at last, someone else in WA We’re now down in Binningup but it’s always good to see another ‘local’ join the forum. We are collecting quite a few members from Aus and NZ
Glad to hear you have started your journey. It’s a great forum and really good courses by JG and the team. Just get used to being up at 2am if you want to join clubs or the Open Mics
Hi Belle,
Welcome here and I wish you a lot of fun
And believe me that many dreams have come true here, 'More than Words ’ was also one of my songs that I hoped I could play very far into the future, now 4 and a half years later (so I learned this from Justin a while back way earlier than I could even hope when I started ) I have to learn it again because I am forgot about it as long as I haven’t played it
Welcome Belle, from a fellow Auusie, on the East Coast. The guitar can be a great friend for mental health battles. This community is also a great support.
Enjoy, stick close to Justins lessons, and you’ll have that song under your belt soon enough. .
Welcome Belle, its going to hurt, you will get frustrated and feel like throwing the guitar out the window but record you first attempts at learning and when you hit a wall look back and see how much you have progressed, and take it slowly if you try to rush you will end up with a lot of bad habits you can`t shake off.look forward to hearing about your progress.
I think that any time we hit one of those ages that end in “9”… 19, 29, 39, etc. we should start up a new hobby or learn something challenging to carry us into the next decade of our lives. So good choice to learn guitar now - also good to have a “dreamer” song to aim for!
The piece of advice I offer to anyone totally new to guitar is to buy yourself a stand or wall hanger so your guitar is always on display… it’s so easy to pick up & play for just a few minutes & this will really help you to progress - I like to strum chords or play scales while my coffee is brewing in the mornings! If the guitar was in a case in the closet, that wouldn’t happen…
Doesn’t work for everyone. My wife tolerates, but (unstated) clearly doesn’t enjoy my playing, so I play for an hour and a half at the same time every afternoon, and she’s used to that. If I started just randomly playing at unexpected times of the day, whenever the muse struck, I’m quite certain she’d be plotting my demise.
Ok, fair enough… part of why I play early in the mornings is exactly that:
So I’m usually playing my tele unplugged… I hear it, the dogs hear it, but my “Better Half” isn’t in the room so I don’t bother her with it… besides, the coffee maker only takes 7-8 minutes to finish so as soon as it’s done I’m putting the axe back on the stand & pouring us some caffeine!!!
Welcome to the forum Belle, great to see another Aussie here. We did the big lap a couple of years ago and just LOVED Western Australia. There’s an active folk community in Perth, went to a concert while there and thoroughly enjoyed it.
I didn’t start playing guitar till I was 53. I’m 66 now and so glad I picked up the guitar and thanks to Justin and his lessons haven’t put it down since. Such fun and such great rewards that don’t take all that long to realize!
Read a stat from beyond blue that 43% of people in Australia will experience a mental health condition in their lifetime. I suffer from low level depression over many years and when feeling blue I pickup the guitar and invariably within 15 or 20 minutes feel better. Singing stimulates the vagus nerve. The acoustic guitar gives comforting vibrations against the body. So very worth it.
Hi Belle,
Welcome from another Australian. My (glacially slow) learning journey on guitar gives me endless satisfaction. All the best with your journey.
Greg
Hello Belle.
Happy semester.
Welcome to JustinGuitar and this fantastic community. Please take your time to look around and get to know the wider space. https://community.justinguitar.com/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.
Also, please make sure to read the community etiquette announcement for some important information and guidance.