“I love the rumbling bass in that one.”
He demonstrated by playing it again, and she sat, captivated, as his deft fingers flew over the frets.Was that even the right word?She needed to research so as not to sound like a complete idiot.
“It carries a consistent punch of power throughout the song,” he said.
“If you say so,” she said with a shrug. “I have to be honest with you. I can barely tell the difference between the main guitar and the bass.”
“Really?”
“It’s that bad.”
He laughed. “Well then, just kick back and relax. Let me take you on a journey. Now, you have to know this one.” His fingers flew across the guitar.
“Oh, I do,” she said, clapping her hands. Hell, she was happy to know two of the songs he had played. “Rush.”
“Which song?”
She arched a brow. “Um, I was happy to get the band right.”
“That’s ‘YYZ.’ Geddy Lee is one of my favorite bassists. He usually lets his bandmates shred the songs, but he laid down the foundation with the bass line. ‘YYZ’ features some pretty sick bass solos. It was one of the first I learned.”
“It sounds wonderful,” she said. “I love their lead singer’s voice. It’s so different from anything else.”
“Geddy Lee is their lead singer,” he said, speaking as if she’d grown a second head or third eye.
“I told you I was hopeless.”
Ryker laughed at her shortcomings but continued running through a gamut of songs. All of them she was familiar with, having heard them countless times in the past. None, except “The Sound of Silence,” could she name. Eventually, he stopped the rock quiz and settled into his music.
“I don’t recognize that at all.” In fact, the music felt unfinished, and while raw at the edges, it held undeniable power. “I like that.”
“Good,” he said. “I’m making it up on the fly.”
She sat up straight. “You’re composing?”
“I wouldn’t call it that. I’m just fucking around.”
“Is that what you did in the bus?” She remembered what Ash had said. How he wished someone had recorded Ryker playing.
“Kind of but not really. That was easy. They already had the melody lines down.”
“But you improved on it.”
“Not improved. I’d never say I could improve on what they’ve got going on. Truth is, Spike dared me, and I never back down from a dare.”
“Then, what was it?”
“I couldn’t remember the entire song, so I filled in the gaps.”
“Evidently, you filled them in pretty damn well.”
“I suppose. But this isn’t composing.”
“It sounds like music,” she said. “In fact, it’s really good.”
“Thank you,” he said with a soft smile. “I miss playing.”
She would ask why he hadn’t brought a guitar with him on deployment but already knew the answer. They were allowed minimal baggage. Guitars, especially a bass guitar with amplifier, took up too much weight and space.
