Meet and Greet

[Bill_Scanlon]

Hi I'm Bill.  I'm 45 I live in Kingston Springs Tennessee about 20 miles west of Nashville.  I started playing the guitar on April fools day 4 years ago, so I'm a guitar playing fool.   ;D

I have been intrested in music all my life when I was 10 I told my dad I wanted to take drum lessons, so he took me to accordion lesson...what a bummer that was!  It didn't last long.

I turned 40 in August 1998.  I decided I was going to learn to play an insturment, but not the accordoin because I have flash back everytime I hear one.  I wasn't going to learn to play the guitar because everyone in Nashville plays the guitar.  After months of looking for an insturment to learn I walked into the acoustic room at Mars music.  This guy was playing a guitar and I was blown away at what he was doing.  I bought my first guitar that day a Yamaha F-350 (sounds like a motocycle).  I still have that guitar it has been all over the country with me.  I recently got my Jimmy Buffett Shellback a limited addition made by Martin.  It is a work of art.

My favorite artists Jimmy Buffett, Eric Clapton, Alan Jackson, The Beatles, John Melloncamp, Eagles.  The acoustic rock from the 70's...

blues, country or rock if it is acoustic I like it..

I love to play it is relaxing.

[olive]

Hi, I'm Emily.  I'm 26 and I live in West Lafayette, Indiana. I work as a lab tech in a quality control lab for a pharmaceutical company.
I started playing guitar in college.  I had a friend who played.  I picked up the guitar one day and he showed me how to play an Em chord.  Once I started strumming I was hooked.  My boyfriend had an old Yamaha guitar that was his mom's when she was in college.  I borrowed it and started learning a few easy songs.  (Is it bad not to break up with someone so you can keep a guitar?)  
I finally started taking lessons about a year and a half back, and since then have actually learned something about playing the six string beast.  I currently am trying to learn jazz guitar and am particularly interested in chord/melody solo stuff.
I have a Takamine G-series acoustic and a Les Paul copy electric.  I am currently lusting after the gorgeous Taylors hanging on the wall of the guitar shop where I take lessons.  I hope to actually own one by next year!

Olive

[StoryMwString]

I received a child's guitar when i was a child.  a very dear and sweet lady gave it to me as a Christmas present.  i played "literally" with it until i decided i had no music inside me.

I bought a regular-sized steel string acoustic 7 days after 9/11.  

I guess the music was inside and  couldn't be contained any longer.

I'm 46 and on my 6th year of "middle-aged" crazies.  ;D

I live in Texas, work full-time as a "transportation tech" transporting packages from one location to another.

I sing the blues sometimes, but I like to sing about the light.

I searched and searched for a way to learn how to play the guitar.  i found this site and it saved my life... i could play Horse with no name in less than 14 days   ;D

I am divorced and my son lives with his mother in another town and our lives are better off that way.  

I'm looking for an nice lady who can sing like an angel to accompany my songs.  Auditions begin this weekend  

and

I'm a country boy living in the big city, so don't be surprised to see me go rabbit hunting in the local park.   ;D

I have a jerk-o-meter and it's set to sensitive, but i would like a day off occasionally so please smile at me tomorrow.  Even Wyatt Earp had days when he didn't have to draw his gun.

and to paraphase a great man of Houston

keep on trucking, good tennis or whatever makes you happy

Steve

[fingerfretting]

Hello, Everyone at Guitar Noise:

Im the Jackie of all trades and still not the master of any. I tried to do alot in my life. First my name is Beverly and im real shy on the computer in certain things because its all self taught. I dont have a mic yet but one day.

I have a background in choir mostly. Trained all through school and in church until i was 16. Then I went through my rebbellious stage. I had a few guitar lessons in my early twenties but life was too busy.

