white belt

as many players have done before, i named the guitar i play. it's called WHITE BELT. in my defense, i can only say that i have owned several other guitars before, and this is the first one where i felt i couldn't resist.

i won't dive into (male) psychology (i wonder if there are any female players naming their instruments....), i just want to share these pictures and tell you about a great little book that was the inspiration for this name.

 ZEN GUITAR is written by philip toshio sudo, and it contains short chapters on practicing and playing the guitar, drawing on zen philosophy. a central idea is to play from beginner's mind, not hampered by any expectations that come from previous learning and experiences. this doesn't mean that you shouldn't practice, but rather that you practice in such a way that what you learn enables you better to express yourself. if the black belt is a symbol for mastering techniques, the white belt stands for this beginner's mind. this guitar in a way helps me to get there because it asks me to look at familiar things in a new way.