Learning the guitar is one of the most difficult things I have done in my life. Not picking it up until I was in my mid 20s didn't help either (not that 27 is old as dirt, but it's not exactly young either). So after two years of this ongoing adventure, I am here to share my thoughts, advice, trials and tribulations of learning the beauty and wonder that we all call the guitar.
I was the kid that never paid attention in music class. I had no interest in learning music theory or how to play an instrument. Maybe I just didn't understand what music meant to me. I grew up on the tunes of Clapton, CCR, The Who, and The Eagles, passed down by my father. I was the kid that didn't like pop music - I mean what 6 year old child in the 90's listens to Clapton?
As you can tell, I always had a deep passion and love for music - I just never translated that feeling to learning exactly how and why music was made. At that time all I knew was that I couldn't get enough of the notes coming off of Hendrix's guitar. It took me until later in life that I realized Hendrix was pouring his emotion through his fingertips onto the guitar. That's why I love when guitarists make "guitar faces" because they can't contain themselves.
I now understand that guitar isn't simply a piece of wood sprinkled with metal but rather a medium to communicate emotion. Sometimes people don't know how to transform their emotions into words very well (myself included). But by using the guitar they are able to communicate better than most people can articulate through speaking. Have you ever heard a guitarist pluck a note and they don't even have to say a word? You know what they are saying - you are one with them. It is a beautiful thing, maybe the most beautiful notion that exists.
Now that you know my love for music, you can probably figure out why I picked up the guitar. I don't know why it took so long, but I wanted to be like Hendrix and Clapton even though I knew I would never be them. So, I picked out an acoustic guitar with the help of a guitarist friend. He helped me pick out my Big Baby Taylor. I had no idea what to do with it. I didn't even know what the note values were or how to read music. I didn't even have anyone to teach me.
To give a background about myself and my lack of musical prowess at the time, I grew up playing sports so at least I knew how to train physically and mentally. And when I'm passionate about something, I follow through, but this would prove to test that quality of mine. In the beginning, even though I was very frustrated, I kept pushing. But, I want to be honest here, sometimes I gave up for a day or a week. I swore at myself and told myself I wasn't very good and the guitar sat on its stand all by itself. Then, it's as if the guitar gods were trying to tell me something and every once in a while I would hear Jimmy Page or Slash tear up a solo and it inspired me. I was hooked... again.
In all, it has been and still is a roller coaster ride. I'm going to take you through my progress and then give you some advice - not from a professional musician or instructor but rather from an average, non musical person learning to play this mysterious instrument. I always read online all these gimmicks and slogans like "learn to play guitar in minutes" or "be able to play like a pro in weeks!". How many 12 DVD sets have you seen advertised? That's not what we are going to do here at Falls Rock Shop, I guarantee you that. I am here to tell you that it's tough and it's frustrating, but its one of the best journeys I have ever been on. So buckle up guitar newbies, professionals, part timers and everyone in between.
Go to http://fallsrockshop.com for more articles! We also provide music lessons and sell used and custom guitars. Falls Rock Shop is here to feed your musical appetite. We connect people to encourage a thriving and passionate music community through lessons and great online content.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Adam_Jurica
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/8155046
I was the kid that never paid attention in music class. I had no interest in learning music theory or how to play an instrument. Maybe I just didn't understand what music meant to me. I grew up on the tunes of Clapton, CCR, The Who, and The Eagles, passed down by my father. I was the kid that didn't like pop music - I mean what 6 year old child in the 90's listens to Clapton?
As you can tell, I always had a deep passion and love for music - I just never translated that feeling to learning exactly how and why music was made. At that time all I knew was that I couldn't get enough of the notes coming off of Hendrix's guitar. It took me until later in life that I realized Hendrix was pouring his emotion through his fingertips onto the guitar. That's why I love when guitarists make "guitar faces" because they can't contain themselves.
I now understand that guitar isn't simply a piece of wood sprinkled with metal but rather a medium to communicate emotion. Sometimes people don't know how to transform their emotions into words very well (myself included). But by using the guitar they are able to communicate better than most people can articulate through speaking. Have you ever heard a guitarist pluck a note and they don't even have to say a word? You know what they are saying - you are one with them. It is a beautiful thing, maybe the most beautiful notion that exists.
Now that you know my love for music, you can probably figure out why I picked up the guitar. I don't know why it took so long, but I wanted to be like Hendrix and Clapton even though I knew I would never be them. So, I picked out an acoustic guitar with the help of a guitarist friend. He helped me pick out my Big Baby Taylor. I had no idea what to do with it. I didn't even know what the note values were or how to read music. I didn't even have anyone to teach me.
To give a background about myself and my lack of musical prowess at the time, I grew up playing sports so at least I knew how to train physically and mentally. And when I'm passionate about something, I follow through, but this would prove to test that quality of mine. In the beginning, even though I was very frustrated, I kept pushing. But, I want to be honest here, sometimes I gave up for a day or a week. I swore at myself and told myself I wasn't very good and the guitar sat on its stand all by itself. Then, it's as if the guitar gods were trying to tell me something and every once in a while I would hear Jimmy Page or Slash tear up a solo and it inspired me. I was hooked... again.
In all, it has been and still is a roller coaster ride. I'm going to take you through my progress and then give you some advice - not from a professional musician or instructor but rather from an average, non musical person learning to play this mysterious instrument. I always read online all these gimmicks and slogans like "learn to play guitar in minutes" or "be able to play like a pro in weeks!". How many 12 DVD sets have you seen advertised? That's not what we are going to do here at Falls Rock Shop, I guarantee you that. I am here to tell you that it's tough and it's frustrating, but its one of the best journeys I have ever been on. So buckle up guitar newbies, professionals, part timers and everyone in between.
Go to http://fallsrockshop.com for more articles! We also provide music lessons and sell used and custom guitars. Falls Rock Shop is here to feed your musical appetite. We connect people to encourage a thriving and passionate music community through lessons and great online content.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Adam_Jurica
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/8155046
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