Lucy likes music, which I’m thankful for because it’s a pretty big part of my life and has been since as long as I can remember. I’ve found that she likes country, southern rock and folky stuff (as long as the guitar solos don’t go on too long) and a variety of other things, depending on her mood and mine. But, I’ve also discovered that playing the guitar for her can calm us both down when things are getting stressful.

We had kind of a tough day recently with gas pains causing her trouble on and off throughout most of the day, so a few times I tried to put on a mini concert for her to lighten the mood. I think banging on the strings distracts her and then throwing in the occasional picking of chords does the same. Nothing seems to impress her per se, but she seems to like the sounds I make, which leave much to be desired, trust me (I started off as a bass player, which says a lot). A few times, I’ve even noticed her tapping her feet excitedly against her bouncy seat.

Sorry about the darkness of the video. It’s not easy setting up the Flip in the bedroom, get her in the frame, watch the light, play and record. I really wish it was brighter, but I think you get the idea. The song I’m playing is one I’ve had bouncing around in my head since high school or maybe college. I have a small obsession with surf rock and those awesome lines bands like The Ventures wrote on a regular basis. As you can tell the parts with chords instead of notes is still pretty sloppy and I’m working that out. Anyway, Lucy really seemed to dig it at the time, which was was I was going for.

It’s a nice distraction for both of us because it takes her mind off of whatever’s bothering (or boring) her and gives me a chance to work on whatever song I’ve had stuck in my head for a while. I’ve even gone electric by plugging into my amp which she seems to like as long as I don’t go too crazy with the distortion pedals. I’d like to say I’m helping to build a foundation for her own musical journey as she grows up and discovers what she likes. Hopefully, if she wants, music will be a big part of her life and I can offer her a few things to listen to just like my dad did when I was younger.