lose those dear to us, even when theyāre passing is expected. I feel for you & your familyā¦ especially your Mum. 67 years together is such a long time to have someone & Iām sure she feels the loss in every moment of her days.
So sad.
My wife & I have both lost our parents & we find that although itās very hard (we still cry over certain memories regularly), we find ourselves laughing about the good times we had together with them or childhood memories. Treasure those moments when you & your Dad shared special thingsā¦ one of my wifeās favorite memories of her father was when he held our firstborn in his arms the first time. This gruff man who didnāt smile very often, almost NEVER cried, standing with his granddaughter in his arms with a huge smile & tears streaming down his face!
Remember what you just saidā¦ the music is in youā¦ music surrounds us! Go into your fields at dusk, listen to the music of the Earthā¦ birds singing, insects buzzing, your heart beating & if you āhearā it all comes together as a beautiful songā¦ then your wife calls you to come eat & you have the āmusicā of family & love about you!
You say you love Blues - write a song about your Dad - it doesnāt have to be good enough for anyone else to hear, but youāll share it in your heart with your father. Itāll bring you back to the guitar & help you find some closure & to deal with the loss. I know. I have a song about my Mom that I wrote & I sing it when I feel deep sorrow that sheās gone.
Tod
@CATMAN62
Thanks Tod.
Yes, a lifetime of memories, all etched in my mind. Thereās bound to be sadness right now but the memories will all be happy ones.
Neil Diamondās Beautiful Noise is about finding music in the sounds of everyday life. Itās a song Iāve always liked.
So sorry to hear of your loss David. With 67 years of marriage there must be some wonderful memories. As others have already said, the music will come back into your life but family and friendships will always come first.
Take care.
@mathsjunky
Thanks Paul.
Iām sat here having a coffee and thinking that, actually, music hasnāt left me. Itās still there and I still listen to it. Itās the playing of it thatās left me. Iām sure that if I were a good player, Iād be playing music that suited the mood. Itās the inability to just pick up the guitar and play without thinking that stops me from having a go.
Hmmā¦. I wonder if Iāll ever get thereā¦
David,
I remember you posting this in the āWhere does your username come fromā thread. Read your own words & think about being the guitar player you dream of becoming.
Often, when life kicks us in the gut, some of the things we want or need to do are put on hold for a while - we need time to recover. Thatās ok. Itās important to remember our Dreams & our Goals though. They may not seem so important while the pain is fresh, but theyāre actually a very important part of recovering and healing from the crummy hand that has been dealt to you.
As I said above, itās good to look back and remember the times youāve had with your Dad, but at the same time, think about what your Dad would have said to you if he were still here. Not knowing him of course Iāll just give you the advice Iād give my son in similar circumstancesā¦ āSon, stop crying in your beer, get up off of your bum & go do something you love! While your doing it, just give a little thought to how much I love you & how proud I am that youāre having yourself some fun & not just moping around!ā (Iād probably use some āsaltierā words, though)
My 2 centsā¦ given in the spirit of someone who has experienced similar painā¦
Tod
@CATMAN62
Thanks Tod. You have wise words.
Iām slowly moving out of the āon holdā phase and starting to plan. That applies to guitar too. I am indeed redefining my goals, although Iāve never particularly liked the term āgoalsā. I prefer aims or ambitions. It isnāt a change of direction, more a honing in to what I want to do.
I have a little nest egg from a pension due before long and I intend to spend it on new gear. 
Top of my list is a Katana Gen3 and then a guitar! Probably wonāt be a Dream though because Burns seem to have gone out of production. 
Hey David,
Your last spurred me to look up the Burns Dream for sale onlineā¦ there a quite a few out there on EBAY & REVERBā¦ not cheap mind youā¦ but available if youāre interested. The Katana amps are very nice - I have the Katana 50 MKII - the only thing it doesnāt do that I wish I had is bluetooth for streaming a backing track while I playā¦ I donāt hook it up to a computer as it seems most of the demos show & am pretty happy with the sounds I get from just ātwiddling the knobsā!!!
This is good! Whatever you want to call it - a good understanding of what direction to take is important - taking time to reflect & plan after something momentous happens (either good or bad) is a good thing! I am glad to hear this!
Good luck with everything David!!!
Tod
Thanks Tod.
Yeah, Iāve seen one or two on eBay. The problem with that though is you canāt try them out. Very much trusting to luck, and at that price I donāt fancy trusting to luck!
Iāve never played anything but what I have so itāll be off to the shop for me to sample a few guitars.
Looking forward to it!
Twiddling the knobs is just fine for me too. I watched Justinās recent review and the Katana looks just right for someone like me who is just getting into the tone stuff but who wouldnāt know anything much about all the different effects pedals that are out there.
The new Gen3 Katana has Bluetooth so it maybe worth looking to trade yours in. Or just buy an extra oneā¦ā¦
September 2024 Update
It took me until August/September to get anything like my mojo for practicing guitar back. Itās only been the last couple of weeks that I could call it decent practice.
I have a plan though!
Over the last few months Iāve been thinking about where I want to go with my guitar playing. Ever since buying a guitar many, many years ago, it was always because I wanted to play lead. Melody and solos etc have always appealed to me more than strumming chords.
Iām 65 now and time may be short, so Iāve decided that now is the time to follow my dream.
