Elvis Ate Dynamite

Elvis

Ate

Dynamite

Good

Bye

Elvis

That’s a common mnemonic device to remember the standard tuning for a six-string guitar, from top (low E) to bottom (high E). At least according to my old guitar teacher at the Old Town School of Folk Music in Chicago.

I think about that mnemonic all the time, in part because I never particularly liked Elvis Presley and in part because it’s just kind of funny.

To be clear, though, I’m not here to tell anybody who they should or shouldn’t listen to. If you love Elvis, knock yourselves out. He never appealed to me, but that’s not what this site is about. It’s about music. And guitar playing. And guitar playing as a way of coping.

So who am I to judge anyone else’s taste in music.

You might have noticed that the world is … how to put this delicately? … on edge lately. Emotions run high. Politics is a full contact sport. Everyday, another outrage eclipses yesterday’s outrage. And tomorrow, another outrage will eclipse today’s.

So, what are we supposed to do? Give up? Lose hope? Quit fighting?

No, I don’t think so. I don’t think we have the luxury to do that. It’s our world and we have to do what we can to make it better. 

I’m showing both age and naïveté here, but I still think about that scene near the end of For Whom the Bell Tolls where Robert Jordan lies on the forest floor awaiting his likely death at the hands of Franco’s fascists and says, “the world is a fine place and worth the fighting for.” 

It is worth fighting for. The question is, how? Everyone has to find their own way to fight, grounded in their own skills and tailored to their own circumstances. Everyone has their own strengths and weaknesses, and each of us has to figure out where ours lie. 

After all, you can’t fight every battle, and you can’t fight any battle if you wear yourself out mentally, emotionally, or otherwise.

I’ve spent entirely too much time on social media over the past 15 years or so, so I say this based on personal experience and I mean it with love: For most of us, rage-posting, arguing with strangers, and doom-scrolling is not the way. With the exception of some very skilled social media accounts, that’s a waste of time and a huge waste of mental and emotional energy for the average person. Most of us, no matter how well-intentioned, will not change anyone else’s mind, but we will harm our own. 

Or maybe that’s just me. Who knows.

Anyway, I think the more effective way to build a better world around you is to get involved in your local community. Find local organizations that do good work and get involved. Which is not to say you should ignore national or international organizations — those that do good work deserve your support and involvement as well. But people in your community likely need immediate help, and local organizations are often in the best position to help them.

And stay in touch with family, friends, and neighbors. Keep positive relationships strong and let the people around you know you’re there for them. Positive change usually happens from the bottom up, not the top down.

Circling back to music and guitar playing and coping, that, I think, is why I launched this site. Not to fight those battles here, but to have a place to recharge, share things that are positive and meaningful to me, and find some peace of mind.

And then get back in the fight.

So, I hope you’ll stop by from time to time for the camaraderie, positive vibes, and other assorted nonsense. Even if you’re an Elvis fan.