Self-taught guitar playing is surprisingly common. With greats like Jimi Hendrix, Jimmy Page, Santana, BB King and Stevie Ray Vaughan all being self-taught, it brings hope to those of us without a formal rock n’ roll education. As I begin my umpteenth attempt at teaching myself to play the guitar, I feel all the usual negative emotions associated with teaching yourself something: frustration, impatience and doubt.
Fortunately, the ability to read music from my time in grade school band has helped me learn; however, this skill is not a prerequisite. In fact, Jimi Hendrix couldn’t read sheet music. He learned by listening to music then playing a game of trial and error until he found the right combination of chords to create the sound he desired — anyone who listens to music posses this skill.
There are many methods you can use to aid you on your path to guitar proficiency.
Something I like to do is break out my air guitar when I am listening to a song I like. I then strum along to the guitar riffs, listening closely, isolating the sound of the lead guitar, and I try to match it. This will help develop an ear for the beat of the music.
Another thing I like to do is find the chords to the song online, from Web sites like www.ultimate-guitar.com, and read it while I am listening to a song. This will help you identify notes from their sound and associate that sound with finger arrangement on the strings and placement on the frets.
It is important to not let learning slowly deter you from studying this instrument. The key is finding the ambition to continue. Guitar, like most instruments, takes a lot of practice, as well as patience, to learn. No one becomes Santana over night. And while this fact may make learning to play frustrating to most, it is something every early guitar trainee faces.
The pursuit of something great is what fuels my determination. With a bit more time on my hands, some new favorite classic rock musicians and an abundance of resources on the internet, I seek proficiency with a new resolve.
If you have seen “Boondock Saints: All Saints Day” you know the memorable quote said by Rocco, “You got your talkers and you got your doers.”
This is true of music acquisition, as well as life. When it comes to learning the guitar many people talk about how “cool” it would be to be able to play, but few follow through. Hopefully, this attempt will prove fruitful and I will finally graduate into the coveted “doer” category.
— LaShae Naszradi is a senior majoring in English, the Copy Chief and Assistant Arts and Life Editor.
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