Guitar Lessons

(This was in May, so still counts towards that month’s adventure.  A couple other posts are coming for May.  Though I have to start thinking about June here soon!)

My friend Rebecca, several years ago, gave me an acoustic guitar for my birthday.  I love that guitar.  I love the sounds that it can make despite my feeble attempts.  (A friend recently told me it has a sweet sound to it, so it is not just my imagination.)   In among house renovations, I have been teaching myself using a book I ordered online (Instant Guitar! I can’t find it online at the moment).  It is actually a great book, but I never progress very far in it, because just when songs start to get complicated, so does my life.

But another reason is that by the time I get to the complicated songs, I start to wonder if I am truly holding my hands in the right position?  What fingers do I use to pluck the bottom three strings – and can it vary?  And I keeping time correctly?  Am I pressing down too hard on the strings?  And do I have to contort my fingers so in order to press down close to the frets?  What potentially bad habits am I creating while playing these songs?

I determined that I should try and stop any now, before they become ingrained and ruin whatever glowing professional guitar career I may have. So I used a Groupon and took a guitar lesson from a professional classical guitarist, Piotr Pakhomkin, http://georgetownguitar.weebly.com/.   Nice guy, and when we started he played just a few lines, and it was incredibly lovely (and somewhat intimidating.).   His answers to the above?  Hand position – Yes (mostly – just not so tight, and don’t fold your fingers out of the way, keep them handy).  Fingers for plucking –  just like you have them – thumb for the top (bass) three strings, and others (never the pinky) lined up for the highest notes; they can vary.  Yes on the time, but basically not to worry – get a metronome.  Etc.

It was a very helpful lesson, and I went through some exercises with him.  But as I don’t have a great short-term memory, I hated actually trying to replay what he just showed me in front of him.  But I did.   After about thirty minutes of great advice and correction, however, what I really wanted to ask him to do was just play for me.   Spanish guitar music is incredible.  I wondered – could I use a Groupon to ask for a private performance from a guitarist?  hmmm.

Anyway, back to my complicated life, with little bouts of practice here and there.  But with more confidence, and more inspiration to help my lovely guitar sound out.

😉