Raining still....

"That would sound so much better with vocals."

That was Neil's comment after we finished murdering Mrs Robinson.

When I walked into the room at the beginning of the class, he was playing Dark Side of the Moon and scribbling down the chord progression for Money. After S&G, we spent the rest of the lesson working on my classical pieces.

You think he's trying to tell me something?

Singing isn't easy for me. I don't know if it's easy for most people. I don't think even Ariel or Arthi can get up and sing in front of a crowd, and for me singing in front of anyone is nigh impossible. I don't have a good voice. That shouldn't matter, because not everyone does. I'm not sure why it's so stressful for me.

I wish that the society I grew up in was more open to singing. There are so many cultures, present and past, that believe or believed singing to be as natural as speaking. (I'm not great at that either, but that's another issue.) I'm not going to start talking about how I should have been born in another time again, but it's sad how we don't really accept song in our daily lives anymore, aside from recorded music.

Sure, I can't blame it all on society, but it's not like I don't want to sing. I would love to be able to just leave self-conciousness and shyness behind and fly away. Playing guitar at the same time takes practice, but I'm confident that wouldn't be a problem for long. And I know the lyrics to most of what I play, so what's my problem?

Hmm.

By the way, Neil is not only a great teacher, but a really interesting guy...and one of my favourite sources of quotes. Here's a gem from today's lesson:

"Six-eight time is like...well, it's three, but it's also two."

Neil was also the one who first told me about Cookie Monster's new "A cookie is a sometimes food" song (the epitome of political correctness, I think).

So...I shall be going now, for the last time I think. Anything more I wanted to say will either turn up later or disappear forever into the misty realms of my half-dreaming mind. Though, of course, by disappearing into my mind, it may cause other thoughts to surface or resurface. You never know, do you?

A strong mind may fight the flow. A stronger mind may leave the river. Who has the courage to make a dream reality?