Roosevelt Reuel Rayford

20/06/2024

Tennis is a great way to achieve cardiovascular and resistance training at the same time. The cardiovascular 'cardio' element is achieved when you are moving on the court. The resistance element is achieved when you are holding the rac, 'weight', swinging the rac, 'air resistance' connecting with the ball, 'moving an object'. You are also achieving a tremendous amount of stretching, releasing toxins when you sweat, replenishing stagnant food residue when you drink water. If you are outdoors and in the Sun, The Sun burns off calories. Also when you're out there running around, it definitely helps with relieving mental stress, and building endorphins. Tennis also helps with brain function because you're out there trying to figure things out. I call tennis 'chess on wheels'. You're missing out on a lot of personal benefits and camaraderie. With a debilitating potentially dangerous neuromuscular genetic disposition; I can personally testify the benefits I receive from playing tennis. LET'S GO!!🤗🎾

25/01/2024

Chorus...Chilling from the winter storm...

24/01/2024

Nuff Said..👍👍🥊

24/01/2024

The late great Spanky Alford from Huntsville Alabama, started the song and you can hear his influence all through the song. Spanky played in local churches when he wasn't traveling on the road with all of the major groups. People kept trying to get us together. I was entering a music store, and a very I would say, plain looking guy, held the door for me and nooded his head. For some reason I said to myself; 'is that Spanky'? I was trying out this guitar and a guy came over and liked what I was doing. He said; 'do you know Spanky? I said; 'heard of him but never met him'. He said; 'he just came out of here'. I told him, I thought the guy was him but wasn't sure. Spanky passed away from diabetes if I remember. I really wish I could have met and jammed and maybe even played with him. I got the job at a local conservatory after spanky's death and picked up some of his clients when I was playing at a vendors market at the Oakwood University. A very humble quiet man, but a killer on the guitar. He might have been the best unknown to the general public, guitar player in the world.

1997 Valentine's Day Performance - Chris Rock Show

23/01/2024

Used to drop by his house with his son Chuck and there was music galore. My daddy wanted me to take lessons from Bill but I thought lessons were for sissies. I did go to him when I was 30 but the sessions four of them, were more of a consultation. He showed me the Andreas Segovia right and left hand techniques he learned from a Segovia protege in DC. He said; "what took you so long? It's okay I wind up getting all you turkeys sooner or later". It would take 10 pages to describe our interactions over the years. His son the Great bassist Joe Harris who has a story of his own; invited me to be a pallbearer at Bill's funeral. I was highly honored. I might make a video or come on live one day, and talk about all of the Wild Bill stuff and it was plenty..😀

This promotional video for bluesman Bill Harris was produced shortly before his death in 1988 at the age of 63. Bill Harris was a classical guitar virtuoso a...

23/01/2024

Was selling my guitar instructional booklets and CDs at the p e l c (pastoral evangelism leadership conference) at the oaks back in the day; before they took away the vending from the people, charge 800% more than they used to, and people are there who have nothing to do with Oakwood. The piece was a contemporary version of 'Near to the heart of God'.

Finger style contemporary gospel demo, @ Oakwood University's ministerial conference venders section, featuring published material.

22/01/2024

I was playing in a sort of vendors venue put on by Valley Conservatory here in Huntsville. I did a solo set. Peter who I had just met was about to do his own set. He started jamming a little bit while I was finishing, so I joined in with what I describe as 'jazzy blues'. This is a side of me nobody ever see. Peter gigs in the area as a pro keyboard player.The lady who was asking Pete to turn up, is the valley conservatory founder and director, Dr Renee Collins-Williams. I was a senior guitar instructor there and occasionally still teach from time to time. Besides an astute business person, she is a conductor, instrumentalist and teacher. Her school ranks high in the area every year. If you want to put your children, yourself or someone you know into a high caliber music conservatory, check them out.. An oh, Peter's amplifier was turned towards where I was standing and the people couldn't hear it, over in the venue. That's why Dr Collins kept telling him to turn it up. The amplifier they gave me to use was for an electric guitar. That's why it kept distorting. I have since bought an acoustic guitar amp. Not so sure because my physical-medical conditions which are starting to multiply, if I can get back out there...

GrubHub just over the Huntsville border. solo gig, jammed with Pete, he took over.

22/01/2024

Tried 200 lbs. Could have went down a little further but never bring the weights all the way down to the chest. I stopped lifting heavy. Not only was it aggravating my neuromuscular issue, lifting heavy was messing up my tennis game. I also started bench pressing probably around 80 to 100 lb dumbbells. I planned on getting up to 125 lb dumbbells, and moving up to 225 on the barbells. if I got there I was going to go to 250 275 300 and try to max out at 315. What was I thinking? I lift a few weights at home now.

22/01/2024

Swish 💨.. yeah I made the shot, Earl of ''Nature's Hype' healthy foods and baller himself, up there in the DMV. Had been practicing tennis and decided to swing by the gym at the Oaks, to see if I still got it. I maybe get out there 2 to 4 times a year so I won't lose it. When this neuromuscular disease came out of remission around 2013, I couldn't play at all, so I feel blessed. I was taking a walk in my walking shoes sometime last year and some teenagers invited me over to look at them play. The tallest and the best one challenged me to a one on one. I said youngin; "you don't want none of this OG-DC smoke". Anyway I took him down in front of his boys. They laughed him off the court. He was 16, I was 69; fat, broke down, jacked up and had on my street clothes... NEXT!!!🏀

22/01/2024

Negro spiritual.. since I'm doing only the melody, I'm going to redo it in a flat key like it would have been sung. If played on the piano, The Black keys are struck. Isn't that interesting?

haunting negro spiritual in a minor utilizing single string attack...

