Hello and greetings from the Deep South, USA. I began my guitar journey as a young teenager back in 1976. Back then I had a really poor classical acoustic guitar. The neck was warped, but that didn’t really matter. The strings were set so high above the frets, buzzing was never a problem. I did manage to learn a few basic chords and a couple of intro riffs.
Then for the next 25 years, life got in the way. During that time of other more pressing demands, the old guitar sat neglected and unused. It eventually disappeared during one move or another.
About 10 years back, I started working with a couple of guys (from across the country) who had spent their early years first learning to play then eventually making a living as musicians. We would get together occasionally and when the work was done they would play. Every now and then, I’d grab a guitar and fumble through something remembered from my youth.
It wasn’t long before I’d purchase a new guitar and started the return to my true roots. That would be porch music. We’d play old mining songs, campfire stuff, etc. Now I had the bug and a serious case of GAS (guitar acquisition syndrome) to boot. Time still wasn’t on my side. I’ve stayed stuck at barely getting through a couple of songs before hitting the limits of my repertoire.
At 59 years old and four hand surgeries later, the guitar has become my rehab program. These days I’m a semi-retired drilling consultant for civil work. I’ve finally got the time to try and really up my game and I decided to go back to basics. I’m working on fundamentals, theory and try to unlearn some of my bad habits.
As I’ve told my wife, that’s my story and I’m sticking to it.
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