Jode Posted May 25, 2009 Share Posted May 25, 2009 This was in today's Oregonian, the story of a man who was made a quadriplegic by a car accident in 1974. After years of physical therapy and sheer fortitude, he is not only walking, but competing as a triathlete and race driver. Oh, and one other thing he picked up during his therapy: >>That same determination brought him from St. Louis to North Portland and David King's shop last week to find a bass custom-built to his exacting physical needs. [Patrick] Rummerfield wants to learn to play the bass guitar in part to fend off a gradual loss of coordination and dexterity, and to continue to emphasize his message that any dream can be realized in some fashion. "Will I be good enough to play professionally?" Rummerfield said. "Probably not, but I'll be able to play well enough to have fun." Fun indeed: Rummerfield said several bands (he doesn't want to name them before details are firmed up) have asked him to learn one of their songs so he can join them onstage. Jamming with the stars is a typically creative Rummerfieldian approach to physical therapy, and not necessarily the one the medical establishment might prescribe -- though he speaks of his physician, Dr. John McDonald, also the late Christopher Reeve's doctor, with only admiration. "Over the last couple of years, I noticed that my fingers were not working as well as they had, so my doctors and I discussed some of the ways I could build up strength and coordination. One of the suggestions was that I could knead therapeutic putty," Rummerfield said. He let the words lie there for a beat, like a gray lump of Play-Doh. "'Gosh, that'd be fun,' I thought. ... " << Story here. "I had to have something, and it wasn't there. I couldn't go down the street and buy it, so I built it." Les Paul Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TimR Posted May 25, 2009 Share Posted May 25, 2009 Inspirational. Feel the groove internally within your own creativity. - fingertalkin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fingertalkin Posted May 25, 2009 Share Posted May 25, 2009 Cool story. I would probably just roll over. How do you sign a computer screen? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rizzo9247 Posted May 26, 2009 Share Posted May 26, 2009 But when Rummerfield first tried to play the traditional Fender-style bass, which is long and bulky and has a large peg head to which four heavy tuning keys are bolted, he found the neck wanting to sink floorward and pivot the guitar on its strap. He had to hold the neck up and tussle with fingering. "It was incredibly awkward," he said, "I thought, 'Oh, I've got a problem -- how can I play an instrument that I'm constantly chasing?' Amen to that Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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