I was a young boy rummaging through the basement when I found my Dad’s old guitar, nestled in a canvas gig bag behind the furnace. When I took it out of the gig bag, it had only two strings, and they weren’t sounding very musical.
I strummed the strings of that long-lost guitar as I attempted to accompany songs playing on the radio. Several months later, it was Christmas, and my parents realized this guitar “fad” wasn’t going to end any time soon. My Dad handed me a box from Santa Claus that read, “Check under our bed.” This brought me to a small space with a box that conveniently concealed my first guitar.
I was thrilled to finally have a guitar of my own, with a complete set of strings and Alfredo’s Guitar Book for Beginners. I learned real chords and played songs until my fingers bled. It was a painful beginning for my fingers and the family’s ears.
Adding fifty-six years of practice, competitions, campfires, parties, concerts, and recording sessions brings me to today. A collection of guitars from all the major brands: Martin, Fender, Gibson, Ibanez, Lowden, Ovation, and Hamer, to name a few.
As much as I wished I could pursue a career in music, my academic side, engineering and programming prevailed. However, if there is a common thread among them, it’s creativity.
I play my guitar, not to be the best, just a little bit better than yesterday, and more so because I enjoy playing. Learning new songs, trying new chords, new licks, or simply strumming familiar tunes serve as a much-needed break.