Declan took his guitar down from the wall and started strumming. Something about the way he was playing caught my ear, and I just sat and listened. I loved the way it sounded. The instrument was out of tune, he was playing random notes, but it didn’t matter. Something about it was just beautiful to me.
I was reminded of an interview with Sheryl Crow who said that while you can play the same chords on the guitar as James Taylor, you’ll never sound like him. There’s just something about the way it sounds against his body when he plays, it’s magical. That’s how I feel about Declan’s music on the guitar.
I said, “I just love your songs, Declan.” He seemed pleased but also matter-of-fact about it. “I just make them up.” He asked me if I play guitar, gesturing to the adult-sized one hanging next to his on the wall. I told him no, but I’d always wanted to learn. He asked why I hadn’t learned. I started to reply, “I never took lessons,” but I don’t want him to think that the only way to learn things is through lessons. So I said, “I just never got the hang of it.” He said brightly, “I can teach you!” And he proceeded to show me how to strum and move my fingers around to change notes. How great is this kid?