Musical Goals

On this day, I’m still thinking about old dreams and new goals. Sorry to continue with the introspection, but I need to get this out of my system and I do my best thinking while writing.

One of the things that I’ve noticed since hooking up with old friends on Facebook is how many of them play musical instruments. I suppose that’s partly what drew us all together back then. A lot of them played in bands together. I was too shy and attached to classical music to be in a band, but everyone knew that I played piano and thought well of me for it. I think it was part of what contributed to my feeling of being special. Looking at their Facebook profiles now, it seems they have all kept up with their instruments, and some of them are still rocking the local music scene. Meanwhile, I still play the piano but haven’t done much with that ability.

I also used to feel special because I had a collection of musical instruments, which included a hammered dulcimer, guitar, flute, penny whistle, and various ocarinas, and I could play all of them to some extent. But now, many of the instruments are still packed in boxes from the move. It seems like every year I acquire another couple of books on playing the guitar, but then the year flies by without my sitting down and finally learning to play it well. Christmas carols sound so beautiful on the dulcimer, but last Yuletide it sat silently in its case. I miss the cheerful tones of my flute, but it saddens me to play it because I’m so out of practice. I guess I always just assumed at some point I’d master them all. It was just another dream.

That old dream depresses me. Unplayed instruments depress me. Waste and unused abilities depress me. Something has to change.

Music and musical instruments are important. They strengthen the memory and speed up the thought processes. They’re also fun. I want to make music a bigger part of my life and to ensure that it has a place in Marshall’s. But that’s just a vague desire, another dream. As I said earlier this week, I’m not bothering with dreams anymore. Instead I make goals.

My dusty old instrument collection has potential in it, but it has to be used properly. A hidden instrument is rarely played, and an unplayable instrument has no value unless is it decorative and well displayed. Here’s what I need to do.

• Locate all of the instruments, digging them out of boxes if necessary.
• Decide if the unplayable instruments have decorative value. If not, get rid of them.
• Decide which instruments I really want to play. Make them a priority. Accept that I will never gain any proficiency with the others.
• Display the instruments.
• Go through my collection of music books and make an honest assessment of which ones I’m likely to use. Get rid of the rest.
• Display the music books on a shelf.
• Set aside at least 30 minutes each day for music.
• For each priority instrument, memorize a minimum of three songs to play for company.