I would like to remind everyone of a resource that is free, full of information and is usually within minutes of your home.  I’m talking about your local public library, a wonderful resource that many in the Internet age forget.  I had the day off and found my way to our local branch that is only a few blocks away, with the goal of finding some books to help me with my playing and broaden my musical knowledge.  When I arrived at my branch, I was pleasantly surprised by how many were waiting to get in.  A scene that contradicts my earlier, “Internet age has forgotten libraries” statement.  Lots of moms and their kids and people like me looking for little inspiration.  

Our local branch is a bit small so the music section didn’t have too much but I did find a few books that peaked my interests.

• “Bernstein, A Biography” –  One of my favorite composers and not because of West Side Story, which is great, but because of his Mass.  I was privileged enough to be part of a performance of The Mass when I was in College and it was an incredible experience.
• “Written in my Soul” –  I’m always looking for insight in songwriting and this book contains stories from some of the great songwriters like Paul Simon, Sting, Elvis Costello, Bob Dylan and Joni Mitchell, to name a few
• “John Renbourn, Fingerstyle Guitar”  –  I was going to buy this book and still might, but I get to try it out for free first.

So if you got a couple hours spare time, give your local branch a try.  You might find something there that you might have never thought about otherwise.