The Fellowship of the Guitar

I often meet people in my work who once played the guitar but can no longer do so because of an illness or injury.  Yesterday I was asked by an activities director to spend some one:one time with a man named Raymond who used to play the guitar but due to a spinal cord injury, he cannot move the right side of his body.

There is something about people who play(ed) guitar. There is a lot that we share and talk about.  For instance just the make of the guitar is a topic that can bring up some interesting stories. Back when I was starting out, there were a few name brand acoustic guitars that most serious players sought to own. Names like Martin & Gibson for instance. Nowadays though, there are just as many private builders of guitars as there are players. One of my guitars was made here in Ivy, VA and a lot of people find that interesting.

Then there is the way we learn guitar has changed so much over the years and since the internet. Back when i was learning in the 70s, if I wanted to learn a song, I'd have to purchase a whole book or sheet music for that one song. Now, I can almost always find it online.  There are also many ways to learn online from Skype lessons to DVDs and such.

Not to mention then there are so many genres you can play on the guitar from country, folk, blues, jazz, classical, rock & roll. You can play with your fingers (fingerstyle) or with a pick. Electric/acoustic... and on and on, you get the idea.

It is always a good experience for me to meet someone who loves the guitar as much as I do. I cannot imagine not being able to play anymore. But I could see yesterday the spark in Raymond's eyes when we talked about his old Gibson and the country band he played in. We talked about my guitar and the woods it is made from.  I could see that talking about guitars brought him a lot of comfort and happiness. I know it can't be any substitute for playing a guitar, but at least I feel good that I was able to talk to him in a way others could not really understand. We guitarists have a kind of fellowship that only we understand. If you play the guitar --do you know what I mean? Here's to us!
Thank you, Raymond for helping me remember what a special gift it is to play guitar every day.