Fun without fear
Charlie is taking guitar lessons.
I am learning to play the piano.
Last night, for reasons I don’t quite understand, Charlie decided to experiment with the audio cables of the guitar, amplifier, keyboard, and his laptop.
In very short order:
- He was playing his keyboard through his amplifier
- He was playing his guitar through the keyboard
- He had downloaded software onto his laptop that allowed him to play a digital keyboard on the computer through his amplifier
- He was able to play music on the keyboard and have the software on his computer recognize and record the keys being played
I have been a wedding DJ for 25 years. I have been battling with audio cables for nearly a quarter of a century. Problem solving endless audio issues. Constantly experimenting to improve sound quality. Improvising and inventing when the situation demanded it.
“We need a speaker on the balcony. Sound in the garden for the ceremony. Music and a microphone on the dance floor. And here is your single, ungrounded electrical outlet. Be ready in 15 minutes.”
Watching Charlie, this was the first time in all these many years that I found joy in the manipulation of audio cables. The first time when this kind of experimentation and problem solving actually looked fun.
Absent the looming stakes and ever-present pressure of two people preparing to celebrate one of the most important and expensive days of their lives, Charlie found excitement and engagement in figuring out how things work. Making them work. Determining why they work.
It turns out that when you can experiment without the fear of the unsolved problem and the potential for disaster, even audio cables can be fun.
I was so impressed with Charlie last night.
Also so jealous of him.
I will not be recommending that he become a wedding DJ. Why spoil such a good thing by turning it into a job?
