Session 5
Ambassador of Strings & Wings
Had the Orange 35RT Crush, humming tonight, if you know what i mean. Had a great practice. playing 3 of my new songs and a medley of others i play going through my list.
Always good to rock out, its a comfort for me to play the music i like, and nice to meet people who like the music i play. Coming now into my 11th year of playing guitar, i have exceeded far beyond i thought i ever would. I was taking a few lessons back when i was 13 years old, but for some unknown reason gave up on it.
When i retired at age 60, i said to my Wife , i would really like to take up guitar. She said go for it ! so i did, i took lessons for 1 year with a young man who was 31 years of age at that time, i told him i wanted to learn Classic Rock, so we began. As time went on he said congrats i had made it through a lesson book we were going through. He told me only about 30% that start those lessons finish, the other 70% leave guitar behind.
He wanted me to work on finger picking, so i did i didn't like it and did well with it, but it wasn't me. He wasn't so happy about me not wanting to do it, then he wanted me to try some classical stuff, i did and didn't like it at all. So i said to him , i don't want to learn that. Again he wasn't happy about it, told me i was shortchanging myself.
Then he wanted to teach me music theory, i told him no, I'm not going down to Nashville to fill in on recordings, I want to learn guitar theory so i can play those songs i grew up with.
So he got a bit angry with me. So i told him look I'm paying you to teach me, what i want to learn, so I told him i was finished with his lessons and i was quitting. I was having no fun.
I went home, I guess the look on my face told the story, my Wife asked me what's wrong, I told her the story, she said i could tell you haven't looked happy the last month or so.
I told her i quit, she said good for you. She said why don't you call up so and so she new this guy, i knew of him, I said to her , you think he gives lessons? She said call him and find out. So I did, was the best thing that ever happened . I had a meeting with him, he's known by many in the guitar world around here where i live. While at the meeting we hit it off right away, he was the same age as I am, liked the same style of music, he uses a pick. He asked me what I wanted to learn, he said no problem. So he asked me what i had learned, had me go over some things to see where I was at.
Next week I started lessons with him, it was great, he was tough, but it was fun, he made it fun, he taught me a lot and made me feel important. He would give me the lesson for the week to work on, and so I worked hard to get it together. He made it interesting and he had a good grip on my weak areas and my strong ones.
Well I was with Rick for a year and a half when covid hit, so the lessons stopped, his Wife was a Nurse and we took lessons at his home, so it became off limits. He is also my guitar tech. Knowing Rick and learning from him, who has made his living playing in 2 bands for years, was the best thing to ever happen to me in playing guitar.
Moral of the story, find a teacher who will teach you what you want and make it fun! I am so grateful to him for teaching me, I almost gave up guitar because of the other guy. We would jam together it was great! He has asked me 2 times to come with him to open mic night that he overseas at a establishment.
He now gives lessons at a music store, has gone into semi retirement, no longer in any band. The other day when i picked up my guitars from him, he said open mic is always open for me anytime.
Thank goodness I didn't give it up, I would have lost so much. Rock on people! Its a skill, don't let it go.
Always good to rock out, its a comfort for me to play the music i like, and nice to meet people who like the music i play. Coming now into my 11th year of playing guitar, i have exceeded far beyond i thought i ever would. I was taking a few lessons back when i was 13 years old, but for some unknown reason gave up on it.
When i retired at age 60, i said to my Wife , i would really like to take up guitar. She said go for it ! so i did, i took lessons for 1 year with a young man who was 31 years of age at that time, i told him i wanted to learn Classic Rock, so we began. As time went on he said congrats i had made it through a lesson book we were going through. He told me only about 30% that start those lessons finish, the other 70% leave guitar behind.
He wanted me to work on finger picking, so i did i didn't like it and did well with it, but it wasn't me. He wasn't so happy about me not wanting to do it, then he wanted me to try some classical stuff, i did and didn't like it at all. So i said to him , i don't want to learn that. Again he wasn't happy about it, told me i was shortchanging myself.
Then he wanted to teach me music theory, i told him no, I'm not going down to Nashville to fill in on recordings, I want to learn guitar theory so i can play those songs i grew up with.
So he got a bit angry with me. So i told him look I'm paying you to teach me, what i want to learn, so I told him i was finished with his lessons and i was quitting. I was having no fun.
I went home, I guess the look on my face told the story, my Wife asked me what's wrong, I told her the story, she said i could tell you haven't looked happy the last month or so.
I told her i quit, she said good for you. She said why don't you call up so and so she new this guy, i knew of him, I said to her , you think he gives lessons? She said call him and find out. So I did, was the best thing that ever happened . I had a meeting with him, he's known by many in the guitar world around here where i live. While at the meeting we hit it off right away, he was the same age as I am, liked the same style of music, he uses a pick. He asked me what I wanted to learn, he said no problem. So he asked me what i had learned, had me go over some things to see where I was at.
Next week I started lessons with him, it was great, he was tough, but it was fun, he made it fun, he taught me a lot and made me feel important. He would give me the lesson for the week to work on, and so I worked hard to get it together. He made it interesting and he had a good grip on my weak areas and my strong ones.
Well I was with Rick for a year and a half when covid hit, so the lessons stopped, his Wife was a Nurse and we took lessons at his home, so it became off limits. He is also my guitar tech. Knowing Rick and learning from him, who has made his living playing in 2 bands for years, was the best thing to ever happen to me in playing guitar.
Moral of the story, find a teacher who will teach you what you want and make it fun! I am so grateful to him for teaching me, I almost gave up guitar because of the other guy. We would jam together it was great! He has asked me 2 times to come with him to open mic night that he overseas at a establishment.
He now gives lessons at a music store, has gone into semi retirement, no longer in any band. The other day when i picked up my guitars from him, he said open mic is always open for me anytime.
Thank goodness I didn't give it up, I would have lost so much. Rock on people! Its a skill, don't let it go.
