Tuesday, April 28, 2026

In November I began teaching myself guitar using the Mel Bay Modern Guitar Method Complete Edition and Justin Sandercoe’s Justin Guitar app. I usually practice once a day for 30 to 45 minutes.

I inherited my mother’s very fine cello, and after trying unsuccessfully for three years to sell it on consignment, I decided to learn to play it. Unlike my parents and my siblings, I am not gifted musically, so I do not expect to play it very well. But I am attempting this because it will make me learn something new, and playing will provide social interactions if I get good enough to join an amateur ensemble. I have my first lesson on May 9, 2026.

I am running every other day, and I have been entering short races for the past five months.

I do a lot of reading, and as I finish a book I usually write a post on this blog. I recently finished reading the following books (watch for reviews on this site):

• Bach’s Cello Suites by the cellist Steven Isserlis
• Jacqueline du Pré: Her Life, Her Music, Her Legend by Elizabeth Wilson
• The Universal Timekeepers: Reconstructing History Atom by Atom by David Helfand

Among several books I’m reading right now are Learn Faster, Perform Better: A Musician’s Guide to the Neuroscience of Practicing by Molly Gebrian and the mystery novels written by a friend, Maple Quinn.