As Always: Step ONE: Do it yourself.

Greetings all. A simple question this week and a simple answer.


Dear Aak a Punk -
How do I get my parents to give me guitar and lessons? - unsigned


Dear unsigned -
You don’t. You figure out a way to earn some money and then you go buy it for yourself. If you make it a priority in your life, you might even get lucky – Your folks might see how serious you are about wanting a guitar and end up pitching in for it after all… and if they don’t, well, you’ll still be able to buy it for yourself. They have to buy you food and clothes and pay for the electricity, but what other stuff do you already hound them for? Videogames? MORE clothes than you really need? Stop asking for all that other stuff and concentrate on the guitar… if you can’t make it that ONE thing you have to have, well, you probably don’t want it all that much to begin with.


Once you finally have your guitar, yeah, it can be pretty frustrating at first. You’ll have to be patient and dedicated – learning the basics, starting from zero can be seem like a slow process sometimes. One thing I will tell you is: BUY A TUNER…It doesn’t have to be a fancy one – they start around $19 on sale and I can’t imagine starting out without one. Nothing is more aggravating than trying to learn those first chords on an out-of-tune guitar. Eventually your “ear” will improve and you might not need the tuner any more, but hey, even the pros use them, so there is no shame in it.


Lessons would be nice, but you’re lucky that you live in a world where every bit of knowledge I had to beg, borrow or steal (since I couldn’t afford to pay for any of it) is now FREE and available 24 hours a day. You obviously have a computer and access to the internet, just do a search for “guitar lessons” and you’ll find them … for free online. You can even just go to youtube and search there. Sure you’ll have to wade through paid sites and ads and all that, but trust me, they’re out there. You’ll find videos for everything from basic fundamental ‘lessons’ to step-by-step guides to playing specific songs.


It is ASTOUNDING how many people are sharing their expertise and experience, for free… It is yours for the taking it. Learning how to rock out has never been easier than it is right now, at this moment in time. In many ways that is a good thing – Free and easy access to all who seek it! Power to the People! and all that, but I’ll admit that it sometimes feels like there is also something lost when what used to be a grueling quest for knowledge is now just a few clicks away. I’m not going to codger-out on you with “in my day” stories… Time marches on. The world can always use a new guitar player. At least you don’t want to be a “DJ.”