I play guitar. These days, my skills have eroded from neglect.
Once upon a time, I spent hours working on bluegrass licks and delta
blues tunes. Even so, quitting my day job would not have been a good
idea. At their peak my abilities never rose above the level of
enthusiastic amateur.
By contrast to my middling skills, there are genuine guitar virtuosos.
Delta blues artists like Robert Johnson and Muddy Waters shaped that
genre. Doc Watson stood out among bluegrass pickers. One of the greatest
guitarists of all time was jazzman Django Reinhardt. And if I’m going
to be really honest about my listening habits, Neil Young still rocks.
You may not agree that this is a list of virtuoso guitarists. Your list
may include different names and different genres. But you probably know
what I mean by “virtuoso.”
A virtuoso has achieved a level of excellence that serves as an example
to others. She or he influences how a community of musicians approaches
their instruments. In guitar circles you learn to play by sitting with
and emulating more accomplished musicians.
The Christian moral life bears a resemblance to playing the guitar. Being good means being virtuous.
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