I have been lurking for quite a while and have decided it is high time I participated properly in this wonderful community.
My storey is similar to many. I played guitar as a teenager (in the 1970s) but gave it up at 20 and then stopped and started again many times usually playing long enough to develop callouses before abandoning it again because I could not improve. During the first summer of lockdown I picked it up again and now I still play every day.
I can play to a reasonable intermediate level; for me the main challenge is singing. For the last 2 years I found myself more or less aimlessly noodling and avoiding finishing any song or piece of music or recording myself. A couple of things have recently given me new purpose. Firstly, Justinâs recent lesson âHow not to suck at singingâ Secondly a timely attack of GAS where I got a new Acoustic guitar which is so much easier to play than my old one.
So now I am working on âSongs Songs Songsâ and even singing !
Welcome to the forum Will
Hi Will,
You have already done a lot of reading indeed,âŚand quite a bit of playing experience, soâŚI look forward to your music and wish you a lot of fun 
Greetings,Rogier
Hello and welcome Will, sounds like youâre on your way, good luck. Being nosey here but what acoustic did you treat yourself to? 
Hi Will welcome. I am also from Ireland ( Wexford) but am currently living in Chicago.
Thanks Rogier
The Community has been a major part of my Guitar hobby I am looking forward to being more involved.
Thank you for the Welcome Rick
Thanks Eddie
It seems we are few and far between
Welcome to the forum. Thatâs awesome progress. Iâm an accidental singer, didnât expect to sing, only to play, so my wife sang the first song I learned and after her singing it many times without thinking I joined in on the chorus and realized it wasnât as hard as I thought it would be. Keep up the singing and the playing, the rewards gets better the more songs you know.
We are but we are getting thereâ:joy:. Stick with the singing and it will come Will. I was a shocking singer a couple of years back but the more I practiced the more I gradually improved. I am still not wonderful but âdonât suck anymore 
â. Justinâs lesson on not sucking helped me a lot.
Look forward to hearing you play and sing at some point.
Good to meet you Will, GAS is as good a caalyst as any!! 
Pleased youâve found a bit of renewed purpose with Justin and hope it continues. Songs, songs, songs is the whole point right?!
Best of luck and looking forward to learning more about you and your guitar(s)!!
Thanks Nancy
The Guitar is a Vintage VE330n. My other older Acoustic is a 1970s Japanese Martin D41copy called a Terada FW618. Which also sounds wonderful but being a dreadnought and having unusually shallow frets is difficult to play. I had been on the look out for a new one for some time but every guitar I picked up in shops did nothing for me. Then on a recent visit to berlin I went to a shop that was owned by the same guy I bought my Terada from 30 years ago and found this small auditorium size guitar second hand for 200 pounds. (New they are roughly the same price)
It is perfect for folk fingerstyle. Below is a link to a review of the VE300n which is identical to mine except for a slightly different preamp. I intend to post these guitars to the âFavourite Guitar threadâ as soon as i get around to making photographs
Vintage VE300n Review
Hello Will and welcome to our community. 
Once you feel comfortable with your singing it will be great for you to maybe share something in the AVOYP section.
Teacherâs pet! 
Oops, I forgot weâre supposed to be positive and nice when welcoming
Welcome aboard, Will.
Iâve always felt our diaspora is underrepresented in this wonderful community and ones who havenât departed the Emerald Isle are even rarer, so I hope you hang around.
What part of Dublin do you live in? I was based in the Dolphinâs Barn/Rialto and Dun Laoghaire areas for many years. Still trying to go native on Merseyside⌠
If you were playing in the 70s you probably have a few years on me,
Anyway, look forward to following whatever part of your journey you feel like sharing.
Good luck 
Hello Will, and a warm welcome to the community 
.
Singing is also a big hurdle to me, but itâs getting better, the more I practice. And one day, Iâll be hopefully satisfied with my playing and singing skills 
.
So, youâre in good company here 
.
Hey Will
Welcome to the Community! Nice to meet you
Hi Will, welcome to the community and many good vibes on learning songs, learning songs, learning songs!!
@brianlarsen
Hi Brian
Thanks for the welcome.
I remember in the âwhere in the world threadâ that you mentioned having lived in Clogher road; I cycle down that road most days on my way to the Goethe Institut where I work. I lived in Berlin during the 80s and 90s and live now with my Austrian wife and 2 sons and cat in a part of Dublin known as the Melodies or Musical roads due to all the roads being named for Musicians with a connection to Ireland. I have already been on the site for 2 years or so and even introduced myself on the old forum but never really contributed. I feel as though I know so many of you already and hope to be more active this time around
@NicoleKKB
Thanks for the Welcome
I notice from your own intro that you are an Ăsi not an Aussie. My wife is from Vienna a city I am well acquainted with for the last 30 Years. The problem with there being so many songs is one I have, too. My plan is to work on a few to the point where I can record them, I think only then will I really feel like a musician.
@tony
Thanks for the welcome. For me singing is very important and I have decided to make it my main focus, my hope is to find and grow to like my own voice, interpret songs with this voice and maybe one day write my own
@SgtColon
Yes I do intend to post in the AVOYP section; Thanks for the Welcome
@Notter
Thanks Mark
GAS is Great. I also intend to start a learning log and somewhere I will post about my guitars
@JasmineJ
Hi Jax nice to meet you, too thanks for the welcome
@Richard_close2u
Thanks for the âVibesâ Songs is for sure where itâs at:
Hello Will, welcome to the community.
Ding ding! All comes back now, of course The name didnât ring a bell initially, and the above intro read like a new introduction. Sorry.
Good to have you back with us (again )
What a nice place to work. I love Merrion Square. I used to pass by every day on my way into Trinity.
Wow, Berlin during the 80/90s- what an exciting time to live there! I only got to visit in the last 2 years and loved it. You may have seen a thread of one of my visits already, but just in case, here you go again: musical memories of Berlin
Look forward to hearing what that guitar sounds like when youâre ready