I was a lazy musician
I never wanted to put the work into anything when I was a high schooler. Whether it was in the classroom or learning to play guitar, I always wanted to take the easy way out. Itās not that I wasnāt interested or didnāt care. But it was especially true when it came to music.Ā
See, I had always loved music. When my dad gave me my first guitar, I was eager to learn. Despite no formal training, I did learn. My music education was as basic it could get. I picked up chords through picking up the pieces of songs I could play, except for the hard parts, of course.Ā
Seeing how talented my friends were that played and listening to my favorite albums motivated me to be good but not want to work.Ā
Although there were major gaps in my knowledge, I was able to figure enough out to compose a few songs that I would record, release, and eventually earn $1.84 from.Ā
Itās easy to see why I got frustrated and eventually stopped. I claimed at the time that I stopped playing because it wasnāt taking me anywhere or making me any money but then I became a freelance writer a short time after my hiatus. A part of it was too a girl that I was dating insisted I write her a song, which violates my no writing love songs policy. So, I just stopped altogether.Ā
My friends and I would spend hours at Guitar Center in high school playing different guitars. My dream guitar became a Martin acoustic. Nothing sounded better or fit my hands better than a Martin. Unfortunately, there was no way to afford one on a grocery stockers salary so I went on with life but never forgetting that feeling.Ā
That all changed in the Spring of 2016 when I went back into Guitar Center after playing sporadically again for about a year. There it was. A beautiful custom series Martin acoustic guitar for $300 off. I had to have it, so I traded in my Fender Strat and Washburn electric and left with my dream guitar.Ā
Since then, Iāve overhauled my sound entirely. My new main electric is my ESP 256C that plays like a Les Paul or Epiphone at a fraction of a price. I also traded in my VOX for a Line 6 practice amp and it all feels new again.Ā
I always said when I wasnāt playing that if I started again, Iād do it the right way. Iād push myself to learn music and why things do or donāt go together. Iāll tell you, the day I learned how to sight read felt like an accomplishment because it helped me understand the instrument better. Itās only helped me learn more in the following months.Ā
Oddly enough, one of the biggest helps to me was learning how to play the bass. Itās still fairly new but this $99 Dean I found at a Music-Go-Round was one of the best investments Iāve made, musically. To me, itās helped reinforce the theory and understanding rhythm better because I wasnāt born with much of it.Ā
Now Iāve got the urge to write and/or record again. Itās funny that my dad didnāt play much either when I wasnāt but now heās started playing more. We talk about songs weād want to play together and how he wants to start writing again. Itās fun. In particular, the BeatlesāĀ āCome Togetherā is one that works great for a guitar and bass player.Ā
I also had a friend of mine send me some lyrics heād been working on and it was a fun exercise putting together some of those to piece together a quick song. After nine years of not writing, it was a challenge but organizing the music was less frustrating when you have a better idea of what youāre doing.Ā
Being able to record cover videos has also been a proud moment because there was no way I was going to be able to play something like GunsĀ āNā RosesĀ āRocket Queenā or finally breakthrough learning Stone Temple PilotsāĀ āPlushā but shedding my laziness allowed me to do this. I mean, I would avoid using my pinky finger at all costs when I first started but now itās second nature.
(One of the best ways for me to get my hand dexterity back was attempting to play God ForbidāsĀ āAnti-Heroā since the intro really requires your left and right hands to be in sync.)
The idea now is to keep this as a hobby and not let anyone or anything take me away from the things I love. You reach the age of 25 and you really do stop caring about what people think and start becoming more comfortable with yourself.Ā
Next semester will be the start of my Senior year of college. Iām down to just a few course class and a fine arts elective. It just so happens thereās a guitar class there so I only look to further my education in the next few months. Maybe sometime again Iāll be able to put out music again.Ā











