Song Writer

Sasha sat at her desk - the window in her apartment eroded with sunshine on a warm afteroon in July. Her writing tablets sat in front of her, her guitar beside her as she jotted down notes, - quarter notes fifth notes, dum de de dum, she hummed to herself while she played, wrote and worked on her new song. The cafe would be busy tonight, a Saturday and she wanted to finish it so she could sing it later as her introduction song, it wasnt a long one either and she was almost done anyway. Sasha just liked to write her music down to have it in her collections.

"Sasha, hey girl what's up?" buzz buzz went her phone with a text from Tyler who worked as a copy writer. "Can u hang tonight", little thumbs up beside the message. Sasha picked up her phone, "Sorry, got a gig at the Cafe Holly later, why don't u come down?" She texted back. And he said yes, she smiled to herself, loving how he supported her music and her life of little gigs whenever she could get them. NY was a big city with a lot of competition, and Sasha worked hard to even get these at all. She then went on her social media page and posted her gig tonight, hoping she would have support from her fans. Sasha had done a bachelors degree in music, she had been a musician most of her life one way or the other, starting in elementary school with guitar lessons. She loved every minute of it, and now - here she was trying to make a name for herself, and trying to pay the rent too, which, thankfully her day job helped support her.

The door banged opened in her living room, her room mate and her roomies new bf came bounding in, laughing and cackling arm in arm. He was a bit on the rough side, long shaggy hair, a goute on his chin that looked like 1971, and a red bandana on his head making him look like an overgrown hippie, omg he was a card, she laughed to herself, not being rude enough to actually tell him that. Jona was a drummer in a rock n roll band, apparently. Which wasnt Sasha's kind of music she was a folk classical artist, and that was how she would stay. None of that yelling and jumping around and wearing crazy clothes, no way. Jona came in and looked down at her music scores. "Hey what's all this? I dont know anyone who writes music like that anymore. Old school sister." He said blatantly holding her paper. "I dont think i gave you permission to read that?" She replied back to him, her eyes narrowed and annoyed. "I am working on a new song for tonight." She explained.

"Havent you heard of tabs? Everybody uses tabular now. Its easy and accurate." He told her, and showed her some examples on his phone. "See, you just follow the dots. May I?" He nodded to her guitar. "Yea sure." She said, she wasnt worried he would disrespect her instrument, he was a musician too. And he did show her some examples, but Sasha still wasnt convinced.

"I think old school is far superior and more accurate. U cant play a classical piece and learn it this way." She argued and showed him some little scales and played them note for note, and plus hard earned practice and talent to boot. "Well maybe so, but today that kind of music is hardly used anymore, not in my field anyway." He argued, and they discussed the differences between note writing vs. tabular music. Until it was time for her to get ready to do her gig, but she was still thinking about the tab thing, maybe she could use it perhaps to pick up another instrument? And she hummed her new song in her head as she walked out with her guitar.

At the coffee house, patrons were starting to come in and order, the ambience was quiet, lights were bright for now, the place felt nice and cool with the ceiling fans and air conditioning. Sasha went to the bar and ordered a latte, "Hey Derek, looks like a busy night." She spoke as she sat down to enjoy her drink. She looked around the place, charming with plants hanging in old fashioned macrame hangers, and in the corner a little waterfall and soft music from the sound system. She picked up her phone, "Tyler, here now, see you soon." She texted, put her phone in her handbag.

"Derek, have you ever learned music the old fashioned way with actual notes?" She asked him, he was just wiping up the counter. He eyed her. "Well no not really i learned how to play with tabs." He spoke in his bass husked voice. "Why are you asking .?"

"Oh no reason, I just found out about tabs now, from my roomies bf." Was her answer and she shrugged. Maybe she was old fashioned. Could she have learned what she did without the years of note reading and music studying? Probably not, but at the same time, could she have played as well just learning it through tabs? Now there was a double standard in there. And then, Derek turned the lights down low and nodded to her, it was showtime.

"Hello ladies and gentleman, I am Sasha Winters and I hope you all enjoy my music tonight, I am going to start with an original about a young love." And she played and sang, and the audience was okay but not overjoyed, it was early still, she had a few other numbers up her sleeve anyway, always ready to change the atmosphere, a tough part of a musicians job, to ensure the audience always stayed surprised. She picked up the pace and banged out a few of her older pieces, putting the rougher tone to her voice in a Janis Joplin sound and the audience loved it. That's what they want, it was a Saturday night after all. They would all start here, and then go clubbing after, caffeine and alcohol to take them up a level. Sasha finished her show, a short one, and by 8 pm she started to pack up her guitar and went back down to the bar to pick up her pay packet from Derek, a per cent of the night's profits, door pay but whatever, it was all she could get for this weekend. "Thanks Derek, did you like the show?" She asked as she drank some water with lemon in it that he gave her. It was good, and cold. "Yeah I love your music hun." He blinked at her, not really flirting, Derek was already in a serious relatonship with his girlfriend. "You know, I was thinking, I may get an electric guitar and an amp, start working on something a bit different, you know, just to broaden my music more." thinking out loud more than really talking. "Okay - what do you mean exactly by that?" Derek didnt really consider her to be an electric guitar type, her smoke dark looks and folky style....well, it just didnt seem to suit her at this point from what he knew about her as well.

"I dont know, I just thought of experimenting that's all." Sasha then showed him some tab riffs on a music site. "Oh yeah that's one of the good ones, love that style." He hummed out the tune without even hearing it, an old rock classic, but she already knew he could read the tabs on the score. Double standards again.