so in the interest of remaining and declining time, it's time to start figuring that out.
i've been practicing an old junior wells tune, snatch it back and hold it, which features buddy guy on guitar. something with quick rhythmic figures. that's all i'm trying to get from this: to be able to use a pick when the piece demands a faster tempo than i can do with finger picking.
rehearsal saturday. band concert sunday. quintet concert tuesday. anything else? my fiddle teacher is talking about looking for other adult players for me to play with, to give me something to work towards that isn't the mostly technique-focused stuff i've been working on with her the last year or two. and my technique has gotten miles better: stronger tone, more comfort playing all the way up the neck (not just first position), but i've definitely been playing the same etudes over and over and over, month after month.
after this week the summer opens up and i don't know what's coming up. at least one quintet concert. maybe two. the band doesn't play again till the fall (funny how, years or decades on, we implicitly observe the school band calendar). but i'm busy, musically. not in the space i might've envisioned until recently, but it's good, and i'm happy. i'm playing with other musicians instead of alone in my little space in the basement.
my old dog is getting up earlier and earlier. 5:28 today. it's not even 6:30 as i write this. our first dog did this, too, especially during his last year. i try not to think about that too much. i let my dogs out. i put the moka pot on the stove. i sit down to write this entry.