Tag: guitar

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Too Aware to Play Along

Describe something you learned in high school.

There are a lot of people I know
who say high school was a waste of time…

—and I get it.

For some…
especially artists and musicians…
it never felt like a place
that knew what to do
with a fire inside—

more about obedience…
than imagination…

But for me—
it was different.

Those four years gave me something real…

I had free chorus… music classes…
adding even more
to the years I already lived in—

that’s where it happened—
I discovered my love
for writing…
for literature.

English—
that was probably my favorite…

History came close—
science right behind it…

Math…?

I could do it… sure—
but I never felt it.

I understood it—
just never connected to it.

Sports gave me another kind of education—
one built on sweat…
pressure…
timing…
and skill you had to prove…

The social side though…
I could’ve done without that.

It was the usual divide…
the cool kids…
then everyone else…

—and me…

somewhere in between…
too aware to play along—

But the teachers—
they mattered.

I had real connections there…

My building construction teacher…
he was one of the guys…

Sometimes we’d sneak behind the shed—
smoke a cigarette…
talk about life…

Other days—
we’d all jump him…
wrestle him to the ground…
leave him covered in dirt…
shirt torn up…

He’d walk into the teacher’s lounge
looking like he survived a tornado…

trying to explain what happened…

Man… we loved that guy.

But my English teacher—

she changed everything.

She introduced me to Julius Caesar…
my first taste of Shakespeare…

Lighting a path to more great literature…

And then there was music class—

where I learned something
I still tote today…

The power… of the rest.

Silence—

In music…
what isn’t played…
can speak louder
than what is.

Same with writing… 😎

So yeah…

I gained a lot from that place.

Funny thing—

earlier today…
before I even saw this prompt…

I was listening to the John Mayer Trio…
reading interviews with John…

—and in one of them he said…

“I knew school never did anything for me…
it never made sense…
I knew at 13 what I wanted—
to be a musician.”

And yeah…
I get that too.

But thinking about it…

…

school did do something for him.

…

it showed him
what he refused to let go of.

…

…

And that’s the lesson— 😎

…

…

They love to tell you
Stay inside the lines.

But something’s better
On the other side.

© 2026 Bryan Loia Hudson. All rights reserved.

`’.,°~

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What My Mornings Look Like…

What are your morning rituals? What does the first hour of your day look like?

— the first hour, and then some

So… once my dreams let go
and morning rolls around…

I open my eyes—
and I’m instantly happy.

I’m glad a new day has begun for me.

I thank God…
tell Him I love Him…
just chill for a moment—
embracing His love for me.

Then I usually lay there for maybe ten minutes…
eyes open… just thinking.

Then I reach over—grab my phone…
reply to my girlfriend’s texts…

They’re always there waiting on me.

She’ll send a photo she took…
or a piece of her art…
a scripture she picked out just for me…
along with her words…

So Supergood to wake up to this…

After hygiene stuff—
I head to the kitchen… get my coffee…
make my way to the couch…

Start my morning devotions…

Two different ones I read…

“Streams in the Desert” — by Lettie Cowman
“My Utmost for His Highest” — by Oswald Chambers

Both from the 1920s…
both deep…
in different ways.

One poetic…
one piercing.

I read…
sit with it.

Think about it.

Then I pray…

I talk to God for a while—
real talk.

Then…

I shut my mouth.

I listen.

To what He has to say…

After that—
headphones on…

I open up YouTube Music
Choose something… then just let it go…

A mix of Christian and secular

Then comes one of my favorite parts—

I grab my guitar.

I try and learn one new song a week, sometimes more

Right now I’ve been learning…

“Infra-Red” — by Three Days Grace
Next up… “Fine Again” — by Seether

Most times…
I don’t use tabs…
don’t look up chords…

I just listen…
play what I hear.

Learning the lyrics are the main thing…
the guitar part I make my own…
in my own style…
usually…

I’ll jam for a while…
have some fun with it…

then it’s back for more coffee ☕️

Headphones back on…

Then I check in—

My ministry platforms…
my YouTube…
my blog…

I respond to people…
read what others are sharing…

I’m not a big commenter—
but I show up lol

Then later I think on…
pray on…
whatever I want to write or post…

or if it’s time for one of my weekly series posts—
I’ll do that…

post on my other Christian platforms…
make a YouTube short sometimes.

Then I hit my workout.

Every day—
except Wednesday and Sunday.

After that—
protein shake…
something to eat…

And yeah…

That’s been my mornings lately.

I’ve been on leave from work for about a month now…

So right now—

My job?

Is just having awesome days 😎

Also… at night… I read the Bible and whatever other book I’m reading… right now it’s Hemingway’s memoir “A Moveable Feast”

After I read… I listen to more music… then I spend a good amount of time praying for others… then I sleep…

Lettie Cowman
Oswald Chambers

Lamentations 3:22–23 (ESV)

“The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases…
His mercies never come to an end…
they are new every morning…
great is Your faithfulness.”

© 2026 Bryan Loia Hudson (bryanforchrist). All rights reserved.

`’.,°~

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Miles, Music, and a Few Tricks Along the Way

What’s a secret skill or ability you have or wish you had…?

I’ve done a lot… I love a lot.