I tried the office life and hated it. I am a certified laboratory animal science tech, that was over in four years. I couldnt afford to get the bio/chem degree and so i settled for accounting/bookkeeping. It was ok but i would get too zapped as an office manager. I didnt have the energy to even know how to write my name, i definitely wasnt able to write lyrics.

I finally ended up a cosmetologist and I own a hair salon. Its pretty cool. Half country half rock, theres tanning and a sauna, and a whirlpool tub ect. Its doing good enough to grow and i hope it keeps growing.

Now, I am a lyric writing maniac. I LOVE LOVE LOVE to write lyrics and soon music i hope. I have some real good stuff put away for when im able to do something with it. I have entire notebooks of songs, poetry, short stories and prayers. The prayers may sound funny but they inspire.

I like all kinds of music-soft rock, country, jazz, contemporary christian, folk. The hardest rock tune I think I like is guns n roses 'sweet child of mine'.

I really like this site alot and I hope it is on-line forever and i am glad to be a part of it. I know it will do me alot of good to be critiqued and inspired by other artists. Well talk to you all in the threads, take care.-Bev ;D

[retep69]

Hi, my name is Peter, I am 61 and earn my living as a chiropodist, or if you like a podiatrist, depends where you live.
Even from the late 40s early 50s, when the guitar become the instrument to learn and play have I felt the need to do something in this direction. Well I now find myself with more time on my hands and just a little more cash in my pocket and hoplefully the determination to fullfil the dream.

Now after all those years I now have the guitar, so lets go and see how far we can get.

Take care Peter  :D

[Tugit17]

Hello everyone,
 

 My name is Tom and I'm 34 from Brooklyn NY, I have an Ibanez dreadnought that I have been "playing" for two years, but over the last few months I'm really trying to get serious. I like mostly rock music and Pearl Jam. been reading GN for a while now,and trying to learn as much as I can. I love this site, keep up the good work!!

~~Evenflow~~

[Musenfreund]

Tugit,
Welcome to the madhouse.  Always good to meet a new inmate.  
Tim

[Laoch]

Hello all

I'll give the short version of my guitar story.  Started about a year ago with an electric and soon bought an acoustic (which I mainly use now).  I'm in my 30's and loving every time I pick up my guitar (although I wish I started sooner!).  I play left handed and, so far, I am self taught (with a lot of help from GN  ;D ).  I live outside of NYC.  I'm glad to see some other folks getting started on an instrument as adults.  I wish everyone the best of luck.  It's never too late to learn to make music.
For those who are interested, I posted a longer version of my guitar/musical journey on "The Other Side" forum here:

http://www.guitarnoise.com/forum/?board=otherside;action=display;num=1029979577;start=15


Ed

[ovation_player]

Hi I'm Tim, I am 43 married with two kids.  Been playing guitar off and on for 25 years.  Gotta a yamaha accoustic for hs graduation present.  Learned how to play decent rhythm guitar while in college.  But playing stagnated after that for a while.  Took some lessons when I was 26 bought a telecaster and got a little better at playing but I was into working full time and partying alot.  Got married a few years after that and guitar playing pretty much came to a halt.  Then the kids were born.  A few years ago when the kids became a little more self sufficient took it up again.  Learned a lot of rock songs from internet tabs and using my ear to figure things out.  Then boom financial difficulty hit and sold the tele.  Recently rebounded and bought an ovation celebrity accoustic electric. Played in a church group last year. Although the songs were kind of lame,  it was a great experience playing in front of people. With job, kids and other responsibilities church group got to be too much but I kinda miss it. Been learning some theory here and from all over the internet.  Want to learn to be a good all around player and not just play songs from tabs.  So I'm practicing arpeggios, scales and chords as much as I can( 1/2 hour a day if I'm lucky) and boning up on more theory.  Also want to learn to sight read.  

[catchamonkey]

Hello fellow music lovers! My name's Eve. I live in Melbourne, Australia, with my two kids and hubby.

Guitar's a great instrument because so many people play it. Everyone has a story, and everyone has some useful tips!

