New to Music - a stranger in a strange land

This is a new trip into a whole 'nother world for me. I enjoy listening to music, especially when the lyrics are thought provoking. The songs written by Kris Kreistofferson in the '60s and '70s speak to me. I have no musical experience, knowledge or talent.

My wife of 53 years died about a year and a half ago. Now I am in a new world and completely lost with no idea what to do with myself. As you might guess from 53 years of marriage, I am getting old (77) and can't physically do the things I once enjoyed. Being alone is a bigger deal than I ever emagined, but the flip side of "alone" is "free". I try to look at the opportunities instead of the loss.

In cleaning up "stuff", I came across an old guitar that I bought from a passing acquaintence for $10 back in 1989 or 1990. He needed money that I wouldn't lend or give (sure fire resentments) so I bought his old guitar. It is an Acusitc Orlando Model 335 made in Japan. It has been rattling around in all the "stuff" we moved from house to house (read job assignment to job assignment) for 30 years. My kids (now middle age) wanted to junk it but, on a whim, I decided to learn to play it.

One of my many nephews thinks he is a musician and said he would fix and tune it for me. He is in the middle of raising kids and earning a living so he never found time to do anything. I went and got it back. It had a broken nut and was missing the first string. YouTube guided me through putting on a new nut, restringing and tuning it. Then I forked over some long green for lessons here. Lets see what happens next.

Firstly let me express my sadness at the passing of your wife.

Not everyone in their 70s would be able to learn an instrument so huge respect thst you can and, are up for the challenge.

While a few years younger, music is very new to me as well, plus being hearing impaired makes following timings and beats tricky. That said, the beginer courses are really well structured and I am astonished at what I am achieving even after just a month or so.

I hope you have similar experience and I wish you all the best on your own guitar adventure.

Very sorry to hear about your loss.

This is a good place to be Two. Do what you can and enjoy yourself.

Hi TwoHoot, welcome. First, I echo what William and daffyd have said, I am sorry for your loss. [br][br]

I think it is pretty courageous of you to begin your guitar journey at this point. It really does show that you have a resilient spirit. It's definitely a challenge, but it is something that can take you to an entirely new headspace, so very rewarding.

Good luck![br][br]

Dave...

Welcome and thank you for sharing your story -- beautifully told, perhaps you'll give songwriting a go?

I, too, have been delving into vintage Kristoffersen recently. A very good place to start.

Hi TwoHoot,

Just a quick good luck message from me. Friend of mine (same age as you) lost his wife a couple of years ago and found a different way to slog through the grieving process but it's definitely helped him (having something to concentrate on I mean).

I hope you have every success and keep your chin up!

theMolster

Hey Two Hoot! Sorry for your loss and this is an amazing story of bravery in starting a new skill.

My one bit of advice (that you might not need!) is try to enjoy the journey of playing and learning every day, rather than purely focusing on results. I often fall into that trap and beat myself up. It should be an enjoyable process as much as possible. Just always find something to enjoy about it every day.

Thank you for sharing your story, welcome to the site, and post any questions you have!

-Carl.

Hi TwoHoot

Go for it!! Lisa's beginner lessons are great and there will be someone out there can talk you through any problems you have with your playing.

I've not heard any of Kris Kreistofferson's music - what are your favourite tracks - will check them out.

Toby

@ Toby

IMO, Kristofferson was mainly a song writer rather than a musician or vocalist.

The best CD is probably "Me and Bobby McGee" or "The Silver Tongued Devil and I". Other tracks worth listening to are:

Sunday Morning Comin Down

Help me make it through the night

The Law is for protection of the people (Could be written today)

Darby's Castle

The Pilgrim

To Beat the Devil

Much later, he made some good music with Rita Coolidge like Slow Down, I'd Rather be sorry

@ Carl King

Thanks for the advice about keeping it fun.

So far, it has been more interesting than fun. I do look forward to trying to learn to hold one string down without touching any of the others after I get through with all the routine tasks that go with living alone. I am really starting at the beginning of the beginning. It is both a mental and physical challenge.

Lisa McCormick's lessons are just perfect for me. If she can have me playing like Chet Atkins this time next year, I'll dance at her wedding with a cow bell around my neck.

My one question is about the guitar I have. It has a very narrow neck at the nut (38mm). That puts the first and sixth strings very near the ends of the first three fret bars. Is there a trick I should know for dealing with this?

sorry for your loss.

good luck on your guitar journey 🤘

Hey TwoHoot --

I'm curious, since you installed a new nut -- do you want to try posting a photo of your strings and how much space there is from the edge of the frets?

For instance, here is how much room I have on my PRS. I have about 5/16 of an inch from the high E string to the end of the wood, around the first fret. If the strings are too close to the edges of the frets it could definitely cause a problem.

-Carl.

Originally Posted by: TwoHoot

@ Toby

IMO, Kristofferson was mainly a song writer rather than a musician or vocalist.

