My first guitar
Bay City, Mich. – When I decided to give up shopping for Lent, I realized I needed another hobby to occupy my time.
So after canceling out the usual collegetime consumers, I decided that musical talent needed to be my central topic of improvement.
I played the flute from fifth until eighth grade. I quit when being in band meant wearing ugly uniforms and marching around on a football field. My flute still sits in a closet at my parents’ house. Her name was “Penelope” and I was fourth chair out of something like 17 flute players.
But, frankly, I really didn’t try very hard to be good at the flute. In fact, I was really pretty apathetic. And those American Pie jokes really got old fast.
But for the past few years, I’ve looked adoringly at those who can play the acoustic guitar. It sounds great, it’s versatile, popular, and, well, almost a little bit glamorous.
So, I decided, I was going to buy myself an acoustic guitar.
After some research and advice from a co-worker here at the Bay City Times, I was informed I needed a Baby Taylor. At 5-foot-1, I’m positive I have the smallest hands of anyone I know, so a smaller guitar was necessary. I stepped into Invisions Musiq, a locally owned music shop in Midland. The owner, Mark, is one of those really, really cool dudes who has copious amounts of musical talent and is also super friendly.
And there it was on the wall. Bright blue, smaller in stature, and hidden on the wall like one of those gems in a Webkinz game (Don’t pretend you don’t know what I’m talking about. Webkinz are legit).
At that moment, I forgot all the advice I’d heard about what kind of guitar to get.
It was like being in a bar with a bunch of boring men that your parents would love, but in the corner is a gorgeous, rich, rock star type who nearly resembles Russell Brand in the best way possible. You like his obnoxious hair and you like that he stands out, and you don’t care if his voice is annoying and you don’t care if he smokes a pack a day. He’s beautiful, and you need him.
This guitar was that man. And he was going to be mine.
Sure, the guitar was made by Crestwood, a company I’d never heard of. But it was like unearthing the Jumanji game from underground – it was so notable, and although I wasn’t really sure why, I wanted it.
A few hundred dollars later, I had my guitar. The gorgeous blue instrument nearly glows in color, and is now topped off with a lightning-bolt emblazoned guitar strap. All my picks match, and my bare guitar case yearns for stickers.
After taking the guitar home, I spent the next couple hours looking up songs on YouTube … I’d learn a few chords, get frustrated, and move on to a new one. So far, I’m best at “Love Story” by Taylor Swift – which I probably shouldn’t admit.
But I’ve found that having a guitar is a bit like having a new puppy. I’m here at work right now, and all I can think about is how I’d rather be at home playing my guitar. I want to be good, and I want to know obscure songs that I can jam out to with my friends. I can’t do any of this while I’m at work and that sucks. Boo.
I’m curious what songs are easy to play for beginners, so if anyone has any suggestions, I’m all ears.
Share your song suggestions with blogger Thea Neal by posting a comment here, or by e-mailing her at nealthea@msu.edu .
About First Time for Everything
Former State News reporter Thea Neal shares her experiences taking on new challenges — Trying it first so you don’t have to.
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Commentary
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Scott
(02/25/09 2:17pm)Report
Welcome to the wonderful world of guitar!! I’ve been playing for 13 yrs, and I still get a thrill when I come home from work and pick it up. As for good songs….I really would just recommend buying a songbook of your favorite artist. It may have tablatures for lead parts, but it will also have chord diagrams, etc. For me, it was a Bob Dylan songbook that was given to me by my dad when I was 12. You really can’t go wrong with the “Guitar White Pages” songbook either. Just go into any music shop and they will know what you are talking about immediately. In addition, I recommend taking a few lessons, just to get some of the basics. You’ll be surprised how fast you will improve with just a few months of lessons vs. trying to teach yourself via the internet. Have fun!
Gary the Alum
(02/25/09 2:36pm)Report
What’s more fun than playing an acoustic guitar? Ok, a lot of things, but it’s up there among the best.
You can start with “Freight Train.” You know, “freight train, freight train, going so fast…” Lame, but easy. It only takes a few chords to play Steve Goodman’s “City of New Orleans,” perhaps Woody’s “this Land is You Land.” Scott is right, go to any music store and they will have beginner books. Pick one with songs you’d like to play – then play. Don’t worry about playing well. I’ve been playing for over 30 years and I suck (can you say “suck” here?)
Clapton's Protégé
(02/25/09 6:01pm)Report
Scott gave some good advice, that should help a lot. If you don’t have time to go to out and pick stuff up you should try out www.justinguitar.com for some online lessons and lists of songs to get you started. Also as far as tabs go, www.ultimate-guitar.com has just about every song ever made. The biggest thing to remember is to not get frustrated. I’ve been playing for a couple years now and wouldn’t consider myself “good” by any means. Just make sure you stick with it and dedicate an hour or so to it a day and you’ll be happy with your results.