It's been almost three years since my pre-Christmas hints materialised in a real-life guitar. It's a very loveable second-(or third or fourth)hand "Status" (?) classical guitar. It's just a cheapie but it sounds great, has a low action and so far the only shortcoming I've had to grapple with is a buzzing on the 12th fret.

I took up guitar in a misguided belief that my then two year old son would love to hear me play nursery rhymes for him. I had no ambition beyond this simple task. Alas, even though my son put me straight very early on, I found I was hooked!

I found a plethora of three-chord songs that are fun to play and sing. And, as a bonus, I was free of the burden of having to play boring nursery rhymes.

This website has inspired me to learn more theory, to practice different strumming techniques and to play beyond the comfort zone!

I can't wait to get stuck in, and to learn from the combined wisdom of so many guitar players. Hope we can talk more soon.

PS Someone from my city has figured out how to play "Rock the Casbah"?  8) That's a great song! How can we get a hold of your version?

[neesah]

Hi!
I have been playing guitar off and on since i was maybe 13, and i am 47 now. However, i still consider myself a beginner.... and believe me, i am!

I love music, and want to learn. I took lessons one summer, and it was great. However, we just bought a house, and money is tight, so doing that again is probably not feasible. This site seems to be great though, and i am having a lot of fun looking around.

I have a Martin, bought several years ago during my lessons. It is a D2R. I love it, and want so badly to make it sing!

I have a problem settling down and actually doing the lessons. I seem to get overwhelmed on the amount of stuff there is out there, and how to organize and plan the lessons..... i need someone to help with that..... it is why i considered one of the pay-for sites, but i really like the community here.

Hope to stay a while, and learn!

Marilyn

[Musenfreund]

Neesah, Catchamonkey, retep69,
On behalf of the other inmates, let me welcome you to the madhouse!  Good to have you here.  And if I've missed any other newcomers in the meet and greet, please know we're glad to have you join the asylum too!
Tim

[markyesme]

You know, I was thinking about this today.  If I had to start over, I would focus on the A Major scale.  After tuning the guitar, I would play A to A 6th to 12st strings leaving to beats on each end (you should be able to find that pattern out there somewhere, start with middle finger on 6th fret 6th string, then one finger per fret).  I would practice it over and over, also doing variations (thirds, string skipping, up four notes and back through the whole thing, etc).  In addition to that exercise, I would learn the I-IV-V chords (A Major, D Major and E Major).  I would learn them with different strum patterns, then I would find every song I could with those chords.  

Once I felt comfy with that, I would move to the D Major key.  Same pattern on scales, just a different location, or I might look at the pattern that starts the root on the 5th string).  I-IV-V in that scale are D, G, A, so I just have to learn one new chord.  Then I can work on transcribing some of the previous stuff I learned from the key of A to the key of D, as well as learn some of the other tunes out there.  In the key of D, the ii chord is also an easy one, so I could E minor to the mix and look for more tunes.

I would rinse and repeat the process for the key of G (I-ii-IV-V are G, Am, C, D -- adding C and Am to the mix).  Also Em is the vi chord, so I get to look for more progressions as well as transcribing earlier stuff.

Then comes C Major.  The dread F Major chord.  I could work on little F, before trying to tackle barre F.  So, in this key we could do I-ii-iii-IV-V-vi, i.e. C, Dm, Em, F, G, Am).  Lots of new progressions, more transcriptions, continued discovery of the fretboard, etc.

I have come to the conclusion that starting in C is only really useful in classical, or Latin-y stuff.  For most of the popular stuff that you find to try and learn, I think this would have been a quicker way to have progressed.  I am too far along now, but that's how I would advise someone starting out.  Comments.

The reason I went through the diatribe above, is a feeble attempt to help Neesa overcome her feeling of being overwhelmed.  I probably failed, because opinions are like... well, you know where I am going.