22/01/2024

Father of classical guitar and guitar in general. He got with the DuPont chemical company to develop the plastic strings we use today on classical guitars. I attended one of his concerts at the Kennedy Center. I think it was around 1986 and he was around 93.
It might have been one his last concert(s). The atmosphere was almost sacred. He walked out reverently, sat down and a woman bought his guitar out to him. I tried to find that performance on YouTube. If anybody has it, please send it to me. I am a 4th generation Segovite tactician..

Andrés Segovia plays Guardame Las Vacas by Luis de Narvaez ( from Rare guitar video collection ) last concert at White House http://www.classicalguitarvideo...

22/01/2024

Was hard to focus after the kitten that lived on the other side of the house, catwalked behind me.. 😸🐾 Was working on the short backswing Andy Roddick uses including trying to implement the pinpoint serve stance. It actually gave me a lot of power. I'm thinking about going back to it.

Still trying to perfect the short serve motion. Motion getting smoother and better.Would like to bend those bad knees more. Repetative motion with sun and ha...

22/01/2024

Swinging "There's a sweet sweet spirit in this place". Y'all cuse me...

Solo contempory Gospel Guitar

22/01/2024

Playing behind a soundtrack, something I never do. I will not do it live. It's either solo guitar or accompanied by a person group etc. I love this song, it hits home.

Contemporary Gospel Guitar

22/01/2024

Don't supposed to get this type of sound from an acoustic guitar. Dat's a wild boi..😳🎸

22/01/2024

Teaching guitar in the Oakwood University music building, to a unique talented singing group member back in the good old days; when the choirs were rehearsing and students were practicing.

Guitar Lesson

22/01/2024

Remember the birds from the Alfred Hitchcock TV show back in the day that scared the crap out of all of us; their back!😵‍💫 That's what all of that crazy noise is, there were hundreds of them in the trees. This is a popular hymn I did solo contemporary style. We modulated three steps up...🎸🎶

Solo gospel guitar.

22/01/2024

Guitar basics... Open yo mind and yo fingers will follow.🤓🧠🎸

beginner basic guitar instruction

21/01/2024

Hitting with a female former Junior player. This neuromuscular disease had just came out of remission a few months before and I had gained 75 lbs in about 2-3 months. Thought I was striking and moving pretty darn good.

A few weeks before the big 60.

21/01/2024

Instrumental spiritual

21/01/2024

Solo Guitar old negro Spiritual in a minor..

Solo Contempory Guitar

19/01/2024

East & West..🎶 "Make Jazz not War"; Make Music not Murder. A conglomerate of musicians need to decend upon these war zones and bombard with music instead of munitions. This will chill out the adversaries and instead of jamming ea other, be jamming in peace 🕊️ 🪕🎷🎸🎹🎺 🥁🪇🪈

John Coltrane's interpretation was influenced by music from the Indian subcontinent. This tribute therefore makes total sense. The Sachal Jazz ensemble from ...

19/01/2024

Three more original pieces..

Contempory Origional Guitar

19/01/2024

This piece is the first of four solo standalone renditions I did on a CD when I received a grant from the DC commission for the arts. I am using the six (two note) chord pull offs as the primary Melody. This piece as well as the total CD of 12 songs with orchestration, are all original. The guitar is a blonde burst Yamaha apx 6na nylon string acoustic electric. I sold it to a pawn shop and used the money for the brown burst guitar I'm using now. That was absolutely positively the dumbest thing I've ever done.

From "The Commission" CD

18/01/2024

Decided to play three 10-point tie breaks after we had worked out 30 minutes. I must be crazy. I played him close but age, old and new injuries, genetic medical and general medical dispositions, obesity, fatigue and rust finished me off. I licked my wounds the rest of the week, and could barely walk. Had fun though...

Played three 10 point tie breakers after hitting hard about 30 minutes. I keep doing this, playing sets after I am tired. It was fun even though; well I'm no...

18/01/2024

I guess maybe a month ago or more. We still had heat not like this frozen tundra we're dealing with now. I had actually quit playing tennis because of all my medical issues and injuries. Old age has crept in too. My form was off and a little sloppy. Him being around 20 years younger, healthy, skilled, strong and athletic didn't help me either.😳 Was also winded. Most of the time I was standing too far back. My hitting partner is a psychotherapist. I just realized he used some of that psych stuff to get me back out there. This guy is a really good therapist. He's a social work trainer and teacher too.😁 I will post his info later.

Lots of physical challenges plus the age factor. This is probably my last time, it's just too hard. Want to thank my long-term hitting buddy CW for coming ou...

18/01/2024

10 going on 11 years ago in Maryland right around the time this neuromuscular disease kicked in again. Besides; the thyroid and testosterone issues equal lots of weight gain and I can't reduce my meals and or fast anymore. I'll never look like that again. 😳The board on the fence was probably around 8x8 and the wood absorbed the balls power. Not only was it hard to hit but was tiresome especially the distance I was hitting from.

trying to raise the rac on the coil rather than use a big back swing

18/01/2024

Roger Federer put on a cool white Stinson hat with some serious threads; got up close to the wall with rapid fire hand-eye coordination and issued a worldwide challenge to all tennis players. People popped up from all over the world with videos from tennis walls, living space, hotel rooms; it was crazy. Most people didn't do it right. This tennis teacher stood back about 6 ft from the wall, swore she did it right hooping and hollering when she finished. I think I put a comment on her friends timeline who posted it stating it was incorrect. They got offended. As good as I did and it's not as easy as it look; Federer balls were bouncing off the wall faster than mines.

tennis training