None more black...

My resonator is similar to this one pictured. Mine has f holes instead of the round vents. My wife Mary surprised me at Christmas with this fun instrument.

I have been enjoying learning some classic songs and giving them a bluegrassy element by playing them on the resonator. I'm currently learning "Blackbird" from the Beatles and songs from Pink Floyd's Animals: "Pigs (Three Different Ones)".

I've been thinking a lot about the color black. When I read Johnny Cash's autobiography, Man In Black, he said he wore black "because it's better for church." In the movie Walk the Line, Joaquin Phoenix as Johnny Cash, when told he "looked like he was going to a funeral," said, "Maybe I am."

On the VH1 Storytellers concert and CD featuring Johnny Cash and Willie Nelson, Johnny ask Willie if he would like a drink of water. Willie takes it and surveys the offerings, "We have water, coffee, and hot chocolate. What's this going to do for our reputation?" Johnny answers, "As long as we keep wearing black, it won't matter."

Christopher Guest as Nigel Tufnel, lead guitarist in This is Spinal Tap, when finally getting a look at the band's new album says, "It's like, how much more black could this be? And the answer is none. None more black."

Some people I admire a lot prefer black. I remember in 7th grade, my science teacher told us that the color black was all of the colors combined. I think there is something to that.