Making music

  I have three stringed friends who’ve been keeping me occupied through lockdown - my guitar, mandolin and ukelele. Depending on my mood I can pick up either one of them and continue conversation with the instrument. That means playing, either picking or strumming, and often singing. I’m not as good at playing a melody on them but quite good at strumming to accompany a melody already in my head. It’s really therapeutic day by day, even on my own, though I prefer playing along with family members, friends and groups I’m in.  I was given my guitar forty years ago by a musical friend whose son wasn’t interested in it. It’s classical which means it’s got nylon strings, has a great sound and stays in tune well. It’s the only stringed instrument I’ve got on which I can easily do ‘arpeggio’, individual notes rather than just chords. It’s lovely to play a tune note by note repeating it to perfection - or part perfection! The action of making music takes you out of yourself once you get the bas