I want to thank Phillip McNight and his guitar playing friend for the great review of my Rock-iT Barre Guitar Chord Device.  I met him at NAMM last year, and I could tell he was a straight shooter, and has a great reputation for honest and accurate reviews.  I also may pick up one of the other aides he talks about for my own use.

It has been a while since I started this blog.  You will now be hearing from me more often from here on out :)

I just retired as a certified nurse midwife at the beginning of January, 2019, due to my arthritis in my hands.  I have delivered many thousands of babies throughout my life.  I will truly miss helping moms and babies, as it has been a part of my life since 1977.  However this gives me more opportunity to spend more time on my Rock-iT Barre, addressing your questions, and seeing what else we can do with it.  I am really looking forward to this!

I just went to NAMM 2019 (National Association of Music Merchants)  in Anaheim, California.  I had never even heard of NAMM before,  even though playing and performing music since I was 14.  Last summer, August, 2018, I thought to myself that I should start trying to get my Rock-iT Barre Invention out to more people.   I was googling tradeshows for music as a possible option, and the name NAMM came up.  When I contacted them, I realized that maybe I was in over my head.  However, a man named Alfredo was so kind and guided me through the process of obtaining a booth.

I had a 5ft x 10 ft booth there, and though very small, I was located right as you walked in the door of building E (the basement, where all the new and smaller booths are).  I had no idea what it would be like, and frankly, I was a little intimidated to go there.   I was afraid that I would be shunned by those advanced musicians, and that it might be a long week.  I am so glad I bucked up and went! I met so many great people from all over the world, and made some important contacts.  What an experience!

I know that right now there is so much division in our country, with the our news channels debating  non stop, crazy accusations against each political party, but at NAMM, it was fun to see how so many people from so many walks of life came together and got along with a common interest - music.  I loved it!     Nobody cared what political or religious persuasion you were - just that you loved or played music in your own way.  They were a very accepting group!

Some of the people I enjoyed meeting the most were the educators from across our country.  We were able to discuss learning options and opportunities for teens and elementary children.  You could tell that they were there to find new ways to help open the door  of music to all children.  They didn't appear to be there for any monetary gains, but truly for the right reason - helping and serving their students.    A shout out to all of them!

I also enjoyed meeting some classical guitar players at the GAMA events.  I basically crashed their breakfast meeting, ate a free breakfast, and worried that I really belonged there at all.   I will talk more about that experience later.....

Thanks for reading!  Let me know your thoughts, and if any of you have ever been to NAMM, or if you even knew what it was before reading this.  I'm really curious if I was in the minority or majority in this regard. 

~Laurie~

I just want to take a quick second to thank you for joining me on this journey of discovery with guitar playing! Maybe you are new to the guitar and are eager to learn quickly. Maybe you are struggling with arthritis or missing a finger and find it impossible to play guitar. My hope is that, no matter where you are starting. you can find some ideas and tricks to help you on your journey of playing the guitar.

Make no mistake! Guitar playing is a journey - not just the natural progression of gaining more skills, but also the introspection and character development that it inspires. Guitar playing can change your life!

As you follow this blog, feel free to reply with questions or comments. I want hear about your journey and answer any questions you may have along the way. 

Thanks again for for joining me on this musical journey!
Laurie