Learning to play the guitar is one of those things I always figured I’d do after I won the lottery. Seeing that I don’t play the lottery, I finally realized I could be waiting a long time before the day would come for lessons. So, when a slot with a guitar teacher opened at the same time my son was taking trumpet lessons, I took the plunge.
Two years later, I am not quite ready for my public debut. Classical guitar is hard. Still, I’m not ready to give up. One day I will wake up, play a tune passably well and be on my way.
My guitar teacher once pointed out that, “People of your age usually give up by now” because they are so busy. True, life gets hectic and practicing occasionally takes a back seat when you have a family and a career.
What my young teacher doesn’t know yet is that one thing “people of my age” have on their side is tons of patience.
And that’s good news for me and my future as a passable guitar player.
I will be happy to attend your guitar debut! That will be me cheering loudly.
ReplyDeleteWhen I returned to graduate school in my forties, my first class was Beginning Guitar for the Music Therapist. There were three of us in the class: two young undergrads in their early 20's and me (old enough to be their mother). But also on my side of the mountain was the guitar professor, even somewhat older than myself.
We had a blast from the very first day and were all sorry to see the semester end. The young women awed and inspired me with their gifts and passion for music therapy. But I often noticed that their weekly classical guitar exercises seemed, well, astonishingly under-practiced. I, on the other hand, worried about keep up, developed some thick callouses on my fingertips.
Now, practicing on my own without the threat of a grade, I admit to sometimes skipping regular practice times. But your comment on patience rings true. When I am practicing, I find myself taking the time to go slow, go back and appreciate any new skill going forward.
Just don't ask me to play a classical guitar duet anytime soon-gotta work those callouses back up!
After watching my son take piano lessons for a year, I started lessons in my forties. I was proud of myself, not so much that I could play great pieces, but I had learned something new. However, I did succumb to a hectic schedule and stopped. I do hope to start again..
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