Hey everyone. I’m James from Brisbane, Australia.
I’ve only just picked up my musical journey again after dropping it for 20 years. I’m 40 now.
Most of my experience was drums, with only a little guitar. I started with playing the drums when I was about 12 or 13 years old. Got pretty decent, used to jam a lot with my mates in high school. Played in my church band (back when I went to church as a teenager).
I wanted to be a rock star. Probably like every other teenager in the 90s. Was super jealous of my guitar buddies so got a Squier Strat when I was 16, had a handful of lessons and learned some power chord songs (basically just Nirvana stuff) and gave it up within a year as I found barre chords too hard and didn’t have the money for lessons. Realised I wouldn’t be a rock star and gave that up. I actually thought my hands were the wrong shape to get decent at guitar.
I was in a band playing drums until I was around 19, when I decided it wasn’t going anywhere, on a whim I quit the band, sold the drum kit to travel and didn’t do anything musical until last year (2021). Basically spent the last 20 years on work and family after finishing uni.
About 5 years ago I bought my wife a cheap Yamaha guitar starter pack (F310) as a surprise gift when she’d indicated she wanted to learn guitar. But she never really did, it sat in the corner until October last year when I started mucking around with it. I decided I wanted to learn guitar, thought I was going to do the Fender course until I was recommended JustinGuitar and now here I am.
Within a couple of weeks of starting I figured I’d follow Justin’s advice on getting an electric, so again I bought a Squier Strat - this time an Affinity HSS with an Orange Sierra Sunburst flame maple top. Yes it’s a cheapie Squier but it looks fantastic and plays well. I still play the acoustic as well.
I have to say at this point I’m obsessed. I play at least an hour a day, often two and sometimes up to 4 hours on the weekend or while on vacation. I’m towards the end of grade 2 and loving it. Learned a ton of songs and keep learning more. It’s added another dimension back to my life that I didn’t realise I’d been missing.
I feel I’m making good progress so far. I find the rhythm stuff very easy, probably because of the drumming. And that even though it’s been over 20 years since I regularly played a kit, I’ve been tapping everything in sight with drum beats in all that time. Finger flexibility and dexterity for riffs is harder, but I think now being older and wiser I realise practice makes it easier. Which it totally does.
Anyway, thanks to Justin and team for JustinGuitar. Unbelievable it’s free. I had to go ahead and subscribe to the app, do a donation subscription, and order a song book. And it’s still cheaper (and better, I reckon) than in person lessons.
