Postaday for January 8th: I Got Skills. If you could choose to be a master (or mistress) of any skill in the world, which skill would you pick?
Something musical. Guitar, drums, or piano. You should see me when I’m out on the road, going for a run, and something really good comes on the iPod. My fingers twitch, and I’ve been known to air-drum my way past amused on-lookers. Honestly, I secretly hope that one or more of them will, based solely on how my hands are moving, figure out what song I’m listening to.
Which is a silly dream but what are you going to do.
I would love to be able to shred like John Petrucci or Rodrigo of Rodrigo y Gabriella (or Gabriella, she’s awesome too) or Anouk or the lead guitarist for Daikaiju. Or any of a hundred other guitar maniacs that get me through my 5ks and 10ks. The way their fingers fly. Such mastery, such precision. I’d sit at home all day and just noodle. I have songs in my head, can make them up on the spot, no problem at all. I just can’t turn thoughts into notes
Not the way I can turn thoughts into words. And as I’ve mentioned before and will surely mention again, I love how, with writing, sometimes I don’t even know what’s going to be written until I’m in the middle of it. Imagine being able to do that with a wicked guitar solo!
Or piano. I’m a sucker for the Bach Partitas for solo harpsichord. There’s one in particular that I’ve heard a few different folks play, and this is going to sound super-arrogant, but none of them are playing it right. I don’t have a music degree, I’m no Bach-scholar, but what I wouldn’t give to be able to sit down and play that piece that I way I feel it should be be played.
Went to a Vanessa Carlton performance, once. In between songs she’d talk to the audience, and as she talked, her hands would just dance around the keyboard, making little things up without her putting too much thought or effort into. Effortless, that’s the key. I have a neighbor who can do that, just sit at the piano and make things happen without any planning or memorization.
But then there’s the drums. Oh man, the amount of energy that goes into pounding those skins. I’d love to sit down and just go nuts, sweat flying everywhere until my arms are on fire. I love it in a song when the drummer’s not just keeping the beat but workings his ass off.
I’ve often told people that I don’t think Danny Carey, the drummer for Tool, is a human being. He can’t be. Not the way he plays. If you kidnapped me 30 years ago and forced me to take lessons and practice drumming and threatened me Whiplash style, I still wouldn’t be able to play half as well as he does.
Oh, but if I could. Maybe it’s for the best though. If I had mastery over a musical instrument, I probably wouldn’t write.