May 2024 Guitar Newsletter : Sound Waves In Motion
Music is a funny thing. It’s able to move us in an unknown realm and often the listener doesn’t have the proper terms to express what’s going on. My 8 year-old son is doing a science fair project this month and chose the topic of sound waves. With the use of a tuning fork and a shallow bowl of water, he will demonstrate how an activated tuning fork can create a splash when placed into the water. We don’t see sound waves, but they certainly exist and possess force. What a perfect analogy for the power of music in our lives. I want to remind us there is much to learn, places to see, people to meet and souls to be touched through making music.
Last month, I played at the Liberty Public House, a new live music venue in West Liberty, alongside singer-songwriters Ben Schmidt, Ryan Bernemann and drummer Jim Viner. After the gig with these seasoned musicians from the Iowa City music scene, I walked away cognizant that musicians are holding something powerful in their hands and voice. Artists are rightfully focused on primarily honing their skills, be it writing new lyrics for a song, perfecting the guitar tone or upping one’s playing technique. As we pour time and energy into this personal microcosm, it is easy to forget that these efforts affect others in a meaningful manner also. And isn't that the point of making music!
What struck me most about that gig was sensing a group of people that were responding to what we had to offer. Awaiting a crowd just clocked off work, I expected loud chatting and us being more or less background music. As I gazed into the audience, I noticed genuine smiles and people nodding their heads in approval. Especially rewarding was seeing a young couple who stared intently at us, and I couldn’t quite figure out their expressions, but at the end of the evening, they made it clear to me how much they enjoyed the music. Several folks came up and expressed their thanks, sharing stories of how our group reminded them of earlier decades and brought back old stories. One gentleman told me about meeting Willie Nelson’s wife, who apparently ran a bar in Austin, Texas and invited him to private music jams with local musicians. What a treat that must have been! Our repertoire wove in and out of Ben and Ryan’s original material as well as organic sounding covers ranging from folk, blues, jazz, country to rock rooted in the sonic spectrum of the 60s’, 70s' and 80s'. It makes sense that our sets triggered a memory or two of the good ol’ days. Still, isn’t it amazing how a song or a certain sound of a band can take a person on an intimate journey to the point of wanting to share forgotten anecdotes? Hearing honest positive feedback from a few friends was equally appreciated and clearly showed us what a blessing our efforts were to others. Listening to live music does something worthwhile to me. However, I easily forget my playing might be doing something similar to others. Why else would I have ended up teaching the guitar and performing?
The first time I saw Dave Zollo perform with Bo Ramsey in Iowa City I was startled by what I was hearing. That experience impacted me and rekindled a desire to further my guitar skills and get back on a musical path. That passion to grow as a musician has remained to this present day and going out to hear live music is part and parcel of that.
I am so delighted seeing my son getting excited about investigating the properties of sound waves, and I am becoming more conscious of the positive power playing live music possesses. We are both widening our personal knowledge and sharing it with others. Seeing beyond the microcosm of your life and doing something that is generating good in somebody else’s life is also nourishing to you. I hope you find yourself in a live music setting this month and it moves you to share a memory with someone else.
Chris
