HURTING FINGERS

I mentioned in an earlier post that old family friends came over today bringing a new guest who taught me a few things about chords. She was not only a helpful advice giver, but a true inspiration. I don't know her full life story, but she had a rough life. In the past, she taught herself guitar and played whenever she needed. I use the verb "needed" because playing music, like other hobbies, relaxes you and separates you from the regular world. If you read or write poetry, it is like that; it makes you feel better. So whenever she needed, she would play. Now she gets better and better everyday and she is quite well. Her dedication to playing guitar with so many other distractions in the way shows me that i can teach myself and become as good as she is. Watching her teach my mom's friend, Shawny, taught me many things even though she wasn't directing her teaching to me. One of the things that I observed was that encouragement is necessary in learning to play the guitar. Trying to learn something new can get frustrating at times, especially if no one is there to help you. Whenever Shawny would doubt herself and start giving up, Tracy would tell her that she could finish the song and then try it over again. The relief on Shawny's face after those encouraging words was evident and then she took Tracy's advice. I have my family who supports my guitar playing although it might sound horrible now it'll get better with practice. Tracy's advice to learn chords two at a time has actually worked. The first chords i learned were C and G7. Altering them back and forth helped my movement flow quicker and faster. I tried to play yankee doodle with those chords too and i noticed the difference in the flow from before i practiced the movement and after; the difference was huge. So that is very very helpful advice. Now i'm working on G and D7 :)