Published: July 01, 2008 12:24 pm         

At Random: Playing for Pleasure

Something transports Robert Jones when he plays his guitar, and it takes you too, if you let it.

It isn’t easy to describe something as lovely as music.

Words are illusive. One has to hear to understand.

Sitting in a parlor of his historic home, Gainesville resident Robert Jones, 58, played his guitar and talked about music.

It is one of the great loves of his life.

“This is from “Once Upon a Time in Mexico,’” he said, playing a piece from the dark tale of murder and betrayal. The Mexican rhythm is bold, the sound dramatic. Just like in the movie.

He also played “Over the Rainbow” a piece he might do for a contemporary audience such as the patrons at Hubcabs — a Gainesville restaurant and sports bar.

Jones played a soothing piece from Cuba, a song he said was brought to the island by African people imprisoned on slave ships. The ships stopped for a time in Cuba. Many of the slaves were sent to other ports, and some of their soulful music stayed behind.

Jones’s fingers slide across the strings delicately as he plays. There is a look of perfect peace in his eyes.

Jones has played venues all over the country as well as places closer to home.

He played the elegant Petroleum Club of Fort Worth.

He played for packed houses at Casa Manana.

He’s done a slew of television and radio interviews.

He is also a composer with a portfolio of original songs. He thinks the music would be appropriate for movies.

It’s not a stretch given his flair for evoking emotion with music.

There is none of the snobbish maestro in Robert Jones. No disdain for others. No arrogance. He smiles when he talks and listens when others speak.

When he plays the guitar, people cannot help but stop and listen.

An Arlington native, Jones studied under Jose Thomas of Madrid. He completed master classes at Texas Christian University.

His other instructors include Oscar Valdez of Bolivia, Robert Allen of the University of Texas-Arlington and Jim Thomas of Washington State University.

He began playing guitar at 22, and comes from a family with a long history of music.

“My grandpapa played 500 tunes on the accordion,” he said. He could entertain his guests for hours and “never played the same song twice. I always thought that was amazing.”

His father was a fiddle master.

“He’s 83 and he still plays,” Jones said.

His repetoire is over three hours. He plays every kind of music including classics such as “Yankee Doodle Dixie” and modern music by artists such as Nora Jones.

He sometimes ends a set with Cyndi Lauper’s haunting ‘80s love song, “Time After Time.”

When Jones listens to the radio, he said he usually chooses classic rock, but is open to all sorts of music.

He practices at least six hours a day.

“I play morning, noon, evening and night. I have to. To be a guitar teacher you have to be well-rounded. It’s a lot of practice,” he said.

He doesn’t limit himself to any one genre.

He plays jazz, country, folk and contemporary pieces.

He can also perform the syncopated rhythms of Chet Atkins.

Some of Jones’s students are children. Others are adults. His students include professionals and anyone who wants to learn to play the guitar.

Students seek his instruction for a variety of reasons.

“Some might want to learn folk guitar. For others, it’s spiritual music. Others want to learn holiday songs or music for special occasions,” he said.

Jones’ students also include a nine-year-old Argentinean girl he calls, “an amazing talent.”

The girl’s mother is a Flamenco dancer and her daughter is learning to play her native music.

The Jones’s big, quiet house was peaceful on a summer afternoon; his narrative punctuated by guitar music and an occasional soft bark from one of the couple’s three lap dogs.

The dogs are usually reserved, he said, but sometimes bark in response to a sound from the street outside.

They also love his music.

So does his wife Barbara who falls asleep on the sofa listening to his lullabies.

Hearing Jones play classical music is a departure for someone who has only heard guitar music on the radio. Jones’ guitar work is entirely different.

For one thing, he is dedicated to classical music.

Retired from his job as an electronic technician, Jones spends his time teaching, taking care of his home and playing the guitar.

He has a flair for building and repairing intricate devices such as slot machines. He spent years honing his skills.

Ask about the inner workings of a one-armed bandit and Jones pulls open the door of his own Vegas slot machine and points out what goes on inside.

He throws in a quarter, sets the reels turning and draws a modest hit of 25 credits.

At one time, he said he had a casino room in his home.

He and his wife have since sold most of their gaming devices, he explained, and the room is now more of a parlor or music practice room.

Jones plays weddings, dinner parties and other social events.

He has even been hired for a private serenade.

He said he likes life in Gainesville and appreciates the history of small towns.

Sites such as the Santa Fe Depot intrigue the couple who tried living in Springtown outside Kilgore in East Texas, but found they didn’t care for the piney woods.

“We moved to Gainesville because it was my wife’s dream town,” he said.

Gainesville is just right for composing, practicing and teaching music, he said.

Jones lets his students discover and refine their own ways of playing guitar.

“I can take a student from Bach to Beethoven or they can go country — any direction they want. I don’t try to bend the student. I’m just here to correct and to be a guide,” he said.

Reporter Delania Trigg may be

contacted at dtrigg@ntin.net