Musical Notes and Thoughts

Where to even begin? Although not intended, I ended up practicing almost three hours today: lost track of time. Short-term, that isn’t wise, as I need to build more hand strength first. Though, as mentioned yesterday, this instrument is nowhere near as taxing on the left hand compared to any instrument I’ve previously had.

I was starting to work on a piece I hadn’t even attempted to play in over 40 years (it would have been impossible on my previous bass: one section requires fingering stopped notes way beyond the end of the fingerboard, and on that bass I had zero chance of reaching them). As I started working on the first section of the piece, it was going far better than it should have been.

That was leaving me stunned. And that brings me to the main points of this post. First, there are some signs that on the new instrument, my playing may end up being the best it has ever been. There is a chance—way too soon to confirm though—that the difference won’t even be close.

Second, and this is the biggest point, while I was practicing this evening I believe I heard God say that He was now restoring all the years the canker worm had eaten. We’re talking decades here. Those of you who know me well, know that when I lost everything (I write about that in my second book: One in Christ: Growing toward Christian Maturity), the one thing I’ve really missed all these years was my circa 1850 French double-bass.

While I’ve been thankful for the bass I’ve had these last 30 years, it wasn’t at that quality level. While I used it in a number of recitals (some really good, others just ok), it was an instrument that in some ways I’ve always had to fight with. This new instrument eliminates all that. It is a joy to play. And that gets us to the last point of God’s restoring the years the canker worm has eaten. For my solo playing purposes, this new bass is better than the 1850 French bass I lost.

I am left very humbled and thankful to God. Where He will end up taking all this I’m looking forward to finding out.

I’m also seeing God working out all things for good. Had the luthier not done what she did to my other instrument, I’d never have thought to get this new one.