Music, the language of the mind

An awe-inspired fan once told me a famous master of the flamenco style, “I would give my life to play as well as you do.” The guitarist responded, “I already did.”

To me, music is the language of the mind, and the melodious arpeggio of a burnished walnut instrument speaks what cannot be written in words. I would love to be able to speak through the strings of a guitar, be able to combine my thoughts into a symphony of metal, wood, and broken air. I can play the guitar, at a rudimentary level, but I have not reached the plateau where I can truly play with feeling. It is the emotion behind the instrument that transforms it into an artistic creation, an extension of a tuned ear, a tapping foot, and a trained hand.

If I could give my life, as that musician did, to practice and study the guitar, I would.