The best CD is probably "Me and Bobby McGee" or "The Silver Tongued Devil and I". Other tracks worth listening to are:

Sunday Morning Comin Down

Help me make it through the night

The Law is for protection of the people (Could be written today)

Darby's Castle

The Pilgrim

To Beat the Devil

Much later, he made some good music with Rita Coolidge like Slow Down, I'd Rather be sorry

Kristofferson is definitely a better songwriter than he is a performer, but I still do like his gruff voice. He is just good enough that I could maybe sound alright singing one of his songs (if that makes any sense at all). [br][br]

Toby, if we're just talking about guitar players he is nothing to get excited about but for a few years in the early 70s he was a pretty influential singer/songwriter/actor that had a lot to do with the blending of country and light rock that was big at the time.[br][br]

Sunday Morning Coming Down is a really good song that captures the essence of a certain kind of pain and loneliness. He really paints clear images with his words on that one.

Why Me, Lord is another good one. Maybe a bit more religious than I would normally like, but it's still very relatable and his singing on that is really sincere.

Me and Bobby McGee is probably his most recognizable song but most people know the Janis Joplin version better. Really a lot of people wouldn't know that Kristofferson wrote it, would just assume it was Janis' song.[br][br]

Kris has had an interesting life. Rhodes Scholar, helicopter pilot in the army, started his music career as a janitor in a recording studio in Nashville where he introduced himself to Johnny Cash, and the rest (as they say) is history.

@TwoHoot @DavesGuitarJourney

Thanks for the suggestions and the potted life history - I'd heard of him as an actor, but not as a songwriter so will check out your suggestions.

I'm enjoying listening to a bit of Martha Tilston at the moment - folk - she's done a few free/donation facebook sessions from her cottage in Cornwall which are still available to watch :-)

See http://www.marthatilston.co.uk/

She also made a great documentary featuring some really interesting artists and lovely music which can be accessed through her website (pay donation to view).

@ Carl King

Here is a picture of my guitar neck at the nut. The new nut was 43 mm while the neck is only 38 mm. I started filing back the ends but decided to wait and get advice. The old nut put the strings closer together to get more space at the edge of the neck.

I am at Chap 2, Lesson 5 of the beginner course with Lisa McCormick. I have been trying to get my fingers in condition and accustomed to the new demands. I can now keep the 1st and 6th strings on the fret bars but have not learned to fret the interior strings to get clear tone on all. More practice will clear that up I think.

My personal Kristofferson favorite is certainly "The Pilgrim - Chapter 33".

Followed by "Darby's Castle" or "Help Me Make It Through The Night"

Originally Posted by: TwoHoot

@ Carl King

Here is a picture of my guitar neck at the nut. The new nut was 43 mm while the neck is only 38 mm. I started filing back the ends but decided to wait and get advice. The old nut put the strings closer together to get more space at the edge of the neck.

I am at Chap 2, Lesson 5 of the beginner course with Lisa McCormick. I have been trying to get my fingers in condition and accustomed to the new demands. I can now keep the 1st and 6th strings on the fret bars but have not learned to fret the interior strings to get clear tone on all. More practice will clear that up I think.

Hey Two Hoot, I can see those strings are SUPER close to the edges of the neck, and that's going to be difficult for sure. Any problem you have with keeping the strings on the neck isn't the result of your technique. That would be hard for anyone. After a little while, you might decide you want to go back to a 38mm nut and deal with the tighter string spacing instead of the fretting problem.

I'm curious, do you have a full length photo of that guitar? I'm interested in what the body looks like, since it has nylon strings...

-Carl.

@ Carl King

I put nylon strings on it simply because that is what it had when I got it. I don't know what it had originally.

The tag inside says Orlando Guitar Model 335 (may be 835) Japan. Stamped on a wood block at the base of the neck inside the hole are the numbers 197 (may be 107).

Originally Posted by: TwoHoot

@ Carl King

I put nylon strings on it simply because that is what it had when I got it. I don't know what it had originally.

The tag inside says Orlando Guitar Model 335 (may be 835) Japan. Stamped on a wood block at the base of the neck inside the hole are the numbers 197 (may be 107).

Awesome. I probably mentioned this somewhere but I love the sound of nylons on a regular acoustic. It's unusual, but that was my go-to guitar setup for years, and it was such a breeze to play, even with fast picking. I miss it!

-Carl.

I have a special place in my heart for To Beat the Devil (esp right now) - a brilliant piece of songwriting that shows mastery of the form in the breaking of its rules, and also Junkie the Juiceman and Me.

I love his voice and generally speaking prefer his versions of his songs to anyone else's (except Janis' Me and Bobby McGee). He doesn't have a perfect voice, but as Emmylou pointed out, your limitations define your style, and there is a special power in hearing the writer of a song sing it the way they hear it in their heads. Help Me Make It Through the Night and Sunday Morning Coming Down.. no one IMO communicated the pain better than Kris did (though Johnny Cash got pretty close on SMCD).