Why My 365 Guitar Project and My Musical History (or Lack Thereof)

Welcome!

My 365 Guitar Project is simply this:

 

I will play my guitar every single day for the next year.

Why?  I am a busy working mom; a self-taught guitarist with absolutely no musical ability whatsoever.  I would classify myself slightly beyond beginner level, but I have not really progressed in the past year.  I have enough "skill" (I am using the term loosely here) to play many of the songs I enjoy, but I would like to improve and channel my inner rock goddess.

The questions I hope to answer are these:

• will the habit of daily playing increase my skill?
• is it possible to advance using only online guitar lessons and resources?
• how can I measure my improvement over the course of the next year?
• if I can reach intermediate level, will Jon Bon Jovi hire me as back up guitarist for his next tour??  (sadly I'm only kidding)

Note to my reader(s):

Since I simply want to play every single day, I will jot down my thoughts and musical adventures on the fly --  informally like a journal.   I am a literary free spirit which means I write as I speak, and I suppose my high school English teacher will probably cringe reading these words.  I am a perfectionist and planner by nature, but this time I refuse to get bogged done by formatting posts, playing with colors and fonts, or giving myself excessive rules.

My Only Rule Is:

PLAY MY GUITAR EVERY SINGLE DAY FOR THE NEXT YEAR.

That's it. I don't have to blog every day and I don't have to officially "practice."  Just pick up my instrument and strum.  I believe that dedication and consistency will pay off.

That's my goal in a nutshell.   If you want "the rest of the story," please read on....

 My Musical History (or Lack Thereof)

 

 

Me with my dad's guitar - wish I inherited his talent!

Learning Guitar Attempt #1

I received a guitar as a child and attempted to teach myself to play with a Mel Bay kids' "how to play guitar" book.  My dad played guitar (though I don't really recall him doing so in my childhood), but he did not give me instruction. Perhaps he offered and I'm sure I was a brat and refused.  Just like I refused his help in softball and bowling....  But back to guitar.  I never had formal lessons either. I'm sure it's because I was either scared or stubborn or both.

Sooooo, I learned to pick a few random notes but was hung up on reading music. It was hard. I didn't get it other than that Every Good Boy Does Fine nonsense. If notes were above or below the scale I choked. I disliked learning to read music so much that I put the guitar away.  I never developed callouses and never strummed a chord.

Seriously, what is this stuff?  I still can't read music.

Note:  My sister swears she remembers me trying to learn "Stairway to Heaven" and that it was extremely painful for her. I don't remember but I won't dispute it either, lol.  If you'd like to hear an amazing performance of "Stairway to Heaven," check out Heart's tribute to Led Zeppelin from the Kennedy Center Honors ceremony.  Just click HERE.

How NOT To Encourage Your Children

Another childhood event influenced my guitar playing.  Well, I suppose it was what KEPT me from trying more often or actually believing I could play.  In elementary school our class had to take some type of musical test to determine if we had any ability.  One of the skills was to identify if one note was lower or higher than another.  Well, apparently I didn't do well on that test.  So basically the kids who scored high were invited to join the band and learn an instrument.  The rest of us were just convinced we were not musical.  What a horrible blow to a child's self-confidence.  That episode truly makes me angry.  Oh well, it's a learning experience.

Could Esteban teach me to play???

Learning Guitar Attempt #2

Maybe 7 or 8 years ago I was watching a presentation by Esteban on HSN.  I had never heard of him before (I guess I'm out of the musical loop) but the Home Shopping Network convinced me that the baby blue acoustic guitar he was selling would magically play in my hands!  Or that's what I chose to believe, lol.  At any rate, the guitar was probably under $100.    I decided what the hell, I'll try again.

NOW I use a pick.  This is one of my favs.

Long story short, I tried learning with the same Mel Bay kiddie instructional book and guess what?  I still hated trying to read music and my inability to learn fucked up my self-confidence.  The damn sheet music nonsense soured the whole experience.

Being somewhat stubborn, I bought a few "how to" books at Borders and once again focused on picking single notes.  Totally sucked. Oh and I use the term pick loosely. I never used a pick. Needless to say this adventure did not last long.

Learning Guitar Attempt #3 - The Third Time's the Charm!

I love the rhythm guitar on this album.  And I love JBJ, although my celebrity crush is probably not relevant, lol.

Soooo, while my pretty blue guitar sat forlornly in a closet, I channeled my creative energies into becoming a distance runner and ran lots of half marathons for "fun."  After a few years my left knee cried uncle and I scheduled knee surgery for May of 2012.  I got the grand idea that my rehab would be a great time to finally make that guitar my bitch.

I also was on a Bon Jovi "Lost Highway" kick at that time and loved the strummy acoustic rhythm guitar on the album. I wanted to play like THAT. But this time, I was smarter. I googled "free guitar lessons" and discovered justinguitar.com.

This time learning was fun.

I can't say enough wonderful things about Justin's website. Free video lessons, chord charts, practice schedules, tips, forums, beginner songs, etc., etc. Justin was funny and entertaining and taught me skills in a logical progression. Oh, and best part?  No reading music!

Instead Justin gets you playing chords immediately. I was hooked after my very first lesson.

I finished the beginner course, rather imperfectly, by Christmas 2012 and felt I deserved an equipment upgrade. Santa brought me a black Takamine acoustic/electric cutaway, just like the one my musical idol, Jon Bon Jovi, plays.

And Now, For The Future...

Fast forward to today, Halloween 2013.  I still play my guitar often, but there are days I don't pick it up.  After the beginner course I started focusing on strumming the songs I enjoy so my skills really haven't developed much further. If I plug in my headphones and play the music loud enough I sound okay.  If I'm drunk and plug in headphones I am rocking!  (I don't really drink much but if I did I'm sure I'd sound good.) 

I know I have lots of areas to work on and I know some of my techniques are just wrong.  Like how I hold the pick, darn it.  So for the coming year I want to channel my energy into daily playing, getting the basics down, and learning new skills.  Hence, the birth of this blog!