Guitar Update #1: Naming, and Guitar Pain

Howdy, folks. Welcome to "Guitar update #1." I won't discuss much about playing yet, because I don't know anything. Except that...


Somehow, my fingers simultaneously feel as if they've been cut, burned, and poked against a hard surface repeatedly (the first 1/4" of tissue feels numb and sore- how they can feel numb and sore at the same time, I may never know). So just imagine having the tips of your fingers slammed in a door, burned, and cut, and that's more or less what it's like to play the guitar before you develop the calluses.

You eventually develop sufficient calluses, and after that, you don't have to deal with the potentially horrific, confusing pain. Kile II mentioned it tonight. "Oh yeah, you'll wish you were dead before you perfect the F Minus doublechord." I think he was just talking big, but I don't care if he was just talking big, an F Minus doublechord sounds scary, real or not.

So far, I've learned to tune it with the electric tuner. That's big stuff for me. That electric tuner is intimidating. I've learned that...a lot of things about guitars are intimidating.

Don Feldick mentioned today that I need to get a pick up or up pick, which amplifies the sound. That might be interesting...maybe I can turn an acoustic guitar into an electric guitar! I'd be known as "The First Fool to kill himself plugging in his Acoustic Guitar...Note To All: THE CORD GOES INTO A SPECIFICALLY DESIGNED PICK UP OR UP PICK, NOT TWISTED ONTO THE STRINGS."



I'm pondering what to name it. Here are my top names (no order):

HAL (Super Smash Bros. fame)
Charlotte (Charlotte's Web fame)
Samus (Metroid fame)
Retro (Retro Studios of Metroid fame)
FLUDD (Super Mario Sunshine fame)
Echo (Metroid Prime 2: Echoes name)

First, I thought of Charlotte. It is a "sand burst" design, and it looks "rustic." For some reason, Charlotte's Web makes me think of "rustic."
Then, I thought of HAL. I always liked the dog mascot of HAL Laboratory, Inc.
Then I thought of Samus, but I think I want to wait to name my first $5,000 guitar Samus. Damn, that's a good name.
Then I thought of Retro, after Retro Studios, which developed the Metroid Prime trilogy.
Then I thought of FLUDD, from Super Mario Sunshine. (Ctrl+F and find for "FLUDD" if you're looking at the link.)

Then I thought of Echo, after Metroid Prime: Echoes, my favorite Metroid game, and easily in my top 5 nostalgic games. (May I never lose interest in it.) Nice, short name. Has some basis in reality- you know, sound wave type stuff. While it is tempting to name the guitar Samus- the more I think about it, the better that name is for a guitar- I'm going to wait until I can play well, then purchase a good guitar and name it Samus.

Plus, Echo is not a very personable name, so hopefully I won't get too attached. I don't know how I'll get rid of this guitar when the time comes to upgrade in a few years...but I think I may burn it. Six final broken strings later...it will be gone.

So, M.P. Echo it is. My dad tried to play an A Major chord today; his fingers are way too big. I wonder if people have finger reduction surgery to be able to play the guitar. I bet they do.

Originally posted on my main blog, Winter Ends Too Soon, on February 27th, 2008.