Week 10 - ending 3/11: Finding Rhythm

In February I started guitar lessons. I played the piano from around age 5 until I was in high school so I have a music background. However, I am learning that the guitar is very different from piano, and the way I am learning is very different from how I learned piano.

My teacher has shown me how to read some basic music, scales and chords. He asks that I memorize so I don't stare at the paper when I am playing. It is the only way you will find your rhythm, he says. You have to feel the music, not read it. Playing the guitar is like talking with your fingers. Certain ways of playing invoke the sound of a question, while other ways invoke sadness or whining. At some point during each class we jam and that is my chance to find my rhythm.

Each class, my teacher, lets me pick a different guitar to try. Since I started out with goal to play Hawaiian slack key, I have been focusing on acoustic guitars. However, today I felt like changing it up and grabbed an electric guitar.

The guitar I chose was a mayonnaise color with some white. It was much heavier than the acoustic guitars I was used to. He plugged it in, tuned it and we began playing. At some point during the jam session I actually found my rhythm. It was fleeting, but I heard it and felt it. It felt natural and flowed freely, unlike when I normally play where I am focusing on moving my fingers and matching the strings.

While I have a long way to go to being confident in my playing, I am seeing progress. Also, let's be real, when we were jamming, we were basically writing music! However, my friend looks at me suspiciously when I tell him I write music and disapprovingly says, no. I will let you know when I put out an album. LOL