My Life with Six Strings
I began learning to play guitar when I had just turned 13 years old. I bought my first guitar—a beat-up old electric that looked like the 1980s threw up all over it, smashed it into pieces, and then reassembled it before it was sold as “slightly used” in a local pawn shop. I treated it worse than the family cat, which proved fatal to the guitar.
Two big reasons I became interested in learning to play music were that my mom taught me some basic piano when I was young, and the majority of my family was involved with music in some way. Mom is a classical pianist who played quite often when I was growing up. I can still remember her playing “Chariots of Fire” as I listened intently from the other room. I idolized my Uncle Bob, who was in a band in Santa Cruz. Other members of my mom’s family were musically gifted as well. Aunt Lisa sang the national anthem a couple times at professional baseball games when I was young, and I loved watching her sing. It was my family that helped establish my love for music and inspired me to learn to play guitar—a process that has been going on for almost 20 years.
I suppose it all started with my grandpa, who sang Frank Sinatra and other artists from a young age. He later involved his children in music and performing. Grandpa used to record music with my mother and her siblings on vinyl when they were barely school-age. He was featured recently on a local morning news show about his love for singing and the fact that at 90 years old he still performs karaoke two or three times a week. He gets decked out in his Sinatra-style suit and fedora, belts out his vocals, and dances like a much younger man. Thinking of him, I am reminded of many Christmases where my family would get together and sing holiday songs. Wearing a huge smile as she enjoyed time with her children and grandchildren, Grandma would clap as everyone sang “Winter Wonderland” accompanied by Mom on the piano. Those times were among my greatest memories from childhood.
My dad passed away when I was 12 and it was the saddest time of my life. I struggled for many years after his death, and I think music helped me cope with the loss. Not too long after he passed, Mom told me that Dad used to play Spanish guitar songs to her when they first started dating. I never actually saw him play, but looking back I would like to think that my decision to play guitar was influenced, at least in some way, by him.
After a few years had passed since my Dad’s death and before YouTube existed, I ordered videos on how to learn guitar. They helped me with some of the basic mechanics. However, over the years I started to pick up things on my own. More often than not, I could be found sitting in my bedroom following along on my electric guitar to old-school Metallica and Nirvana playing on the stereo. I would lock myself in my room until my guitar sounded like it was perfectly in sync with theirs, ignoring friends as they played video games in the living room. I used to get so mad when I couldn't figure something out and would play the same thing over and over again until it sounded exactly (at least to me) the same as the song playing on my stereo system.
Once I started playing with other musicians, I found myself learning from them as we jammed. I would pick up little things from each person every time we played and eventually would combine those things I learned into my own style. Many people that I learned from when I was younger were not very good musicians at all, but some of the things they taught me were invaluable. Learning something new can come from people you wouldn't expect it to, and even while you are helping other people to learn to play guitar, you can pick up new skills from them. Everyone plays a little differently, so no matter what skill level you might be at, you may still have something to teach.
In high school my taste in music slowly began to change and I started learning acoustic guitar riffs from bands like Ben Harper and Jack Johnson. While learning songs by these artists I only recently had started listening to, I also grew to love the acoustic guitar. It’s been over 10 years since I switched to acoustic and I have been playing nearly every day since. Recently I was in a band called Will Work for Food with my cousin. We recorded songs we had written on an android phone with an app called “Tape Machine.” The sound was actually decent and we uploaded the songs to a music profile online. After a few people commented on how good the sound quality was, Chris and I joked about recording an album all in cell phone recordings.
Learning to play guitar is a long, never-ending journey that can be trying at times. The first few years take a toll as you have to accomplish obstacles both mentally and physically. I used to play for so long that the tips of my fingers would nearly bleed and, after a long session of playing, trying to play the next few days would be extremely painful. It takes years to build the calluses and the dexterity in your fingers, and if you stop playing for an extended period of time, you may have to rebuild both. It is best to realize from the time you start learning that it is a lifelong commitment if you truly want to know the pleasure of playing an instrument.
Mentally, there can be plenty of hurdles to overcome as well. Some people develop tics like contracting their lips or tightening the muscles in their neck. For me, I had to constantly look at my right hand to ensure that it was actually doing what I wanted it to. Eventually the same tic that developed in my right hand would switch to the left hand as I worked to ensure I was holding the frets in the correct position, or watched as I moved up the fret board in different positions. Those tics eventually subside as your brain adjusts to operating your body parts independently of one another. After a while, you can concentrate on other things like singing or different picking sounds as you get more comfortable playing guitar.
I play my guitar everyday and I couldn't imagine not having music as a part of my life. My plan is to continue to learn throughout my life and hopefully pass my love for playing an instrument down to my children. Along with family, friends, a good education and a career, music is one of the most vital aspects of being human. The world as a whole would be a much better place if we all could have one giant jam session!
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