Since today marks the two year anniversary of the day I got
my very first guitar, I decided to make a blog post about the lessons I’ve
learned from this wonderful instrument.
Patience
Learning guitar is not easy, especially when you’re teaching
yourself via YouTube and trial and error. When I first started out, I was so
frustrated that I couldn’t stretch my fingers to make certain chords, and I
didn’t feel like I was making any progress at all. However, once I learned a
few chords and was able to play my first song (Introducing Me by Nick Jonas)
and then eventually put out my first YouTube cover with my guitar (You Belong
with Me by Taylor Swift), I started to think that maybe all this hard and
frustrating work was worth something after all.
Commitment
Ask anyone who plays an instrument: If you’re going to learn
how to play, you have to go all or nothing. I didn’t want my guitar to be
something that sat in the corner of my bedroom collecting dust. I wanted it to
become a part of me, and it has. My guitar has given me a new piece of my
identity, another step closer to finding myself, all because I pushed myself to
keep up with it. It’s hard to learn a lot when you have work, school, and the occasional
social life, but I tell myself to at least pick it up and strum some chords for
10 or 15 minutes every day. After all, something is better than nothing.
Dreams
Learning to play guitar has only furthered my desire to
become a professional musician. I am quite aware that it’s obviously not a
practical career path, but everyone deserves to have a dream. I love music more
than words could ever describe, and I want to use it to make people happy like
so many artists have done for me. Look out world, these YouTube covers are just
the beginning.
Self-image
For as long as I can remember, I have always been
self-conscious of what others think of me. I’m often cautious in social
situations, making sure that I don’t embarrass myself in any way. Ever since I
started learning how to play guitar, I have been eager to show off my skills to
others, especially through social media. I’ve been doing a lot more YouTube
covers where I actually show my face, which was always something always I hated
doing. I think it’s a good measure of my progress. I can see the way my hands
move and if I’m developing the correct techniques. Looking back at all these
videos, I can see my confidence slowly growing. I don’t have to look at the
screen as much and can just focus on the music, letting the lyrics and chords
flow through me.
I’m really proud of all the progress I’ve made, but this is
not the end for me. I’m hoping to eventually take guitar lessons, and I actually
just bought a ukulele today. My guitar has taught me so much about myself these
past two years, especially in regards to what I’m capable of. Music has had
such a profound effect on my life thus far, and being able to create my own
music is the most rewarding feeling I could ever imagine.
