Nightmares in E
I had a dream.
The western-style guitar that sits but a few feet away from this very computer convulsed. I looked to see what was causing it, and as I looked, the bottom E string snapped in slow motion.
Dreams, of course, are outlets of the subconscious. After struggling with keeping the E string intact on the instrument for days, it was inevitable that this pursuit would affect my slumber.
The guitar at issue once belonged to my father until he kindly gave it to me when I was but a child. That is, I assume he gave it to me, as I still have it. (Dad, if you're reading this, please replace every appearance of the word "guitar" with "poca-dot tie that I wasn't all that crazy about").
It had been in hiatus for a few years, its strings long-since removed until recently when my son began supplementing his enormous drumming talent with guitar lessons. For those lessons, I have loaned him my other poca-dot tie that I'm not all that crazy about for use in class and to practice at home. To play along with him, I resurrected the old western-style guitar by cleaning it up and buying a new set of strings for it.
Stringing the instrument is a straightforward task that I have done many times with many guitars. For some reason, however, this particular instrument rejected the E string almost immediately after it was attached, usually by allowing it to pop out from the peg which it is fastened to.
The fourth attempt to re-attach the E string seemed like a charm, as I took the extra step of tying the string around the peg before inserting it. The string stayed attached for several days, and several jam sessions with my son.
But a few days later while working in my office, I heard a snap from just a few feet away. As if to mock me, the string waited for me to be present before snapping from the peg again. This time, I ignored it, as if to let it know that I was not going to be shaken by its uncooperativeness.
The E string then proceeded to invade my slumber to ensure it remained the center of my attention. That very night, I had a dream in which that moment was re-lived; only this time, the string really played up the whole drama. The guitar convulsed violently, the other strings began to play in dissonant anti-harmony, and the E string ripped itself from the guitar in slow motion, shooting the peg out like a bullet.
I was visited each night by this dream until I once again re-fastened the string on to the guitar. It has been a week since I did this, and the E string has remained in its station.
I can only assume that the E string was crying our for attention--to be known as more than a mere participant of various chords and rifs. To ensure the E string that I honor its contribution to the beautiful melodies I produce with the poca-dot tie that my dad is not all that crazy about, I have composed an entire song that uses only the E string, and the world of the Supreme Aglet is once again in perfect balance.
The western-style guitar that sits but a few feet away from this very computer convulsed. I looked to see what was causing it, and as I looked, the bottom E string snapped in slow motion.
Dreams, of course, are outlets of the subconscious. After struggling with keeping the E string intact on the instrument for days, it was inevitable that this pursuit would affect my slumber.
The guitar at issue once belonged to my father until he kindly gave it to me when I was but a child. That is, I assume he gave it to me, as I still have it. (Dad, if you're reading this, please replace every appearance of the word "guitar" with "poca-dot tie that I wasn't all that crazy about").
It had been in hiatus for a few years, its strings long-since removed until recently when my son began supplementing his enormous drumming talent with guitar lessons. For those lessons, I have loaned him my other poca-dot tie that I'm not all that crazy about for use in class and to practice at home. To play along with him, I resurrected the old western-style guitar by cleaning it up and buying a new set of strings for it.
Stringing the instrument is a straightforward task that I have done many times with many guitars. For some reason, however, this particular instrument rejected the E string almost immediately after it was attached, usually by allowing it to pop out from the peg which it is fastened to.
The fourth attempt to re-attach the E string seemed like a charm, as I took the extra step of tying the string around the peg before inserting it. The string stayed attached for several days, and several jam sessions with my son.
But a few days later while working in my office, I heard a snap from just a few feet away. As if to mock me, the string waited for me to be present before snapping from the peg again. This time, I ignored it, as if to let it know that I was not going to be shaken by its uncooperativeness.
The E string then proceeded to invade my slumber to ensure it remained the center of my attention. That very night, I had a dream in which that moment was re-lived; only this time, the string really played up the whole drama. The guitar convulsed violently, the other strings began to play in dissonant anti-harmony, and the E string ripped itself from the guitar in slow motion, shooting the peg out like a bullet.
I was visited each night by this dream until I once again re-fastened the string on to the guitar. It has been a week since I did this, and the E string has remained in its station.
I can only assume that the E string was crying our for attention--to be known as more than a mere participant of various chords and rifs. To ensure the E string that I honor its contribution to the beautiful melodies I produce with the poca-dot tie that my dad is not all that crazy about, I have composed an entire song that uses only the E string, and the world of the Supreme Aglet is once again in perfect balance.
posted by The Supreme Aglet at 7:44 AM
<< Home