My guitar gently weeps

I wish I were more musical. Or musical in the least. In middle school, I signed up for band, wanting badly to play the flute. I was told my teeth were too crooked and my mouth was wrong for some reason, and so was assigned the clarinet. I played the clarinet poorly and briefly. I wanted to play more, but all I had the music for was King Williams March. I sought out cool clarinet music, but didn't find any. (was there any "cool flute music?) I'm sure its out there, but Metallica didn't have any clarinets, nor did Def Leppard. Or Duran Duran or B52s for that matter. (I had quite the varied musical taste.) It was the 80s, I should have played sax. Anyway, eventually I tired of King Williams March, and so I quit band. I am not really sure why we only played one song. this could be an instance where a different instructor may have changed my clarinet destiny.

A few years later, my mother started taking classes in flamenco guitar playing. (This wanting to be a musician thing must be hereditary- my mother continues to not play an instrument, to my knowledge) The guy who taught her class told her about a man he knew in a small town in Mexico who made really good guitars (except for when he was on a bender, which would delay production.) She bought one for herself, and had one made for me as well. I was very excited, even though I wanted an electric guitar. I started taking lessons after school, was hungry to learn to play anything I recognized. Apparently the guitar teacher was of the same one song mind as the band teacher so I learned Edelweiss. I even played it at some school event. I begged the teacher to teach me anything else. Black Sabbath! Led Zepelin! He gave me the music for a Neil Diamond song I'd never heard of.

I recently go that guitar back from my mom. She has been dragging this guitar around with her for the last 18 years (ouch, I just did the math) It has moved around Mexico, Texas, drove across country, been in storage. The case is falling apart, the guitar slightly cracked, and endearingly crooked in its assembly.

I've been thinking of my non-musical-ity because we are getting a guitar for H for Christmas. There was much back and forth, and I'm still not sure its right. J plays guitar, bass, and has built one of each. He has the musical ear I so covet. Hopefully the girls got those genes. We took her to a guitar store to gauge her reaction, and she was pretty excited. She also confirmed my suspicions that no plain boring wood colored guitar would (wood, ha!) do. Must be either fuchsia or purple.

Do I want H to play guitar because I don't? Because I plan to teach myself while teaching her? Maybe. Is that so bad?