I have a GUITAR!!!!

Here is my Christmas present!!! (Photo taken in Grassmarket, outside Red Dog Music, where we bought my guitar.)      Before we moved to Edinburgh, Stan promised to get me a guitar for Christmas and he came through!
     Just as storytelling has returned to my life here in Edinburgh, so has music. It used to be a big part of my life... I sang in chorus through school, even nailed some solos. (Although I always seemed to come down with a bad cold when it came time to actually perform.) I took piano lessons for ten years as a kid, so I can (could) read music and all that. And although I loved playing, I wasn't a natural talent. When I went off to college, I took a guitar with me. But that was pre-internet and I never had formal lessons. I taught myself a bit by ear and enjoyed it, but I didn't know how to take it further. Not really. I had a wall piano for a while in Chattanooga. And I played guitar when we lived in the mountains. I would join in during 'Pickin' in the Park' - a massive weekly jamming session by the river. There, I collected some great folk-song lyrics, because I ended up singing more than playing. But for some reason, when we moved to Atlanta, music faded from my life.
     Fast forward to today, and music has returned! My new friend is a Gretsch "Jim Dandy" Flat Top Parlour Guitar.

     It's 3/4th the size of a standard acoustic - a nice size for me. And it has a great, bluesy twang to it. I was originally looking at a standard acoustic, which had a deep, traditional sound, but out the corner of my eye, I saw one of the music store employees walk by with the Gretsch. I said, "WHAT is THAT!?" and pursued him. He was showing it off to a fellow employee, and it sounded so great! I have been on a blues kick since arriving in Edinburgh and the twang of this little guitar was so unique, it spoke to me - truly!
     I can't tell you how thrilled I am to have this little guy in my life! I spent all evening taking online tutorials (god bless the internet!) and learned some great new guitar riffs. AND, I finally remembered a sweet little song I wrote in college, which I'd been trying to recall for months!
     It will take a while to build up some decent calluses, but I'll do it. Because I have a date one year from now... Several friends (who are also trying to learn instruments - one, an accordion, and the other, the trumpet) and I have agreed to go busking. (If that's a new word to you, it means playing on the street for money.) We have to be good enough by then to actually make money instead of having tomatoes thrown at us. I have no idea what songs will sound good between an accordion, a trumpet, and a guitar, but we'll figure it out. The goal is to earn £20 - enough to go grab a round of celebratory drinks. I can't wait!
     Of course, first, I have to get my guitar back from Stan.