I'm learning to play the guitar. Help?
For most of my life, music has been the thing that I am most passionate about.
For most of my life, I have convinced myself that I am incapable of actually making any music of my own. But for a brief (and ill-fated) foray into the universe of the piano in my early teens, I've never been able to do much of anything with instruments. Which is odd, because I know that I have a really good ear for music - at least, that's what I pride myself on.
And when I talk to people about music, it eventually comes up that I don't know how to play a damned thing, and I get embarrassed. So I'm putting an end to that. This is a public declaration:
I am learning to play the guitar. There. I said it. Now, I have no choice. People are watching. Right?
I can't really say why it's taken me so long to realize this, but the reality is that while I say I have no musical ability, I haven't actually ever tried. Yes, I played the piano for a few years. But I hated it, because that's not the kind of music that I like. The guitar is.
I dug out my mom's old guitar - the one she claims to have bought some time in the mid-'70s - and started familiarizing myself with it. I'm taking it slow - I literally don't have the first idea of what to do. I found an online class (thank you internet) that I'm hoping will do a good job at teaching me. I started to learn the language and posture last night, just sitting on the floor with the guitar in my lap. When I first picked it up, I felt so uncomfortable, so awkward. I couldn't get my arms right.
But after only half an hour, it started to feel more natural. Sure, my back hurt a little from being in a strange, unfamiliar position, but the guitar started to feel OK in my hands. And I learned how to hold a pick. And what a fret is. It was an encouraging, if slow, start.
I'm committed to this. It's going to be hard, and I may not be ready to play a single note for a week. But I know that things like this take time, and I'm prepared to dedicate some real hours to figuring it out. I don't have an end goal, outside of just being able to competently make some sounds with a guitar. That's all I want - and if I can get there, I'll be one happy man. Suggestions?
Does anyone have a good website with tricks and tips? Or any pointers of your own? Anything and everything helps!
I'll keep you guys posted!