Seems like I should probably get around to introducing myself after posting for a few weeks…
I’m Crystal in Florida (born here 43 years ago, still here). In school I regularly played the flute and the alto sax and sang, though not all at once. My dad played the guitar around the house when I was a kid, too, which may have planted early seeds. At some point during my teenage years — the exact moment is now obscured by the mists of time — I bought a classical guitar at a garage sale and decided to teach myself.
Alas, I started with a book that was hilariously unsuited to my learning style and my guitar, and alas again, I got the idea that the problem was me and that I had to keep plugging away to “earn” the right to work on something more fun. Things never did click with that book, but I kept it and the guitar and tried again periodically. Eventually a friend gifted me an electric guitar that also didn’t work (for me) with that book.
It was actually a few years back that I first found Justin Guitar, but other things were on my mind at the time, and I forgot about it for a while.
The past year has been a wee bit troubled, though, and since music is something right even when other things are wrong, it feels like a good time to come back to it. I started the beginner course in late July and am in the post-grade-1 consolidation phase. It’s a relief to have made visible progress in a fairly short time, as I was concerned I’d never get any better. At this rate, I may have some Christmas songs recognizable in time for the holidays, and that would be rather lovely.
Anyway, looking forward to seeing how far I get this time.
Happily, already there! Though I think I’ll need to be into grade 2 (or past it?) to play the songs I really want to, and I’m eyeing that Christmas songbook mentioned on the page you linked…
Sort of funny, for a long time it felt unnatural to not be practicing Christmas songs in September. I spent four formative years building holiday repertoire starting in late summer since my vocal program did a huge annual holiday concert dinner, and the urge took until a few years ago to fade.
Hi Crystal ,
Welcome here and I wish you a lot of songs …and fun
Ai ai ai … Normally I start looking around and playing some first notes in the summer for a new Christmas song that I find fun and challenging… I’m already too late and I’m afraid I won’t have time for a new one this year… …
‘Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas’ has been on the list for some years now, but even without singing last year it was difficult, let’s see how far I can get in a few weeks…
Keep at it you will fly through grade 2, and soon be taking n grade 3 and the 4, Learning guitar is not an easy path each time you tackle something new, be it a rhythm, a chord or a solo it at first seems like a mountain to climb but once at the top you can enjoy the view and look at the next to climb and plan that one.
Unless I’m misremembering (and it wouldn’t be a first!), it should say “collector of rather small guitars” … by which I mean, I keep ending up with guitars smaller than the (apparent) expected guitary default, like the Blackstar Carry-On. With several of them I didn’t even realize they were considered small guitars until later; I just liked the way they sounded, so I got them.
…But the first thing that popped into my head when you said “How small can a guitar be?” was this review from Baz at Got a Ukulele. Not a guitar, but maybe someone out there has made a walnuitar…
Hello Crystal.
Welcome to JustinGuitar and this fantastic community. Please take your time to look around and get to know the wider space. View by Categories.
We are a supportive and encouraging group of students and guitarists from across the world. Essentially, we are all here for music and to improve as players. We truly are a ‘community’. Members help and support one another and a friendly, positive attitude underpins this. We hope that all - young or old, experienced or new players - adopt and foster the pay-it-forward ethos that Justin personifies and embedded all those years ago when he started the website and forum.
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If you want to record yourself to show your progress and / or seek feedback there is our ever popular Community Recordings section.
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Justin also has a small group of Approved Teachers he recommends for people wanting 1-to-1 lessons to supplement his courses - of which I am privileged to be one.
Always takes me longer than I expect to play a song well enough to feel good about it!
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Enjoy!
(I haven’t managed to collect one of those.)