Sports… fishing… music… writing…
working out pretty religiously these days…
and I’ve always loved driving… oh… I’m a people and animal whisperer too…

I drove 18-wheelers all across the U.S. for 17 years… professionally.
Spent time training student drivers with FedEx Ground…
that part stayed with me… something about watching it click.

Same thing with teaching guitar and music back in the day…
there’s something about passing things on.

But if we’re talking secret skills…

I can juggle.

Learned it as a teenager from a guy at a pool hall…
with billiard balls.

And this one’s a little ridiculous but true…

I can throw grapes so high they disappear…
wait… track them back down out of the sky…
and catch them in my mouth.

Oh… and I can juggle grapes and eat them at the same time…

Yeah… I know… lol…

Nothing special… just a fun way to feed your face.

Not today though… too much other stuff to juggle…

˙uoıʇɔǝlɟuı ɥʇıʍ ƃuıs I sɐ ƃuol oS
…ʎɐs I ʇɐɥʍ ɹǝʇʇɐɯ ʇ,usǝop ʇI

© 2026 Bryan Loia Hudson

`’.,°~

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Coming Home… Where It All Started

First Song I Ever Learned on Guitar…

I’m laying here in bed… in the dark… listening to my YouTube music app.
Something I do most every night.

I’ll usually pick a song to start it off… then just let it go wherever it wants to go.

Lately though… one song keeps showing up.
Random… but not really random.

So much that it’s got me thinking…

It’s the very first song I ever learned on guitar —
“Coming Home” by Cinderella, off the album Long Cold Winter.

I learned it in November of 1988.
I was 14.

I had no idea who Cinderella even was at the time…
but that season turned out to be the longest… coldest winter of my life.

Back then, I’d go to my uncle and ask for CDs or cassettes.
Every time… he’d give me this deep stare… then walk over to his collection.

You could tell he was thinking.
Choosing carefully.

He knew what I was going through.
He knew I wasn’t just listening.

He knew I was building something…
a foundation… for who I’d become… as a musician… as a person.

He’s no longer here now…
but looking back… he knew exactly what he was doing with me 😁

…

Every song on that album is 🔥.

And it’s kind of crazy…
that an album with that name would land in my hands
right before my own long cold winter really set in.

To this day… it’s locked into my personal all-time albums list.
Forever.

Back then, there was no internet.
No Google. No YouTube tutorials.
No quick tabs you could pull up

No smartphone.

I didn’t even have sheet music.

All I had was a chord book.

So I learned every chord in it…
then started figuring out scales and patterns on my own.

Trial and error.

A lot of wrong notes…
but I remembered them…
learned to avoid them.

That’s how I learned songs —
by listening…
by playing along…
by feeling it out.

Everything was different back then.

But here’s the sweet part…

Lately, when I pick up my guitar…
I feel like that 14 year old kid again.

And that’s something I lost for a while.

I’m happy it’s back.
I’m happy I’m back.

Not losing these calloused fingers ever again 😎…

I took a ride in a world… I’ll be spinnin for the rest of my life… ♩ ♭ ♮ ♯

© 2026 Bryan Loia Hudson. All rights reserved.

`’.,°~

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Less Notes ♭ ♯

What tattoo do you want and where would you put it?

I know which one I want removed

I’m thinking of cutting this finger off—
just make do and play power 5 chords on guitar.

but at least it’s not on my forehead 🤷‍♂️

… 💯👇

.

And now I’m tied to a train
Down memory lane
Stuck on repeat
Repeat the same old same

© 2026 Bryan Loia Hudson | All rights reserved

`’.,°~

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The Window Song

one broken summer… one beautiful moment…

The Summer of 97`
was rough man…

like couldn’t get any worse…
far as the heart goes…


go read my story First Love
and you will get it… 😁


…but now looking back…
it was beautiful…

So I did three things that summer…

went to work…
played my guitar…
hung out with friends…


killing everything with drugs and alcohol…
straight up gunning my life down…


At the time… I was living in a downstairs apartment…
in the burbs of Atlanta…


That summer… I spent many a day and night…
many an hour…


sitting on the edge of my bed…
right in front of an open window…


strumming my strings…
singing my blues away…


learning new songs…
holding fast to old ones…


I had just finished a concert to myself lol…
when I heard a soft hello…


Then I looked… and there —
at my window —

was the beautiful face
that belonged to the voice…


She lived in the neighborhood…
I didn’t know her…


With my guitar still in my hands…
we talked — through the screen —


She was kind… honest…
open…


She told me that for a month…
she would pass by my window…


hoping I would be there…
singing…
playing…


She told me how much she looked forward to it…
how the music helped her…
because she was dealing with much in her life…

She said she would lean against my building…
beside my window…
just out of sight…


listen for a while…
breathe in deep…


she said my feelings —
that I was giving away in those songs —
she recognized them…
as her own…

She said she’d get lost in my songs…
forget things…
for a little while…


I’ve never had a better compliment…


So I told her…


my window… was her window…
my song… was her song…


and she was welcome… anytime…

`’.°~

…….<~|🜔|~>→🪟→♪♪~…….<~|*|~>→|[]|→~~~♪~ `.°~ @’~~~ that’s what she said…

While writing this I listened to the album Kerosene Hat by Cracker… from 1993…

She was definitely… a hidden gem… from the b-side… 😎`’.,

© Bryan H. 2025 — All Rights Reserved

`’.,°~