I GOT BLISTERS ON ME FINGERS!!

In the past few years, my school has started a program to supplement the music department by giving instrumental lessons. The one music teacher we have is severely overworked, between classes, glee club, double quartet, AND a jazz band, (not to mention dorm and sports duties) so we bring in some local instrumental teachers to give lessons in the afternoon. Well, this year, I decided to take advantage of my connection to the school and scam me some free lessons.

I got myself an electric/acoustic guitar on e-bay for about $50.

She ain’t pretty, but she makes pretty sounds, if’n I stroke her strings proper.

I always wanted to play guitar, and the lessons are a great time for me. A nice time to step away from the front of the classroom and be a student again. No pressure to know all of the answers, or force people to stay on task. Just pay attention and absorb knowledge.  My teacher is a nice guy named Nate. I get the feeling that sometimes he might feel a little awkward, since I’m willing to bet he’s at least ten years younger than I am, and I could probably crush his head in one hand if I wanted to. But he’s really easy going, and seems interested in the same kind of folksy/rock music that I would like to learn to play.

The lessons are going well so far, considering the last two weeks the school play has kept me so busy I didn’t have much time to practice. The process I interesting, since I know enough to actually read music from my years of Tuba playing as a young’un. As an adult, I find myself blowing through half of the lesson book (the same one that all of his students of all ages use) only to come to a screeching halt every time I need to learn how to play a new note. I can play notes on three strings now, which is enough to allow me to play both Aura Lee and Jingle Bells.