Inspiration...

I have recently said that I am keeping these posts centered around my musical aspirations and I feel comfortable in doing just that. That being said... I find I have to include the topic of "inspiration". Something (or someone) has to inspire me to be musically creative. Perhaps it shouldn't be that way but... there it is!

Music has always been an important part of my life. In the early days of elementary and high school it was an activity that I just kind of liked more than anything else. I had a wonderful music teacher from the 4th grade all the way to freshman year in high school. Mr. Rueben D. Tuttle (sp?) was a musical inspirtion for me and many others. I started out wanting to play drums (of course) but after spending hours on "practice pads" ( a 4 inch square of rubber mounted to a piece of hardwood atop a snare drum stand) I was not inspired!

Mr. Tuttle recognized my lack luster attitude and asked me about it. I think I told him that this was not what I was hoping for. When he asked me what other instrument I might want to try... I had no clue. Other kids were working with instruments like clarinets, saxophones, trumpets and I think there may have even been a flute player but... none of those really "spoke" to me. Mr. tuttle asked if he might make a suggestion and of course I said yes.

He suggested the trombone. Well, of course he would... it was the instrument that he played. (Actually, he played them all but the trombone was the one he played the most). When I asked him about why the trombone the answer I remember most vividly was along the lines of "The trombone has a slide and not levers and pads. That means that the trombone can play notes in between the notes that the other instruments can play. It is the only wind instrument that can do that!"

Needless to say... I started learning the trombone. In fact I still have my old Conn trombone although I have not played it in decades.

Mr. Tuttle could be quite the task master but he made learning and playing music fun! You could see the enjoyment in his mannerisms when he played and you could definitely see the joy in his eyes when we came together to put on a performance. He was an inspiration!

In my high school years I stayed in band and I got into rock and roll. My first combo was a 5 piece called the Riptides and we did mostly surf music covers. I had a little electric organ called a Magnus Electric Chord Organ so I was the keyboard player.

Magnus Electric Chord Organ

There were a lot of high school guys getting into bands in the mid and late 1960's in our area and musicians were migrating from one band to another. Eventually I ended up in another combo (this time a 6 piece) called The Lords and we did fairly well but that's for another post.

Getting back to inspiration... right... I remember! So in high school there was the inspiration to be a musician in a performing combo for the chics (of course) and to be cool (of course) and to be doing something that most other kids were not doing... and (wait for it)... someone will actually pay us as well?

That kind of inspiration kept me going for years. Then I discovered song writing and that was a bit different. Like many, my first songs had to do with a broken heart or unrequited love. Then (because it was the 60's) I was "inspired" to write about everything that was "wrong" with the world. Luckily, that approach got old for me very fast! It was around that time I think I made my first rule about song writing: "You can complain about whatever you want but before the song is over you had better have at least one positive example to remedy the situation!". Ever since then I have done my best to follow that rule.

Some of my best and most inspired songs have been written about the woman I love or my kids. Others have been inspired by things I have witnessed, experienced or believe to be of great value. Every now and then a song will come ripping into my head out of nowhere and those, as rare as they are, tend to usually be amazing!

But today... today I find myself inspired by the rediscovery of and reconnection with an old friend. This guy and I go way back and it has been many years since we last conversed but recently he found me across the miles and years and the magic of the music that helped us form such a strong bond back in the Vietnam era has rekindled an old spark for music that I was not even aware had begun to flicker. This is inspiration for me now and it feels like it is growing within me.

Sure... one can live a life with many kind of inspiration or without any kind of inspiration at all. But for me to have the musical part of my self inspired... that is very cool indeed!