Just over a year ago, Cody got an electric guitar for Christmas. When he started playing, he began saying that I needed to take my guitar back up. Like a dutiful mother, I got the thing out of the closet, put new strings on it, and began struggling my way through that Learn To Play book again. I got about half way through, and came to the conclusion that the guitar just wasn't meant for me. Away into the closet it went again.
Last week, Cody again took up the cause. "You ought to get your guitar out and start playing again," he says. "Oh, Cody." says I. " I can't play that thing. I just can't learn. I've tried and tried, and I just can't do it." He says, "You can learn to play online easy." So I tell him to get my guitar out of the closet and put it into my office. Maybe if I see it every day, I'll be motivated to start playing. For two days, it sat there untouched.
I tell Cody that he needs to teach me something to play. Instead he gives me a URL. Go to this website, he says. They've got real good lessons there he says. I go to the website, and start reading through the lessons. The first one is pretty much the standard these are the parts of the guitar and this is how you hold it kind of stuff. All well and good.
I get to the second lesson and it's explaining what chords are and it's all going way over my head. Then about halfway down, there are chord exercises. Play these chords, the lesson says and lists a bunch of letters that I'm assuming are meant to be chords: CM Eb and I can't remember what the rest of them are. It says practice these chords until you can move from one to the other smoothly and easily.
But nowhere in the lesson does it say how to play those chords!
Thinking I missed something, I read back over the lesson and still, no where did it say how to play chords. Now, you would think since I struggled through that book that I would know how to play chords, but no. That book didn't teach chords. It taught notes. I looked through the lesson a third time, no chord instructions. Anywhere. I get back to the part that says play these chords, but I have no idea how to play those chords. How am I supposed to practice when I have no clue how to even play the stupid chord?
Back into the closet the guitar has gone. Probably for good, this time.
At least I can take a picture of the stupid thing.
Even if I am too stupid to learn how to play it.
.
6 comments:
Oh, no! It sounds like you've had terrible resources to work with!! How frustrating it must be! I am a horrible guitar player, but i can do enough to amuse myself, even if I never really hope to play in front of other people. If you can find a fingering chart (I know they're all over the web, but I don't have a URL for you) and some fun, simple folk songs, I hope you will try again!
Find someone that plays (a church?) and get lessons from someone that knows you. They likely won't charge much, and if you have any type of skills ... it will happen!
I bought an acoustic/electric a few years ago that's currently collecting dust. I got to a point where I was even getting callouses on my finger tips, but I got bored and wanted to spend my free time other ways. My oldest son may take up lessons on it this summer!
That was always a dream of mine too as a kid - and a dream of my dad's for me as a kid. He bought me a guitar and the books, but never lessons. My next door neighbor's daughter takes lessons. Maybe now that I'm going to be "single" again, I should take up some hobbies. (I would rather not be single, and am still holding out for my husband to wake up from this mid-life crisis, but not looking like it anytime soon.) So, I have to do SOMETHING...might as well learn to play guitar!
What can I say...I work at a guitar school now. I took lessons in junior high, but I neither own a guitar nor at this time want to; however, I do enjoy listening!
Sus, I wouldn't even know how to read a fingering chart.
Steve, lessons...now why didn't I think of that? Well, I have. First of all, I don't even know anyone who plays, except the teenagers. Secondly, the money just isn't there.
MAM, yes. Take up the guitar. Maybe we can encourage each other!
Stephie, I love listening too. That's one reason I wanted to learn to play.
Robbie is taking guitar lessons right now (he had his third one tonight). We're getting double duty out of the lessons, because the teacher gives him notes to take home, to show him what to practice, and then I practice the same lessons on my own time.
He's doing somewhat better than I am, part of that is the direct lessons, but I think the other part is that it's a 3/4ths size guitar and my fingers are a little big.
It helps that because I do play piano, I at least know what notes go into each chord, so your mysterious set of chords isn't as mysterious to me.
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