I have had, in my life, some fine guitars. I possess one now, a sweet Gibson J45 dreadnought that I bought new in 1974. It is just beginning to have that wonderful Gibson sound that fine instruments begin to have once they have existed a while. It will continue to improve. with reasonable care, and be a masterpiece of instrumentation in another 25 years or so.
I, on the other hand, will not. I have played musical instruments of one kind or another for 46 years. I am not an accomplished master guitarist, but I have achieved competence, and have not been ashamed to play for myself and others over the years. Over time, I have noticed my singing voice become less and less rich, replaced by a rather reedy tone. I have consoled myself with the fact that I can still sing a note with a reasonable expectation that I will not be too high or low. I have gone from being a singer to being a "song stylist", as the great Johnny Cash once described himself.
However, one can lie to oneself for only so much time. Some friends came over to my home today for a visit. Their daughter is learning guitarist, so I dragged out the Gibson from my closet to give her a chance to play an instrument with real quality. As musicians are wont to do, as she finished playing, I picked it up. It has been a couple of years since I touched it, so I knew that I would be rusty, but I was not prepared for the cold fact that I simply could no longer play.
I immediately remembered the day my father picked up one of my guitars (I was 16, he would have been 41) and came to his own realization that his once formidable skills were no longer there. I was young and stupid, of course, and it is only now that I realize what the look on his face meant, as I feel the same loss myself. It is not a good thing to endure this downhill process with it's obvious end result.
My guitar now resides in my daughter's closet. She has expressed an interest in playing and knows a song or two. Her musical talents are many and far exceed my own, so the old Gibson will be in good hands. I lay this thing down with the best grace that I can, and try not to grow angry at the wasted time in my life when I could have, and should have, become the master of at least something.......
