MercyMe’s beautiful song “Homesick” is an emotional and powerful journey. Most of us have had the experience of losing someone we love (I shared my personal grief story in the above video), and having to carry on without them, clinging to the hope, peace, and faith that we will see our loved ones again one day. It’s hard to be vulnerable and raw. Sharing songs that make us feel intensely human is uncomfortable and intimidating. Yet, if I can push myself beyond the boundaries of emotional comfort, I’ll grow as a singer, as a budding guitarist, and as a person who can make meaningful connections with others.
With shared connection comes healing for not only myself, but I desire healing for you as well. I’m grateful to such talented songwriters and performers as MercyMe. I especially feel my eyes welling with tears over these song lyrics from “Homesick”: “I close my eyes, and I see your face”, “Lord, won’t you give me strength to make it through somehow, I’ve never been more homesick than now”, and the entire bridge: “In Christ, there are no good-byes, and in Christ, there is no end. So I’ll hold on to Jesus with all that I have, to see you again, to see you again.”
My adventures in learning how to play the guitar continue. “Homesick” features two chords that I struggle with (F and Bm), and I’ve not yet conquered either of those. So, you might notice some stumbling, missing some of the notes, or even skipping over the chords altogether if I wasn’t fast enough to make a chord shape land. These challenging chords will take more time to master, even though these versions are the among the easiest variations for beginners. I have small hands and the stretch is difficult. These chords also require moving the hand to an area of the neck that’s farther away from the basic chords, so I need to get my speed up.
And, new to today’s filmed practice is finger strumming, instead of using a guitar pick. There’s something special about the human hand connecting directly with guitar strings, making them vibrate while strumming (reminds me of playing a harp). Instead of using a man-made pick, usually made of plastic, I can feel the strings. It’s easier to “sculpt” the sound, using more or less pressure, gliding the fingers slowly and smoothly to get the full notes from a chord, or bouncing off the strings with a quick flick of the wrist. There’s such a finesse to it all, and for me, it’s more intuitive than using a pick. So far, in my experience, it’s more natural to communicate emotion through music if playing the guitar with my own hands, directly on the strings.
The downside to finger strumming? I’m not sure if it will always be this way, but I found it easier to make mistakes when it comes to skipping sounds, as my fingers lose contact with the strings more often than a plastic pick does. I think this sloppiness is something that will improve over time. Also, my finger strumming is quieter than playing with a pick, so that’s another factor to consider. I don’t know how often I’ll opt for playing without a pick, but I already felt more connected to the music with finger strumming, and it was easier to play the strings slowly and delicately.
Another downside: I found finger strumming more difficult to play at a fast and dynamic tempo than when using a pick, so this method of playing might not work well for other types of songs. I’ll probably try playing without a pick whenever I want to strum the strings slowly, deliberately, and with emotion, which might end up being very often. I definitely won’t be throwing my guitar picks away though – fingers start to feel sore after a while, but plastic picks feel no pain!
