guitars, music

the basics

etikser

Sometimes you hear accomplished and celebrated musicians talk about the first chord they learned to play. I’ve heard Paul McCartney talk about when The Beatles only knew three chords. It makes me remember we’re all people. The same basic genes. We all start out the same. How can these musicians remember their first chord? I don’t even remember my first chord. I’m sure it was A, A minor, or C, maybe F, but I don’t really remember my first chord. Maybe E??? E minor? House of the Rising Sun?? No, not House of the Rising Sun. Possibly Blowin’ in the Wind, or Cruel War. Some Peter, Paul & Mary Song. 
So maybe there’s still hope for me? Maybe not. I’ve been at this a long time. But there will always be a special place in my heart for guitar chords and picking guitar strums. 
For those moments when we as individuals think everyone seems so much better than us, we can remember we all start with an A, an A minor, or a C. Maybe an E. Your first guitar strum. Yeah, just like that. Where I’m heading, I don’t know, but there’s the basic stuff we all had to learn when we start out.

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31 thoughts on “the basics”

    1. Well, okay, that makes me feel better, but I can’t even hardly tune my guitar, and my strums lack rhythm. And my singing might be the worst part. It’s kinda funny that I don’t forget the chords, though. Thanks for reading.

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    1. Thanks so much. And I think you’re right. I can’t play the piano, but always wanted to. When I was little, I used to pretend I was playing a piano with my fingers on the back of the pew in front of me at church. I felt very cool, and in my imagination, I was playing beautifully.

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    1. Thanks. I suppose so. I was listening to an interview of Willie Nelson with his sons, and one of the sons was remembering when he learned to play his first chord. It made me remember when my friend Laura worked with me many, many years ago to play a few chords, enough to play a simple P, P & M song. It was a sweet memory for me.

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    1. Good advice. We need that permission to struggle through the times when we’re all too aware of our shortcomings. Not too late to try. The guitar can be a wonderful source of comfort even for us amateurs.

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    1. Oh, you’re way too kind, but thank you. I can barely play, maybe about five songs, if I have the chords in front of me. I’m surely not musical…can’t read music. I wish I’d picked up musical skills when I was younger. But I do take some comfort from my guitar…like an old friend.

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    1. I thought for a second that might be true for me too. That song has an easy progression of chords, and it’s a song I can still remember without seeing the chords in front of me. Thanks so much for sharing.

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  11. Very poignant. The photo of the guitar brought it all back…buying my first guitar from Rochdale, a town on the outskirts of Lancashire… strumming the strings
    Unfortunately, I never mastered the guitar, but went on to study classical piano performance.
    Best,
    Lawrence

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    1. Thanks so much. I always wanted to learn to play piano, but never had one. You are probably very musical…I’m not at all. I can’t even read music. The guitar suited my capabilities. It’s also nicely portable. I also distinctly remember buying my guitar for myself soon after starting my first adult job. A good memory. Appreciate your sharing your thoughts and recollections.

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