I had a cheap acoustic guitar, lo, those many years ago ... like 50 of 'em, as in a half century. I wasn't terrible despite never taking a lesson and not being able to read music. I had a tendency to figure things out but only using "cowboy chords", I certainly wasn't a sophisticated player whatsoever. And eventually, I got sick of that tinny piece of acoustic garbage and literally threw it away. I gave up on guitars.
I grew up with a Milton upright piano, a modest but decent instrument and took to playing it instead. Years later, I bought Yamaha keyboard. I was going through a tough time (the divorce from my first wife) and found myself putting my soul into that instrument and actually wrote and recorded some songs. I rarely listen to them anymore but when I do, I think, "Well, that's not horrible ..."
Eventually, I got tired of playing it and gave it to Goodwill.
A few years ago, I got a relatively small holiday bonus from my employer and thought of buying a newer version of the keyboard and then stopped in my tracks before I hit the Buy button on Amazon.
"What have I wanted to play my whole life?" I asked myself. "A freaking electric guitar."
So that's what I did: a rudimentary Yamaha Pacifica 112J S-type, and a Fender Champion 20 amp. Both incredibly affordable purchases and yet it was the perfect choice.
To make a long story shorter, I've since added two acoustics, two more amps and four more electric guitars to my modest arsenal.
Has Eric Clapton called me up to open for him on the road?
No.
Is Tommy Emmanuel sending me emails accusing me of being better than him?
No.
But, man, it's a hoot and I've probably learned 60 songs or so. My method is to play my iPhone songs through my amp and attempt to play along with them. Sometimes I figure it out, sometimes I don't. And when I don't, there's always the World's Greatest Learning Tool, YouTube.
So tell me about your experience: what you play, how long have you played, what kind of stuff do you enjoy playing, etc.
I grew up with a Milton upright piano, a modest but decent instrument and took to playing it instead. Years later, I bought Yamaha keyboard. I was going through a tough time (the divorce from my first wife) and found myself putting my soul into that instrument and actually wrote and recorded some songs. I rarely listen to them anymore but when I do, I think, "Well, that's not horrible ..."
Eventually, I got tired of playing it and gave it to Goodwill.
A few years ago, I got a relatively small holiday bonus from my employer and thought of buying a newer version of the keyboard and then stopped in my tracks before I hit the Buy button on Amazon.
"What have I wanted to play my whole life?" I asked myself. "A freaking electric guitar."
So that's what I did: a rudimentary Yamaha Pacifica 112J S-type, and a Fender Champion 20 amp. Both incredibly affordable purchases and yet it was the perfect choice.
To make a long story shorter, I've since added two acoustics, two more amps and four more electric guitars to my modest arsenal.
Has Eric Clapton called me up to open for him on the road?
No.
Is Tommy Emmanuel sending me emails accusing me of being better than him?
No.
But, man, it's a hoot and I've probably learned 60 songs or so. My method is to play my iPhone songs through my amp and attempt to play along with them. Sometimes I figure it out, sometimes I don't. And when I don't, there's always the World's Greatest Learning Tool, YouTube.
So tell me about your experience: what you play, how long have you played, what kind of stuff do you enjoy playing, etc.
