First Lesson Results

First lesson went well for my son.  Actually, the guitar teacher was impressed and said he's never seen a 6 year old get the concepts so quickly.  I, on the other hand, have some work to do.  My fingers aren't nearly limber enough to do some of these chords, my fingernails, although trimmed, need to be trimmed further as they were long enough to make things slightly more difficult, and I need to build up more strength.  Oh, and he said I was drilling on those guitar strings when I pushed down on them to make chords, and that was causing the note to change.  Apparently, I need a lighter touch.

So, I have a drill to do every day, which he calls the all finger drill.  I'm told most guitarists will know about it and still do it even when they achieve mastery.  I also have a hand exercise to do.  Basically, I make the Vulcan "Live Long and Prosper" sign, then I move my ring finger over so now just my pinky is on the other side of the V.  I then go back the other direction, making the V with different fingers.  Supposedly this is supposed to build up some muscle memory, strength, and flexibility.  The teacher said most people's hand muscles are really good at closing their fingers, but not so good at opening them or moving them sideways.  A guitarist apparently needs this in spades. =D

Then I have some chords to memorize.  Em, E, Am, A, G, and D.  Finally, he's also going to help me move through the book I bought(See my earlier post).  Oh, and he said since I seem to enjoy Blues artists, he'll make sure as I improve that I know how to play blues guitar. =D  All in all, great results, yes?

Audio Clips

Gonna have to figure out how to include audio clips in a blog so I can actually record myself playing and post it on the blog.  That way people can hear my progress.  Not quite sure how I'm going to do this yet.  Let me know if any of you have a good idea.

Played Band Hero with the fam last night.  Was very fun.  I was on lead guitar all night.  It's odd how the game makes you feel like you're playing guitar even though you know 100% what you're doing has very little in common with actually playing a guitar(aside from moving your hands around on a guitar shaped piece of electronics).  Don't worry, I still practiced.  Still, it was a nice diversion. =D

I Found One!

So... in my quest to discover the guitarist(s) whom I will idolize and emulate, I just came across Stevie Ray Vaughan.  I may need to look no further.  I went from Hendrix, to Trowler, briefly on to Clapton(who although skilled, doesn't move me), and then I hit Vaughan.  He is so fast, but every note is so perfect.  Then he stopped strumming his guitar and the music just kept going.  I couldn't even tell he was playing with his other hand.  And every note was still just as perfect.  I haven't seen his equal yet.  I'm not done though, but if I were, I have a feeling I'd be on the right track. =D  Geeze... I haven't even made it out of Blues and I've found so many cool guitarists...

Bought a guitar rack today.  It will hold up to 5 guitars.  I currently have two, but since I ordered a second electric guitar today, I'll soon have 3.  For a guy who's just a beginner, I certainly have a lot of guitars.  Actually, the new electric is the same model as my current electric, only red.  The idea is to have two, since both my son and I will be starting lessons on Wednesday.  I thought it would be cool if we could practice together.  Only problem is the amp I have only has one input, but everybody is telling me to just get a Y adapter and we should be fine.

So...  My 2 year old, Ryan, needs to hurry up and start learning drums.  All we need is a bassist and we've got a family band.  (Stephanie is learning piano, so I guess she gets keyboards.) =D

Finger Violation

My acoustic guitar has made my fingers raw.  Ouch.  Must be something different about the strings...

Guitar Thoughts

The more I listen to Robin Trower, the more I'm impressed.  I was a little disseminated to find out that the voice I'm hearing is not his, but the guitar work is still phenomenal!  Honestly, Jimi's throne is currently being challenged in my mind right now.

Pulled out my acoustic guitar and was delighted to figure out that the songs I'm practicing also sound great on it.  Yeah, the sound is different, but that's kind of cool too.  I don't think I'll ever devote myself to electric, but I'm betting 90% of what I do will be electric.

Finally, a friend of mine recommended I check out Buddy Guy, Stevie Ray Vaughan, and Danny Gatton.  I guess I'll put those on my list.  Eventually I plan to expand beyond blues, but I'm lovin' it right now...

Finding an Idol

So... When I was learning to play trumpet, my idols were Lious Armstrong and Al Hirt. I used to try to play like them.  I never really could, but I think somewhere around high school the desire to truly excel got drowned out the white noise of emotions of that period of my life.  But while it lasted, I was really defined by those two and I think it's important for any musician to find musicians that they admire.

My problem now is that I'm not really versed in the who's who of Guitarists.  I don't know who to emulate.  So I enlisted the help of some knowledgeable friends and have been introducing myself to guitarists to find out who I like.  The process has just started, but here's the list of artists who I am currently exploring.  Let me know who else you think I should listen to, keeping in mind my intention to play electric guitar. =D

Jimi Hendrix
Robin Trower
B.B. King
Eric Clapton

I've listened to the first 3.  About to start Clapton.  Hendrix was simply amazing.  I like some of Trower's work as well.  B.B. King I haven't digested yet.  Any recommendations?

The Journey Begins

So I did it.  I walked in to the music store and bought an electric guitar.  I've thought about doing this for years, but there was always a reason not to buy it.  But not this time.  I bought the guitar.  I bought the amp.  I bought the cable.  I bought a soft case.  I bought several picks.  I bought a beginners book. (I since found that the book is horrible.)  I brought it home.  I plugged it all in.  I turned it on, and what followed was both horrible and amazing.  It hurt, and yet somehow, it was alright.  I had no idea what I was doing, but it didn't matter.  I was making this guitar sing.  Some would argue it was more of a death scream, but they just didn't understand.  My 6 year old son Alex stood 2 feet away, a look of wonder on his face.  I walked over and pushed the "metal" preset on the amp.  The noise changed, and my son immediately responded.  "Rock out, Dad!".  I spent a good couple hours playing with the thing.  I learned a chord.  I tried to play Stairway to Heaven.  I made the guitar make sounds that sounded more like a crazed chipmonk.  It wasn't really music, but it was from me.  I think my son "got it".

The next several days I did the same thing, and tried to go through the book I bought.  I finally figured out that the book was complete garbage.  I went looking for another book and ended up with The Complete Idiot's Guide To Playing Rock Guitar.  I'm much happier with this.  I feel like I have a curriculum to follow.  I'm being taught stuff.  I admit that my years of playing Trumpet are coming in handy, as I already know how to read music, and understand a lot of what is being talked about.  Still, there's a lot to learn.  I'm working on a song at the end of Chapter 3.  I can't seem to get myself to move forward until I can play it.  But I don't care, because it's fun.  I sat in front of the TV watching a movie with the wife last night strumming out the parts of the song I was learning.  I still got just as much out of the movie. =D

The final development?  We signed up my 6 year old(Alex) for guitar lessons.  He's high functioning autistic.  This might actually give him an advantage.  When he focuses on something, he really shuts out everything else.  He's been wild about guitars for weeks since I bought the guitar.  And here's the cool part.  It only cost me twice as much to sign myself up for lessons as well.  So I did.  =D  $195 for 8 lessons... 4 for me and 4 for Alex.  They start on Wednesday.  I'll let you know how it goes.