Dreams

Dear Middle School Drumset,

You were clunky and old and quite frankly, horribly maintained, but that’s because 11-14 year olds beat on you daily. You made me think I was special – I was the first person in my class to play a backbeat on you when I was 12. You had a head patched with duct tape on it because you were so badly beaten, but you were my home. My introduction to music. Thank you for letting me beat on you for a couple of years without knowing what I was doing.

Sincerely,

Your professionally unprofessional beater

Dear Middle School Guitars

You had nylon strings that somehow built up rust and dents and knicks all over you and I hated the way you sounded. You sounded dull and dark, almost as if someone were muffling you with a towel but I knew it was because of your strings. Nylon-stringed guitars are used for classical music, not contemporary. I usually left you behind for a steel-stringed acoustic guitar that sat in the front of the classroom. Looking back on it now, I don’t regret it because it made my fingers stronger than you could. However, I now appreciate the sound, knowing that you were made for a specific type of music. Thank you for being my introduction to guitar, even though I ignored you most of the time. 

Sincerely,

The one who left you behind

Dear Iron Man Guitar,

You were my first guitar. My parents got you when I was 13 and I had expressed that I wanted to learn guitar. Your thin neck and smooth strings made it easy to play, but my parents didn’t know anything about you. I didn’t take care of you very well, I kept the same strings on you for almost a year not realizing that it would affect your playing and comfort. I remember the first time I changed your strings and opened up the cavity where the pickups were kept to see what it looked like. I was enthralled with your electronics. I wanted to learn every aspect of you and every other guitar. You made me realize how serious my love for music is, and I love you for that. 

Sincerely,

Your grateful owner

Dear Classic Rock,

My dad listened to you since the day you came out. I naturally became a fan, simply because I’ve been exposed since I was little. Led Zeppelin, Aerosmith, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Motley Crue, ACDC, Heart, and so much more. The classic blues-driven feel with screeching vocals and RALLY cool guitar solos. I learned so many of your songs when I first started playing guitar because of your simplicity in chord progressions and scales. I still listen to you fairly regularly, however, my music taste has grown and evolved over the years. Thank you for always being there when I need a throwback.

Sincerely,

Your sentimental listener

Dear Indie Music,

At first, I didn’t like you. I thought you were messy, unstable, and poorly recorded. I didn’t like that no one knew who you were, and I especially hated that it was really hard to find an artist I liked. I was introduced to you through a youtube video a couple of years ago. I wanted to find out more about you. I slowly became enthralled with your messiness. The fact that you weren’t perfect or “beautiful.” I started to like that no one knew who you were. That you were unique. There are a lot of misconceptions about you. That you are just one genre or type of sound. Some think you consist of Lana Del Rey, that’s it, but it’s ok because that means some people know who you are, even if it’s wrong. You woke me up and made me realize there is more to music than the most popular artists at the moment. Thank you for that.

Sincerely,

Your enemy-to-lover

Dear Music Industry,

You created the artists that I love. The ones that push me through hard times and pump me up on the good days. I want to be a part of you someday. All of the endless parties and moshing, traveling to new places, meeting new people, and creating music that others love. But it’s hard to imagine this dream because it’s not realistic for me. Women only make up 21 percent of the music industry and that’s just the tip of the iceberg. Why do you make it so hard for women? Why are we held to a higher standard than men? I would like to know for future reference. Why is it that some of the people who “make it” have no skill and somehow blow up overnight? Why is it that despite all of this, you are still my dream? I still love you, flaws and all. I guess nothing is perfect. Even dreams. Thank you for showing that to me.

Sincerely,

Your imperfect dreamer.

Featured Image: “Guitar [1]” by Яick Harris is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0.