Why the sudden interest in air guitar? Is it a geek thing? Ah, no. It’s that bloody Guitar Hero game. That episode of South Park was hilarious¹. And I thought this would be a geeky teenager sort of thing, but no… A couple of 30-something friends recently informed me that the game is awesome and a lot of fun. Next thing I know, the boss will be inviting us round to play Guitar Hero after the Christmas do. Blimey.

At any rate, I’ve been thinking of getting a real-live guitar for a while now. Or some other instrument to fill the small hole in my life that used to be plugged by bashing badly through some Mozart. It’s all very well going to concerts and enjoying listening to the truly talented. Somehow, that’s not as satisfying as playing your own crap, however sub-standard². As much as I love the tinkle of the piano, it’s getting ridiculous: I have two pianos on two different continents. Do I seriously want a third that I can’t ship to wherever my next job is?

So, I’m thinking quite seriously of getting a slightly more portable instrument. In half-seriousness, I suggested a tuba to Mr P, but he has so far failed to respond positively. Don’t know why… Having spent an evening watching Evelyn Glennie’s mastery of the marimba, I was very tempted to give up science so I could play that beautiful instrument all day long instead. But cold logic prevailed. No marimbas³. Also left off the list are violins, violas, cellos and basses. Can’t do the circular breathing required for woodwinds and brasses⁴. Bongo drums might drive the neighbours bonkers. I would LOVE to play the timpani, but it only works in an orchestral setting. The current targets are the geetar and perhaps harmonica/s. Both can be fairly melodic and hopefully idiot-proof enough to entertain ourselves with. I’m planning to steal my dad’s new harmonica next time I see him. He doesn’t like it; says it’s too fancy, expensive and painful compared to the cheap ones of his childhood. So, assuming I see him in Bahrain in the next few months, that’s one instrument for the D&P band down. We’ll need another, slightly more rhythmic, sound-producer. The frontrunner is still the guitar.

Which leaves us with the dilemma of: acoustic or electric? Electric has one awesome advantage: less finger pain… And amps. I can finally own an amp. I’ve always wanted my own amp. Well. Somewhere on my long list of things I want anyway. Imagine the neighbours. Think of the poor neighbourhood dogs. Somehow, I think Mr P is going to sit on that idea for the sake of his sanity.

¹ One of the few count-on-one-hand TV shows I’ve seen since the dog replaced TV in our lives. Watched it inna hotel-with-a-windmill in Solvang-the-fake-Danish-Californian-town, of all places. Weird life I lead.

² A bashed-out Chopin or Mozart gives me a certain perverse pleasure. In fact, many of my happy music moments as a child were bastardising whatever music I’d been set to practice and rocking out on Mozart. Clearly, there was a rock/pop-deficiency that my subconscious was trying hard to fill.

³ Nobody tell Mr P, but his Xmas pressie, stuffed lovingly into his already overflowing suitcase is somewhat related. No fear of him reading this blog. In its entire life, he’s not even read a word. He doesn’t even look at the Flickr photos. That man really lives on his own island…

⁴ And yet I would like to try the tuba….