Most of what Iām learning now is in the Grade4 module Blues Lead Essentials.
Am I an intermediate guitar player?
Noā¦am I heckers like!
Have I built a strong foundation by going through the beginners course?
Well no, not if I wanted to be a good rhythm guitarist, butā¦ā¦
I think my foundation is strong enough to take on what Iām doing now.
My string bending is slowly improving. Iāve got through the - āwill I ever be able to do this?ā - phase and Iām now at the - āwhy canāt I play it as easy and effortlessly as that every time?ā - phase!
I practice the solo from Eric Claptonās Wonderful Tonight to help with bending.
Bending to pitch is easier when I can do it with a solo that I know the sound of. It gives the bend more context.
While watching the lesson I picked up on the picking pattern Justin uses for the chords, so Iām practicing a bit of picking individual strings while strumming too.
Another song Iām learning is Fleetwood Macās Albatross
What a great song! It always brings on a feeling of peace and calm.
Itās a good one for working on lead techniques.
Iāve got the A section down from memory. Itās a chord or two and quite a few slides.
Just started on the B section which has some cool bending. Even some ghost bends - but I havenāt tried that yet!
Itāll take a while before I can make it sound peaceful and calm!
And finallyā¦
Iām having a bit of a go at the re-introduced Solo Blues course.
I know, I know, itās finger picking!
I went back to the Grade2 finger style lesson and gave it a once over.
Not doing much with this but Iāve managed to get a few bars into the Boom Bass With Licks piece.
Thatās all for now
David
#BRBA 
Hi David!
This is a GREAT POST!!!
Iām so excited (just a tad bit envious also to be honest) that youāre moving into the exalted realm of soloing - especially since both songs are favorites of mineā¦ Wonderful Tonight is the 2nd song I ever learned with basic strumming, itās a āCampfireā song & Albatross is one of my āDreamersā! Way to go my friend! So happy for you that youāve got the itch again & feeling that mojo waking up!!!
Keep it fun!!!
Tod
BTW -
I may have missed something hereā¦ what re-introduced Solo Blues course are you talking aboutā¦???..???
Thanks Tod.
As we all know, mojoās come and go. As long as they keep coming back weāll be fine!
The Solo Blues course is the one everybody has been talking about recently. The one with MatchMySound. Itās in Grade4
I think it was previously a premium course, though Iām not 100% sure.
James @Socio will be able to put me straight on that.
Hi David, yes itās the revamped solo blues course which you can buy for a tenner on the premium courses page.
Ahhhhā¦
As Iām completing the Consolidation for Grade 2 & watching all of the Grade 3 videos before the high dive into the deep end that is Grade 3, I hadnāt even paid a lot of attention since Grade 4 seems a long way offā¦ thinks for clarifying!!!
As far as mojoās go - mine is back this month & Iāve been playing much more than is typical!!! Loving it!!!
Tod
David @BurnsRhythm
Taken me a while to respond as I have been a bit tied up on non guitar related things lately.
Justin seems to have called it right as you get to end of Grade 3 and sort of have the basics down then people then head of in different directions that interest them, as you seem to be doing.
Picking individual strings when strumming is nice technique, all I would say donāt overlook fingerstyle.
Michael
Thatās right, Michael.
Justin sets us all up through the beginners course and then lets us go off in whatever direction suits. In fact, he encourages it.
There are things in Grade3 that I know I havenāt given enough time to but they now act as a good variation to the lead stuff.
Fingerstyle or finger picking, or whatever the correct term is, is one of them. I didnāt give it enough time and practice back in G2 and totally dismissed it in G3!
I realise now that it needs some experimenting with to find a decent tone.
November 2024
GEAR UPGRADE
My first purchase included
ā¦the main event a Boss Katana Gen3 Artist
My next purchase included Justinās Blues Solos book with the big main event being thisā¦
Fender American Ultra II Stratocaster
Noble Blue
Ebony Fingerboard
This is a huge step up from my old set up and itās Mega!
The amp came first and I wasted a few practice sessions just twiddling the knobs and hearing what it can do. Or should I say, a small sample of what it can do!
Iām settling down now and starting to do a more in depth exploration from the left hand side of the panel while Iām going through my practice routine.
The amp and goodies all came from Promenade Music in Morecambe. Even though itās only about a 30 min drive to get there, I ordered it all online and their service was excellent, even ringing me to check the order and then again to see if everything had arrived safely!
If theyād had the Fender Ultra in stock, I would have payed them a visit - but they hadnāt so I didnāt.
So, the guitarā¦ā¦
I watched a few reviews and decided the Ultra II was what I wanted. I hadnāt seen one in the flesh and I hadnāt tried one but I took the plunge and ordered it from Andertons! No phone calls this time and no freebieās but they do have a loyalty points system. Again, the delivery was prompt and so I can only say the service was once again excellent.
āTry before you buyā ā¦they say. Well Iām not going to argue with it but I used some different reasoningā¦!
Itās only been here a couple of days but itās awesome. I try not to use that word but thereās no other way of putting it!
The paint work is metallic and sparkles. The pick guard is Black Adonized Aluminium which contrasts well.
And the most important partā¦.it sounds great and itās very nice to play!
Okay, must dashā¦I have toys to play with. ā¦.err, I mean I have jobs to do on the farm! 
David
